The triumph of singer-songwriters was the main theme at the 20th Golden Melody Awards held in Taipei on June 27. At his fourth nomination for Best Mandarin Male Singer, Mando-pop king Jay Chou finally broke his duck in the category, beating favorites Eason Chan and Khalil Fong to win the much coveted award. The big winner despite his absence from the ceremony, Chou also won Best Song of the Year (for "Rice Fragrance") and Best Music Video (for "Mr. Magic").

Better known as an award-winning producer and songwriter, Sandee Chen won her first Best Mandarin Female Singer for her album If There is One Thing That is Important. Further proof that singer-songwriters are hot right now came in the shape of Crowd Lu. The highly acclaimed pop sensation is loved for his style and versatility shown in debut album 100 Ways For Living, and he withstood fierce competition from the One Million Star alumni to win Best Newcomer. He also netted Best Composer for the title song, evoking memories of a younger Jay Chou.

Another highly contested big prize, Best Mandarin Album, went to Eason Chan for his album Don't Want to Let Go. It was his second win of the award after Special Thanks To... in 2002, and this time, he was presented the award by Jacky Cheung and Jody Chiang. The duo were themselves winners of the fan-voted "Favorite Song in 20 Years" special award. The Taiwanese diva then added another trophy to her cabinet with her Holding You Tight being named Best Taiwanese Album.

Poetry of The Day After... gave Mayday their third Best Band Award to become the most-decorated band in Golden Melody Awards history. HoneyVoices was the surprise that night with three awards - Best Group Vocal, Best Aboriginal Language Album, and Best Album Producer.

This year, the absence of several big-name contenders at the ceremony was partly compensated by the presence of some overseas guest performers and presenters, including top Korean group Super Junior, Japan-residing legend Ouyang Fei Fei, Hong Kong pop king Jacky Cheung, and veteran dance trio the Grasshoppers.

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Fahrenheit's Wu Chun and award-winning Mainland actress Zhou Xun have been cast as the leads for the Taiwan remake of the 2004 Korean drama Full House. Based on the same comic that inspired the popular Korean series starring Rain and Song Hye Kyo, the Taiwan version of Full House is being helmed by Doze Niu, the director of popular idol dramas likeWayward Kenting and Toast Boy's Kiss. The big-budget romantic comedy will be shot in both China and Taiwan, and touch on cross-strait issues. Taking on her first TV drama in six years, Zhou Xun plays a Beijing woman who travels to Taiwan to settle her grandfather's inheritance, only to find the house she's supposed to inherit has been rented out to a Taiwan superstar played by Wu Chun.

Also in production right now is the Chinese remake of Korean youth sitcom Nonstop. Known as a star-making vehicle during its six seasons in Korea, the Chinese Nonstop, titled Qing Chun Jin Xing Shi ("When Youth Is Happening"), revolves around the romance, friendship, and hijinks of a group of energetic college students played by idol duo BOBO, gag duo Backdorm Boys, and actresses He Zhuoyan, Cao Yuan, and Zhang Xinyu. One of the original Korean directors of the MBC sitcom is onboard to direct this 100-episode remake which begins airing on Dragon TV on July 6.

Text / Sanwei

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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 a ship heading to 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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 groups 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

Besides making his Hollywood debut this year in an action comedy with Jack Black and Anne Hathaway, Hong Kong's comedy king Stephen Chow is also going to work with China Film Group to produce an animated film based on his 2008 blockbuster CJ7 for a possible release next year. When he began shooting CJ7 three years ago, Chow had already planned to make an animated version with the same setting but a different storyline. The film will combine 2-D and 3-D animation, and the cast of the live-action original is expected to come back to voice the characters. On the creative side, Chow will hand the reins to acclaimed director Dante Lam (The Beast Stalker), whose resume also includes the animated films Storm Rider: Clash of Evils and Sparkling Red Star, and to screenwriter Erica Li (King of Comedy).

CJ7 tells of the friendship between poor schoolboy Dicky and the extraterrestrial being that he names "CJ7". Doubling as director, writer, and producer, Stephen Chow plays second fiddle on screen to child actress Xu Jiao, whose turn as Dicky won her Best New Performer at the Hong Kong Film Awards. The sci-fi comedy was a gigantic hit at the box office across Asia, and an online game based on the movie is also in the works.

Text / dian

The Association of Music Workers in Taiwan announced their annual picks for 2008's Best 10 Albums and Singles on May 11. Hong Kong singer Eason Chan and Taiwan hip-hop artist MC Hog Dog were the industry favorites with an album and two singles each on the winner's shortlist.

The Association awarded their Best 10 Albums to Eason Chan's Don't Want to Let Go, MC Hot Dog's Mr. Almost, perennial winner Jay Chou's Capricorn, Hong Kong singer-songwriter Khalil Fong's Orange Moon, indie queen Sandee Chen's If There Is One Thing That Is Important, breakthrough singer-songwriter Crowd Lu's 100 Ways For Living, rock band Chairman's Spend All Of His Money!, 13 Band's Ma Lian Shui Shou De Xia Tian ("Summer of the Horse-Faced Sailor"), and two debut releases, Joanna Wang's Start From Here and Xiao Yu's Xiao Yu Tong Xue Jiu Shi Wo ("Classmate Xiao Yu Is Me").

In singles, Eason Chan's "Don't Speak" and "Rewind Life" and MC Hot Dog's "Mr. Almost" and "Ocean" are joined by Jay Chou's "Mr. Magic", Mayday's "You Are Not Truly Happy", Cheer Chen's "Wings of a Loser", Crowd Lu's "I Love You", Aska Yang's "Onion", and fellow One Million Star newcomer Yoga Lin's "Eye Color". The Association of Music Workers in Taiwan's Best 10 picks are often viewed as a precursor to the Golden Melody Award nominations which will be announced on May 15 this year.

Text / Sanwei

International star Jackie Chan held his "Descendants of the Dragon: Jackie Chan and Friends" charity concert at the Beijing National Stadium on May 1. He was joined by over 100 performers including well-known Asian artists Alan Tam, Eric Tsang, Emil Chau, Sun Nan, Joey Yung, Khalil Fong, Charlene Choi, Yumiko Cheng, Super Junior, Zhang Liyin, Leehom Wang, Jane Zhang, Hacken Lee, Jonathan Lee, Angela Chang, Li Bingbing, Chris Lee, and Rain.

Jackie opened the performance with a drum performance and the song "Descendants of the Dragon". He also sang other Olympic songs and teamed up with Jonathan Lee and Emil Chau for "True Hero". The highlight of the show was perhaps Korean group Super Junior who have not appeared in Mainland China for some time. They sang the songs Sorry Sorry and "The Reason Why I Like You" amid thunderous applause. As for Rain, not only did he perform his hits Rainism and It's Raining, but he also sang the duet "Who Can Judge Love's Right or Wrong" with Jackie Chan. The tour closed with an ensemble song by all performers called "Singing Homeland".

Jackie's concert attracted over 70,000 people, amounting to around 95% of the Beijing National Stadium's seating capacity. Jackie also especially invited poor and disabled children who received aid from his charity fund to attend the concert.

Text / Snoopy

Considering the blockbuster success of TV-drama spin-offs Suspect X and Hana Yori Dango: Final last year, it comes as no surprise that there are many more Japanese small-screen hits trying their luck on the big screen in 2009.

Opening on May 30, Rookies -Sotsugyo- is the silver-screen finale to the 2008 TBS spring drama Rookies. Based on Morita Masanori's best-selling manga, Rookies revolves around a do-good high school teacher and baseball coach and his adventures reforming his team of delinquent students. After continuing the mini-series' storyline in a TV special in October 2008, the Rookies will finally graduate in May. The entire cast, including coach Sato Ryuta and players Ichihara Hayato, Koide Keisuke, Shirota You, and Sato Takeru, return for the movie along with new additions like Yamamoto Yusuke, Ishida Takuya, and Takeda Kohei. Over 180,000 advance tickets have been sold for Rookies -Sotsugyo- already, more than double the advance ticket sales of Hana Yori Dango: Final.

The similarly themed and even more popular Gokusen arrives in movie theaters on July 11. Based on Morimoto Kozueko's manga, NTV's Gokusen revolves around a cluelessly earnest teacher with a yakuza background, and her hilarious efforts reforming her delinquent Class 3D students. After headlining three hit seasons, leading actress Nakama Yukie will take her famed character "Yankumi" to the big screen, along with Takaki Yuya, Miura Haruma, and other young stars from the 2008 season and 2009 TV special. Kamenashi Kazuya of KAT-TUN will also make his silver-screen debut in the movie. He reprises his role from the 2005 season of Gokusen, now returning four years later as a rookie teacher.

The 2007 Fuji TV thriller Liar Game starring Matsuda Shota and Toda Erika is getting both a second season and a movie in a simultaneous release setup similar to Akai Ito. Another 2007 Fuji TV hit, the police drama S.P. starring Okada Junichi and Tsutsumi Shinichi, also has a movie spin-off in the works with hit-making Bayside Shakedown director Motohiro Katsuyuki remaining at the helm. Finally, the 2006 Fuji TV favorite Nodame Cantabile is lined up for not one but two movies, both due in 2010.

Text / Sanwei

Having proposed for umpteen times throughout the years, 62-year-old Hong Kong actor Law Kar Ying finally got an affirmative answer from his longtime girlfriend, 61-year-old veteran TV personality Liza Wang. TVB General Manager Stephen Chan broke the news that the popular couple got hitched on May 2 in Las Vegas. This is Wang's second marriage and Law's first. The two began dating after collaborating on a Cantonese opera in 1988, and in recent years Law has publicly asked Wang to marry him on many occasions, despite her constant refusal. This made their decision to tie the knot after a 20-year relationship a pleasant surprise.

As an actress, singer, and TV host, Liza Wang has enjoyed a spectacular career spanning over four decades, and is a symbol of TVB. She is also influential as a politician and a leader of Hong Kong's Cantonese opera circle. Law, a famous Cantonese opera actor, rose to fame in the 90s with his comedic performances in several Stephen Chow movies. He was awarded Best Supporting Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards and Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards for the 1995 film Summer Snow.

The marriage could be a boost for their careers. Wang is set to start shooting the TVB drama "The Queen's Office" when she comes back to Hong Kong, and Law appears in two high-profile 2009 Chinese sci-fi films, Wong Jing's Future Cop and Jeff Lau's Kung Fu Cyborg.

Text / dian

EXILE continues to sell big after doubling their member size with members from J-Soul Brothers. Their new double A-sided single THE MONSTER-Someday- released on April 15 recorded initial weekly sales of 172,000 copies, giving the 14-member EXILE a welcome new start with an Oricon #1 hit. This marks the third consecutive #1 single for the band after last year's The Birthday - Ti Amo - and Last Christmas. Including THE MONSTER-Someday-, EXILE now has seven #1 singles under their belt.

Best known for his role as F4's Mimasaka Akira in the TBS drama Hana Yori Dango, Chinese-Japanese actor Abe Tsuyoshi announced his marriage with Chinese actress Shi Ke on April 27. The 27 year-old actor met his Shi during the shooting of the film Stand In Love.

Text / Snoopy

The lineup for the 62nd Cannes Film Festival was announced on April 23. This year's Cannes, which will be held from May 13 to May 24, features a virtual who's who of world auteurs, with films from Ken Loach, Quentin Tarantino, Lars Von Trier, Pedro Almodovar, Michel Gondry, and Jane Campion as well as Asia's own Ang Lee, Johnnie To, Park Chan Wook, Tsai Ming Liang, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Bong Joon Ho, and Pen-ek Ratanaruang.

Twenty films are up for the Palme d'Or, six of which are from Asian filmmakers. Mainland Chinese director Lou Ye returns to Cannes three years after his Summer Palace caused a wave of controversy, and earned him a ban at home for screening at the festival without Beijing approval. His new feature Spring Fever, a Chinese- French co-production, was filmed secretly in Nanjing in defiance of the ban. Taiwan filmmaker Tsai Ming Liang sticks with his arthouse aesthetics and perennial muse Lee Kang Sheng in Face, which follows a Taiwan director who travels to the Louvre to shoot a film exploring the Salome myth. Hong Kong director Johnnie To also stays to the genre he knows best with crime thriller Vengeance starring French rocker Johnny Hallyday.

Ang Lee goes back to Hollywood to direct Taking Woodstock, an adaptation of Elliot Tiber's memoir set during the iconic summer of 1969. Korean maverick Park Chan Wook, whose Old Boy won the Grand Prix in 2004, brings the vampire tale Thirst starring Song Kang Ho as a priest-turned-bloodsucker. Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza competes for the second consecutive year with his new kidnap thriller Kinatay. Also in competition for top honors is Spanish director Isabel Coixet's Map of the Sounds of Tokyo, which is set in Japan and stars Babel's Kikuchi Rinko.

Kore-eda Hirokazu's Air Doll, Bong Joon Ho's Mother, Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Nymph, and Raya Martin's Independence are screening in the Un Certain Regard category. Raya Martin's twin bill with Adolfo Alix Jr., Manila, will also be shown in special screenings, making it the first time a Filipino filmmaker has had two films at Cannes. Mainland director Zhao Liang's Petition is also being screened out of competition.

This year's Cannes jury is chaired by French actress Isabella Huppert, and the jury includes Korean director Lee Chang Dong, and Taiwan actress Shu Qi. Pixar's Up will be the first ever animated film to open the Cannes Film Festival, while French director Jan Kounen's Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky will do the closing honors.

Text / Sanwei

Martial arts biopic Ip Man was no doubt the 2008 Chinese movie juggernaut, being one of the year's biggest box-office successes and winner of Best Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Two sequels are being planned, and Part II will start shooting this August with a target release date of summer 2010. Director Wilson Yip recently revealed some details concerning the first sequel.

Donnie Yen and Lynn Xiong are locked to reprise their roles as Mr. and Mrs. Ip Man, who will have arrived in Hong Kong following the story in Part I. At the time, many martial arts clubs in Hong Kong are controlled by the triad, prompting the upstanding Ip Man to set up a martial arts school to teach Wing Chun himself. Action director Sammo Hung will step in front of the camera this time to play the leader of the rival "Hung Fist" school, and the film will stage plenty of fights between different schools of Chinese kung fu. Most of the first film's main cast members will return, including Lam Ka Tung and Fan Siu Wong.

It is known that the sequel involves a young Bruce Lee as one of Ip Man's disciples. Wilson Yip said that Lee will be a teenager and just a minor role in this film, so they will cast a newcomer with similar looks and temperament to play him, squashing rumors that Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou or Shaolin Soccer actor Chan Kwok Kwan are being courted for the role.

Text / dian

Lam Seung Yee, the iconic Hong Kong soccer commentator and comic actor better known as "Ah Suk" (Uncle in Cantonese), was found dead in his home on April 23. He was 74.

A former soccer player and coach, Ah Suk was perhaps the most revered soccer commentator in Hong Kong in the last couple of decades. His trademark voice and witty commentary style have endeared him to generations of soccer fans. His career as a comic actor also owed much to his deadpan delivery of often-improvised dialogs. Between the Stephen Chow blockbuster Fight Back to School II in 1992 and the Herman Yau romantic comedy Herbal Tea in 2004, Ah Suk scored almost a hundred movie and TV drama acting gigs, his most popular role being the priest in the Young and Dangerous series. Retired in 2006 after hosting the World Cup live broadcasting program for TVB, Ah Suk's sudden death came as a blow to soccer and movie fans alike.

Text / dian

The 28th Hong Kong Film Awards were held on April 19. Wilson Yip's martial arts biopic Ip Man beat out Red Cliff, CJ7, Painted Skin, and The Way We Are for Best Film honors. The film also picked up Best Action Choreography for Leung Siu Hung and Sammo Hung, who also happened to be the award's presenter along with the other members of the Seven Little Fortunes. Ip Man leading man Donnie Yen, however, lost out in the highly contested Best Actor race to Nick Cheung for The Beast Stalker, which also won Best Supporting Actor for Liu Kai Chi. Ann Hui's low-budget critic's favorite The Way We Are, the only solely Hong Kong-invested production in the Best Film race, won Best Director and Best Screenplay, as well as Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for veterans Paw Hee Ching and Chan Lai Wun, respectively.

CJ7 child actress Xu Jiao, who lit the firecrackers that kicked off the award ceremony's opening lion-dance performance, was named Best New Performer, while Derek Kwok picked up Best New Director for The Moss. John Woo's epic war film Red Cliff, which led in nominations, took home the most awards, though all in technical categories: Best Art Direction, Best Costume & Makeup Design, Best Sound Design, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Film Score. Gordon Chan's Painted Skin won in Best Cinematography and Best Original Film Song. Best Asian Film was given to Feng Xiaogang's Assembly.

Sixties movie icon and two-time HKFA Best Actress winner Josephine Siao was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Director Wong Kar Wai presented the award, and Stephen Chow, who did not attend the ceremony, narrated her tribute clip. As 2009 also marks the 100th anniversary of Hong Kong Cinema, Infernal Affairs, The Eye, Days of Being Wild, and A Better Tomorrow version parody clips of Hong Kong's first film "Steal Roasted Duck" were shown at the ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by Eric Tsang and a round robin of co-hosts including Teresa Mok, Vincent Kok, Wong Cho Lam, Lam Tze Chung, Tenky Tin, Michelle Lo, Chin Kar Lok, Fan Siu Wong, Denise Ho, Kay Tse, and Sandra Ng.

Text / Sanwei

The 2008 Hong Kong IFPI Gold Disc Awards, which distributes awards based on album sales, were presented on April 11. Superstar Andy Lau walked away with six awards, including Best Selling Hong Kong Male Artist and Best Selling Cantonese Album for his Wonderful World Concert Tour Hong Kong 2007 live album. His 2007 release Everyone Is No. 1 and Mandarin live album Wonderful World Concert Tour Shanghai also made it into the Top 10 Best Selling Cantonese and Mandarin Albums shortlists. Joey Yung was named the Best Selling Hong Kong Female Artist, with two of her albums in the Top 10.

The remaining eight top-selling artists were Aaron Kwok, Leo Ku, Stephy Tang, Kary Ng, Denise Ho, Ivana Wong, Vincy Chan, and Raymond Lam, whose 2007 and 2008 albums both made it into the Top 10 sellers. Fellow TVB crossover singers Myolie Wu and Linda Chung received Best Selling Newcomer awards along with G.E.M., William Chan, RubberBand, and Square. Best Selling Mandarin Album went to Taiwan boy band Fahrenheit's 2 Face. The other Top 10 Mandarin releases belonged to S.H.E., Show Luo, Lollipop, Yoga Lin, Andy Lau, and Twins. Japanese boy band w-inds.' Seventh Ave and Single Collection Best Eleven were the Best Selling Japanese/Korean Albums.

There are some glaring omissions from this year's Hong Kong IFPI Gold Disc Awards recipients as four major music labels - Universal, Sony BMG, Warner, and EMI - pulled out of the IFPI last year so their records and artists, including big sellers like Jay Chou and Eason Chan, are not accounted for in the calculations.

Text / Sanwei

Popular Korean duo Fly to the Sky gave their final Korea performance on April 12, concluding 10 years of K-pop success. Formed by Brian Joo and Fany (a.k.a. Hwan Hee), Fly to the Sky made their debut in 1999 under powerhouse talent agency SM Entertainment, with whom the group remained until 2004 when they switched to PFull Entertainment. The duo celebrated their tenth anniversary this year, making them one of K-pop's longest-running idol groups. With the release of their eighth album Decennium in February, however, Fly to the Sky also announced that they would not renew their management contract, and that Decennium would be their last official album.

Though Fly to the Sky are not officially disbanded, Brian and Fany, now signed to different agencies, have expressed they are parting ways to focus on solo careers. Wrapping up activities for their album, the duo gave a series of farewell performances in early April, bowing out on April 12 with a final appearance on music program SBS Inkigayo, where they sang their debut single Day by Day and their last single Restriction.

Brian and Fany will continue to stay active in the entertainment industry as solo artists. Fany is planning to release a solo album later this year, while Brian is returning to his native United States in May to begin shooting for a Hollywood action comedy.

Text / Sanwei

Pop diva Koda Kumi and her younger sister misono joined forces for the single It's All Love!. Their efforts have paid off as their single released on March 31 shot to Oricon's #1 position. It's All Love! is the first Oricon #1 hit by a sibling group since Dancing Sister/I'm in the Mood for Dancing by Irish band The Nolans in July 1980. Koda Kumi and misono are also the first sibling group to reach Oricon's #1 spot in the initial week.

It's All Love! reached first-week sales of 74,000 copies and follows Koda Kumi's #1 hit single stay with me released on December 24, 2008. misono previously only scored #2 hits with her former band day after tomorrow, so It's All Love! is her very first #1 hit.

Text / Snoopy

Speed Racer, Dragonball: Evolution, and the forthcoming Blood: The Last Vampire are only the beginning of Hollywood's budding love affair with anime and manga as there are plenty more live-action adaptations to come. Mandalay Pictures just picked up rights for Gatoh Shoji's light novel series Full Metal Panic!, a high school action comedy that has been adapted into manga and anime. High School Musical heartthrob Zac Efron is reportedly in the talks to star as the hero, an anti-terrorist mercenary tasked to protect a schoolgirl with special powers.

Leonardo DiCaprio's production company Appian Way is planning on adapting two anime classics, Otomo Katsuhiro's post-apocalyptic cyberpunk masterpiece Akira and Kawajiri Yoshiaki's Ninja Scroll. A self-professed anime fan, DiCaprio recently expressed that he's interested in casting Japanese actors for the films, and pop superstars SMAP are among the names being considered for Ninja Scroll. Watchmen screenwriter Alex Tse is scripting the revenge actioner about a mercenary ninja in feudal Japan. The live-action Akira, meanwhile, has been in speculative limbo since remake rights were acquired, but it's tapped as a two-parter with Ruairi Robinson directing.

Keanu Reeves is reportedly playing the leading role of bounty hunter Spike Spiegal in the adaptation of futuristic sci-fi anime western Cowboy Bebop. Other live-action anime remakes in the Hollywood rumor mill include Warner Brothers' Robotech, last attached to Tobey Maguire and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, and Ghost in the Shell, which was licensed by DreamWorks.

Text / Sanwei

After a dip into darker territory in Derek Yee's yakuza drama film Shinjuku Incident, Jackie Chan returns to his favorite action comedy genre with his latest Chinese movie Big Soldier, bringing some fresher faces to the attention of the world. Shot in Yunnan, China with a modest price tag of US$25 million, the period actioner has wrapped principal photography, and should begin its theatrical run sometime in 2009.

Jackie introduced the main cast and crew members at the press conference held in Beijing last week. Director Ding Sheng only made his feature film debut last year with The Underdog Knight, but he had previously shot several commercials with Jackie, and the two clicked. Out of Jackie's new co-stars, the most well-known is sure to be Taiwan pop king Leehom Wang (Lust, Caution). Playing female lead is newcomer Lin Peng, who performed at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics last year. Other main cast includes Korean singer Yoo Seung Jun, and Jackie's disciples known as the "New Seven Little Fortunes".

The film is set in the Warring States Period of ancient China, and the plot involves an older soldier capturing a young general from a rival state, and then embarking on a fight-filled adventure. According to Jackie, the story idea has been brewing in his mind for 20 years. At first he saw himself in the "Small General" role, but when the story finally got made two decades later, he had to vacate that role and take the "Big Soldier" role instead. While he was undecided over the casting of his co-star, Mrs. Jackie Chan (Lin Feng Jiao) made her preference heard, and Leehom beat Jaycee Chan and Daniel Wu for the role.

Text / dian

The highly anticipated big-budget Taiwan police drama Black & White starring F4's Vic Chou will begin broadcast on April 11 on PTS. Boasting a budget of over NT$80 million (US$2.4 million), PTS's tenth anniversary drama reunites Vic Chou with Meteor Garden and Mars director Tsai Yueh Hsun for an ambitious buddy cop action thriller. With its grand cast, tightly wrought storyline, and large-scale action scenes, the scope and style of Black & White mark a first not only for PTS, but also for Taiwan television.

Vic Chou plays against type as a danger-shirking playboy cop who cares more about scoring dates than catching criminals. After sleeping with his superior's daughter, he gets transferred to a different district, and paired with the craziest cop on the force played by newcomer Mark Chao, the son of renowned veteran actor Chao Shu Hai who also appears in the drama. One a crafty slacker and the other a reckless hero, the two young cops with completely different values and work methods end up unlikely partners on a huge case that involves the Taiwan mob and politics.

Black & White co-stars top actress Janine Chang as a forensics expert and I Want To Become A Hard Persimmon's Ivy Chen as a mob boss's daughter. Sammo Hung's son Jimmy Hung pulls double duty playing an underworld boss as well as serving as the drama's action director. The Black & White supporting cast also includes stars like idol Kingone Wang, model-turned-actresses Sonia Sui and Patina Lin, and Hong Kong veteran Paul Chun.

Text / Sanwei

The legend of "Laughing Gor" is set to continue on the big screen! The death of the character Leung Siu Tong (played by singer-actor Michael Tse), more commonly known as Laughing Gor, in the hit Hong Kong TV drama E.U. has sparked tremendous reaction from netizens in recent weeks, who mourned him online and made him the talk of the town. In response to the passionate reception towards the undercover cop, TVB filmed an extra sequence for the drama's final episode, in which Laughing Gor is seen putting on his police uniform, hinting a possible return of the character in the next series.

But fans don't need to wait too long to see Laughing Gor back in action. In a surprising move, TVB honcho Stephen Chan announced plans for a movie after filming the latest episode of his talk show Be My Guest with Michael Tse, who is best known on the silver screen for his supporting role in the 90s gangster film series Young and Dangerous. The movie, a co-production with Shaw Brothers, will start shooting in May and targets to hit cinemas in August. It is going to be a prequel to the series, with Herman Yau directing and Michael Tse reprising his star-making role. It is unknown yet whether other cast members from the series, like Michael Miu Kiu Wai, Kathy Chow, Ron Ng, and Sammul Chan, will participate in the movie.

E.U. is the third series in the TVB police drama franchise The Academy. In E.U., Laughing Gor is originally portrayed as an arrogant triad leader, who is later revealed to be an undercover cop sent to infiltrate the triad gang, and a pivotal figure in bringing down the arch-villain. His heroic sacrifice turned him into an overnight sensation and arguably one of the most popular drama roles in TVB history.

Text / dian

Released on March 23, veteran Japanese pop group DREAMS COME TRUE's twentieth anniversary album Do You Dreams Come True? climbed to the top of the Oricon charts with first-week sales of 231,000 copies. The duo's victory is made even sweeter by the fact that their twelfth #1 album also sets a new record for them. Formed by female lead vocalist Yoshida Miwa and bassist Nakamura Masato, DREAMS COME TRUE now rank first among groups with female lead vocalists for most #1 albums. ZARD and Every Little Thing follow with 11 and 8 #1 albums, respectively.

DREAMS COME TRUE also lead in million-selling albums with a total of ten, followed by ZARD (9) and TRF (4). As for the overall number of sold albums, their lead is even more obvious at 27,663,000 sold copies, once again followed by ZARD (19,718,000) and Every Little Thing (13,364,000). The last time DREAMS COME TRUE occupied the top spot of the Oricon album charts was with their 2006 album The Love Rocks.

To celebrate their anniversary, DREAMS COME TRUE recently kicked off their 20th Anniversary DREAMS COME TRUE CONCERT TOUR 2009 on March 21 at the Osaka Jo-Hall. Their nationwide tour will cover 33 shows, ending with a final performance at the Okinawa Convention Center on July 5.

Text / Snoopy

After months of controversy and debate, the parental advisory rating on popular boy band Dong Bang Shin Ki's hit song Mirotic was removed on April 1. Last November, the Commission on Youth Protection, the government arm in charge of reviewing and rating media content according to the Youth Protection Law, sent waves through the Korean music industry by slapping "unsuitable for people under 19 years of age" ratings on many mainstream pop songs including Rain's Rainism and Dong Bang Shin Ki's Mirotic, both of which were deemed inappropriate for minors due to sexually suggestive language. In Korea, albums flagged as unsuitable for minors cannot be sold to people under 19 and must be affixed with advisory stickers; flagged songs cannot be aired before 10 p.m. on television or radio.

The "banning" of Dong Bang Shin Ki's Mirotic two months after its release caused an uproar among fans and record company officials. By the time the rating was made official in early December, the album had already sold close to 500,00 copies and won the Grand Award at the Golden Disk Awards. As Dong Bang Shin Ki's fanbase is composed mostly of young people, the group quickly released a "clean version" of Mirotic, modifying lyrics in questions like "I got you" and "under my skin" to "I chose you" and "under my sky". Their agency SM Entertainment, however, was adamant that the song's lyrics were not sexually explicit or unsuitable for minors.

In an unprecedented move, SM Entertainment filed a court appeal in mid-December to challenge the ban. On April 1, the Seoul Administrative Court finally reversed the Commission on Youth Protection's parental advisory rating after reviewing the case.

Text / Sanwei

Korean entertainment giant YG Entertainment's new girl group, dubbed the "female Big Bang", made their debut on March 27 with a new song and a commercial. The four members appear with labelmates Big Bang in the rainbow-colored commercial for LG Cyon's new mobile phone. The girls also sing the title CM song Lollipop, which is the group's first digital single. The music video for Lollipop will be released in late March to early April.

Female Big Bang is formed by Park Bom, Kong Min Ji, CL, and Sandara Park, who was previously a big star in the Philippines. Born in Korea and raised in the Philippines, Sandara Park rose to stardom through a talent show program in 2004, and embarked on a successful television, music, and movie career from 2004 to 2006. After her popularity began to decline in the Philippines, she returned to Korea in August 2007 and signed with YG Entertainment. She attracted attention last year for her kissing scene with T.O.P in the music video for Gummy's "I'm Sorry", and has a supporting role in MBC TV drama The Return of Iljimae. Park Bom previously appeared in a mobile phone commercial with Lee Hyo Ri and Lee Jun Ki, and has featured in songs for Big Bang and Lexy. The rapper of the group, CL also featured in Big Bang's mini-album Hot Issue before.

The group will officially begin activities later this spring, and Big Bang leader G-Dragon is tapped to produce the group's first album.

Text / Sanwei

Many of Korea's biggest movie stars will be taking to the small screen this year. All eyes are on KBS's all-star espionage thriller IRIS which marks the return of Lee Byung Hun and Kim Tae Hee, who have been away from television since 2003's All In and 2004's Love Story in Harvard, respectively. Loosely based on the film Shiri, the drama revolves around globe-trotting rival agents and assassins, and co-stars big names like Jung Jun Ho, Kim Seung Woo, and Big Bang's T.O.P. Slated for broadcast in the fall, the highly anticipated big-budget production just started filming in March, and will feature location shooting in Japan, China, U.S., and Russia.

Cha Seung Won is returning to the small screen after a six-year absence for the SBS mini-series City Hall from director Shin Woo Chul and writer Kim Eun Sook, the team behind the Lovers series. Airing in late April, the drama follows the political journeys of an ambitious bureaucrat and a low-level civil servant played by My Lovely Sam-Soon heroine Kim Sun Ah.

After a year more notable for his marriage than his acting work, Kwon Sang Woo has two TV dramas lined up in 2009, both with MBC. First is the romance Cinderella Man co-starring Girls' Generation's Im Yoon Ah which airs in mid-April. He is also attached to the big-budget war drama Road No. 1, the highly anticipated television version of Taegukgi that has been in the talks since last summer. Incidentally, Kwon's wife Son Tae Young is also back to work in the spring for the SBS daily drama Two Wives.

Award-winning actor Hwang Jung Min takes on the first television role of his 15-year career in the upcoming KBS romantic comedy Six Months. This mini-series about the unlikely love story between a postman and a famous actress co-stars Kim Ah Joong in her first drama since breaking through with 200 Pounds Beauty in 2006. Six Months, Cinderella Man, and City Hall will be competing against each other for ratings come April as they're all airing in the competitive Wednesday-Thursday 9:55 p.m. timeslot.

Text / Sanwei

Comedian-turned-director Matsumoto Hitoshi revealed details about his new film Symbol during a press conference on March 20 at the Okinawa International Movie Festival. Better known locally as Matchan from manzai duo Downtown, Matsumoto landed a critical and commercial hit in 2007 with his directorial debut Dai Nipponjin, an oddball mockumentary about a loser superhero. The success of Dai Nipponjin has greatly increased anticipation for his second film, which began shooting last September and is now in post-production.

Matsumoto again pulls triple duties as director, writer, and leading man for Symbol, and this time, he is virtually the film's only cast member. Like during the lead-up to Dainipponjin's release, the multi-tasking director has been very vague about his film's plot, revealing only that his character is a man planning to escape and ends up in various predicaments. The film will be released by Shochiku in the fall. Matsumoto is also aiming to screen Symbol at the Cannes Film Festival where Dai Nipponjin premiered two years ago.

Text / Sanwei

No one film dominated the 3rd Asian Film Awards ceremony held on March 23 in Hong Kong, but perhaps it could be called the triumph of Japanese Cinema as its contingent took home the most major trophies. Kurosawa Kiyoshi's family drama Tokyo Sonata won Best Film and Best Screenwriter, while Kore-eda Hirokazu got Best Director for another family drama Still Walking. Best Actor went to Japanese actor Motoki Masahiro (Departures), who had recently been crowned at the prestigious Japan Academy Awards for his portrayal of a cellist-turned-mortician.

Winning Best Actress was China's top actress Zhou Xun for her turn as a cab driver tracking her missing boyfriend in The Equation of Love and Death. Korean western The Good, the Bad, the Weird's Jung Woo Sung emerged as Best Supporting Actor. Best Supporting Actress was Filipino actress Gina Pareno of Service. 26-year-old Yu Shaoqun was named Best Newcomer for his role as the young Mei Lanfang in Forever Enthralled. Also honored was another newcomer Wei Te Sheng, director of Taiwan blockbuster Cape No. 7, who accepted the Edward Yang New Talent Award in happy tears.

For the technical categories, five films shared the spoils. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea's Hisaishi Joe won Best Composer; The Chaser's Kim Sun Min won Best Editor; Tulpan's Jola Dylewska won Best Cinematographer; Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon's Daniel Lee won Best Production Designer; and Red Cliff's Craig Hayes won Best Visual Effects. A special prize for "Outstanding Contribution to Asian Cinema" was given to veteran filmmakers Tsui Hark and Shi Nansun's production company Film Workshop, which has produced many film classics in the last 25 years.

Text / dian

J-pop diva Amuro Namie is once again on top of the Oricon charts with her latest double A-sided single Wild/Dr.. The first week sales for her 35th single released on March 18 recorded 75,000 sold copies. Amuro's singles have consistently charted in the Oricon top ten since her 1995 solo debut, and she holds a record as the only female J-pop artist to have a top 10 hit each year for fifteen consecutive years. Last year's 60s 70s 80s and the new Wild/Dr. also mark the first consecutive No. 1 hit singles for the singer since her Can You Celebrate maxi single and I Have Never Seen single released in December 1997 and January 1998, respectively.

Amuro Namie is also holding four additional Best Fiction concerts in Asia this year according to a recent announcement by her record label avex trax. The tour dates and locations are June 20 and 21 at the Taipei Arena and July 11 and 12 at Shanghai's Grand Stage. Kicking off in November 2008, the singer's earlier nationwide Best Fiction tour was greeted with great enthusiasm in Japan, leading to sold-out shows and additional gigs. She attracted a total of 450,000 concertgoers, setting a new record for Japanese solo female artists. With the addition of these overseas gigs, she is set to break her own record, reaching a total audience of 500,000 people for her Best Fiction tour.

Text / Snoopy

An epic historical film on the founding of modern China is in the works to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. Budgeted at 30 million yuan (US$4.4 million), the China Film Group production has assembled a strong cast and crew featuring some of the best talents of Chinese Cinema. Han Sanping, the producer and flagbearer of China Film Group, heads the crew with Huang Jianxin (Back to Back, Face to Face) as executive director and Wang Xingdong (The One Man Olympics) penning the script, which chronicles the contest for power between the Nationalists and the Communists between 1945 and 1949.

Portraying the historical figures in The Great Cause of China's Foundation (a.k.a. Jian Guo Da Ye) is a star-studded cast that has been the focus of media and public attention since the camera rolled in February. The two main roles of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai Shek go to Tang Guoqiang and Zhang Guoli, respectively. Other pivotal roles include Aloys Chen Kun as Chiang Ching Kuo, Liu Jin as Zhou Enlai, Wang Wufu as Zhu De, Vivian Wu as Soong Mei Ling, Xu Qing as Soong Ching Ling, Wang Xueqi as Li Tsung Jen, and Shi Xin as Deng Xiaoping. It was reported that many top actors and filmmakers offered to play bit parts in this film, and now the confirmed star cameos include big-name directors Chen Kaige, Jiang Wen, and Feng Xiaogang, plus popular actors Andy Lau, Leon Lai, Chen Hao, Eva Huang, Ge You, and Chen Daoming. Shot in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai, the film is expected to screen in September.

Text / dian

With winter drawing to an end, a new season of Japanese dramas will be arriving in April. Taking over Fuji TV's Mei-chan no Shitsuji timeslot is Atashinchi no Danshi, another comical drama about a poor but spirited girl who finds herself suddenly surrounded by wealth and handsome guys. Horikita Maki stars as a homeless young woman who marries into a wealthy family to clear her debts, thus becoming the mother to five grown sons played by Kaname Jun, Okada Yoshinori, Yamamoto Yusuke, Mukai Osamu, and Seto Koji.

Movie star Odagiri Joe returns to television for TBS's Boku no Imoto, playing a renowned surgeon who shares a strong bond with his less academically inclined younger sister portrayed by starlet Nagasawa Masami. Abe Hiroshi becomes a father who tries to repair relations with his daughter after ten years of incarceration in Fuji TV's Shiroi Haru. Takenouchi Yutaka and Amami Yuki solve crimes along with rising stars Toda Erika and Mizobata Junpei in the Fuji TV police drama BOSS. For more crime-solving genre staples, there's also TBS police drama Hancho starring Sasaki Kuranosuke, Matsuda Shota and Kashii Yu's TV Asahi detective comedy Meitantei no Okite, Fujiki Naohito's NTV detective comedy Ikemen Sobaya Tantei, and Koike Teppei's Shibatora drama special.

Arashi continues to take over the Japanese entertainment world with three dramas this season. Airing on March 29, drama special Door to Door starring Ninomiya Kazunari is the third and final chapter in TBS's series about young men achieving success despite debilitating illnesses. Ninomiya also starred in the previous installments, 2006's Sukoshi wa, Ongaeshi ga Dekitakana and 2007's Marathon. Matsumoto Jun portrays a Filipino-Japanese man who smiles through life's many challenges in the TBS drama Smile, which is penned by the screenwriter of Hana Yori Dango; Aragaki Yui co-stars as a young mute woman. NTV's 2008 late-night program The Quiz Show goes idol and primetime for its second season with Sakurai Sho in the leading role as a mysterious TV host. Co-starring Yokoyama You of Kanjani8 and Hello! Project idol Matsuura Aya, the drama is about a game show that promises big money to its contestants, who must answer increasingly probing questions about their pasts.

Other Johnny's dramas coming soon are the Fuji TV duo of Konkatsu! and Majo Saiban. SMAP's Nakai Masahiro plays a salaryman looking for marriage opposite Ueto Aya in Konkatsu!, which also co-stars Rookies' Sato Ryuta and KAT-TUN's Ueda Tatsuya in his drama debut. Inspired by Japan's decision to adopt a jury-trial court system in 2009, Majo Saiban revolves around the jurors of a murder case, with Ikuta Toma playing a freeter who gets called for jury duty. Drama specials for Domoto Tsuyoshi's 33pun Tantei and Gokusen 3 will also be aired in late March.

Text / Sanwei

China's first major music award ceremony of 2009, the 16th edition of the ERS Chinese Top Ten Awards ceremony was held in Shanghai Grand Stage on March 14. In the main categories, "Super Girl" Jane Zhang won Best Female Singer and one of the Top Ten Golden Songs with her hit number Heroes. Best Male Singer went to veteran singer Sun Nan, who performed the Sichuan Earthquake relief theme song Sheng Si Bu Li which was named the Best Public Interests Song. Shanghai native Anson Hu also took one of the Top Ten Golden Songs with his "Eiffel Tower", and he was the Mainland winner of the Chinese Top Five awards honoring the most distinguished singers from five Chinese-speaking regions. This year, the other four winners of this special award were Joey Yung for Hong Kong, Show Luo for Taiwan, JJ Lin for Singapore, and Gary Chaw for Malaysia. Yu Quan and Thin Man won Best Group and Best Band respectively.

Text / dian

Released on March 11, the debut single Himawari ("Sunflower") of Kamiji Yusuke, popular Japanese actor and member of the trio Shuuchishin, holds an impressive record. In its first week on the Oricon charts, Kamiji's single, released under the name "Yusuke", took the No. 2 spot, following closely behind KAT-TUN's No. 1 hit Rescue. Himawari has thus far sold 219,000 copies, the highest first-week sales for a solo artist single since Utada Hikaru's Flavor of Life sold 271,000 copies in February 2007. It also the first single from a male solo artist to break the 200,000 benchmark in first-week sales since Domoto Koichi's debut single Deep in your heart/+Million but-Love, which sold 221,000 copies in July 2006.

The theme song for the singer's upcoming Fuji TV biopic drama Kamiji Yusuke Monogatari, Himawari also topped the first-week sales of Hamasaki Ayumi's most recent No. 1 hit Rule/Sparkle (95,000 copies), making it 2009's best-selling solo artist single in first-week sales.

Text / Snoopy

Japan's most iconic samurai takes his last bow in the upcoming Zatoichi: The Last, which is reportedly the final Zatoichi feature. SMAP's Katori Shingo, who last starred in 2007's Monkey Magic, steps into the hallowed shoes of the lethal swordsman in the Zatoichi swan song from Children of the Dark director Sakamoto Junji. In the film, Zatoichi has hung up his sword and retired to a quiet life with his wife, but gets pulled back into action. Shooting for Zatoichi: The Last began on March 15, and the film is expected to hit theaters in 2009.

Blind masseur and samurai Zatoichi was first made famous by late actor Katsu Shintaro in 26 films and a long-running television series that lasted from the 1960s to 1980s. The fictional samurai was later portrayed by Kitano Takeshi in his eponymous 2003 blockbuster and Aikawa Sho in a 2007 stage play directed by Miike Takashi. In 2008, the Zatoichi franchise was further reinvented with Sori Fumihiko's Ichi starring actress Ayase Haruka as the female version of Zatoichi. Producer Nakazawa Toshiaki has stated that Zatoichi: The Last will be the final production in the franchise.

Text / Sanwei

Many anticipated Korean films are being released this spring. Just April alone will see no less than seven Korean films hitting theaters including the latest feature from Old Boy director Park Chan Wook.

Opening on April 2, director Park Dae Min's greatly hyped period crime thriller Private Eye revolves around a serial murder case in early 20th-century Korea. Award-winning actor Hwang Jung Min (A Man Who Was Superman) plays a private detective chasing after the killer along with popular actress Uhm Ji Won (Epitaph) and up-and-coming actor Ryu Deok Hwan, last seen playing a serial murderer in Our Town.

Award-winning actress Kang Hye Jung (Welcome to Dongmakgol) takes another quirky turn in first-time director Hwang Soo Ah's Why Did You Come to My House, which opens April 9. Kang stars as an awkward woman who takes over the home of a suicidal man in order to spy on her crush, played by Seung Ri from popular group Big Bang in his film debut. The Divine Weapon's Jung Jae Young also attempts suicide in his new film Wandering Mr. Kim, the second feature from Like a Virgin director Lee Hae Joon which opens April 23. After failing to drown, Jung's character ends up living on a deserted island on Han River, and attracting the curiosity of an apartment recluse played by singer-actress Jeong Ryeo Won.

Teaming up again after their TV drama 90 Days, Time For Love, popular stars Kim Ha Neul and Kang Ji Hwan ham and glam it up as special agents in the action comedy My Girlfriend is an Agent, which opens April 23. Fellow Korean Wave star Kim Rae Won and diva Uhm Jung Hwa face off for fine arts in Park Hee Kon's Insadong Scandal, a glossy mystery surrounding a Joseon Dynasty painting that opens April 30.

Also hitting theaters the last day of April is director Park Chan Wook's highly anticipated vampire film Thirst. Everyone's favorite actor Song Kang Ho plays a respected priest who turns into a vampire after a medical experiment gone wrong. His newfound thirst for blood and deadly attraction for his best friend's wife, played by Kim Ok Bin (Dasepo Naughty Girls), drives him down a road of lust and depravity.

Other Korean movies expected to release soon include Hong Sang Soo's You Don't Even Know starring Kim Tae Woo and Uhm Ji Won; With a Girl of Black Soil director Jeon Soo Il's With a Girl of Himalaya starring Choi Min Sik; Yang Ik June's acclaimed indie Breathless; The Host director Bong Joon Ho's Mother starring Kim Hae Suk and Won Bin in his first film in five years; and Sex is Zero director Yoon Je Kyun's all-star tsunami disaster movie Haeundae starring Sol Kyung Gu, Ha Ji Won, Park Joong Hoon, Uhm Jung Hwa, and Lee Min Ki.

Text / Sanwei

Japanese actor Ito Takahiro, the younger brother of Ito Atsushi from Train Man, committed suicide on March 8. Only 21 years of age, he was found dead in his car in a parking lot close to Lake Sagami, where the police also found letters addressed to his family. Takahiro is perhaps best known for his TV series roles Segawa Yuto in Nodame Cantabile and Mori Eita in Galileo. Prior to his death, Takahiro was reportedly preparing for his latest role in a TV series, and hoping to lose weight and quit smoking. In a statement following the death of his brother, Ito Atsushi expressed that he still could not cope with the fact that his brother was gone, and that he had high hopes for an upcoming collaboration originally scheduled for April.

Text / Snoopy

Acclaimed Mainland Chinese director Jia Zhangke was honored with the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award at the 10th Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival in Spain on March 9. The award was especially established this year to commemorate the festival's tenth anniversary, and benchmarks Jia's remarkable achievements in a decade of filmmaking.

A two-time Golden Lion winner, Jia Zhangke has been no stranger to international acclaim since his 1998 debut feature Xiao Wu, but the hailed abroad and ho-hummed at home auteur also got his first taste of domestic success this week. His 2008 film 24 City, which competed at Cannes last year and has sold distribution rights to over 30 countries, finally opened in China on March 6. A decades-spanning grassroots tale set in Chengdu, 24 City grossed over one million yuan (US$146,000) in just three days, putting it on track to be Jia's most commercially successful film at home. His previous World and Still Life grossed around 1.5 million yuan (US$219,000).

Jia also recently revealed in an interview with Esquire magazine that he was interested in directing an erotic film. After shooting Platform, the Sixth Generation director came up with the idea for a Shanxi-set erotic film titled Ta Xue Xun Mei whose story would be connected to the U.S. president! Jia abandoned the idea at the time at his producer's urging, but still plans to shoot the film in the future.

Text / Sanwei

Super Band, the rock group formed by Taiwan music legends Jonathan Lee, Lo Ta Yu, Emil Chau, and A-yue Chang, held its first concert on March 7 in Taipei Arena. The four superstars announced their collaboration in July 2008. Teasing fans in January with a brief performance at the 2009 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the band has now officially started their highly anticipated concert tour. The first concert attracted fans of different generations, including celebrities like Lin Chi Ling, Sylvia Chang, Harlem Yu, David Tao, Mayday, Patty Hou, Tarcy Su, Barbie and Dee Hsu, Jacky Wu, Bobby Chen, Leehom Wang, Winnie Hsin, and Hu Gua, who were spotted among the audience.

With Jonathan on guitar, Emil on bass, Lo on keyboard, A-yue on drums, and all of them contributing vocals, the band began the show with the concert theme song "Village Folks". The four big shots also performed their new single "Desperados" and, together as well as individually, some of their most memorable classic hits, including Jonathan's "When the Love Has Gone", A-yue's "The First Taste of Love", Lo's "The Beautiful Island", and Emil's "Afraid of the Dark". After a splendid run of 30 songs and medleys, the band bowed out with a heated finale made up of "Friends", "Farewell", "True-Hearted Hero", and "Love Song 1980" to conclude the Taipei concert.

The tour will resume with its Hong Kong leg on March 28 and 29, and has booked dates in several cities in Mainland China in the subsequent months. The band is expected to release an album later this year, and be disbanded afterwards.

Text / dian

Johnny's boy band Arashi's latest double A-sided single Believe/Kumori Nochi, Kaisei turned into the best-selling single of 2009 in only two days. Released on March 4, Believe/Kumori Nochi, Kaisei sold 520,000 copies in its initial week, making it the first single since KAT-TUN's March 2006 debut single Real Face to cross the 500,000 benchmark in the first week of sales. It is also Arashi's second single to sell more than 500,000 copies in the first week; their debut single A.RA.SHI reached first-week sales of 557,000 in autumn 1999.

The sales of Believe/Kumori Nochi, Kaisei easily passed that of female singer Akimoto Junko's ainomamade, which was previously the #1 single of the year with 351,000 copies sold. Believe is the theme song of the film Yatterman starring band member Sakurai Sho, while Kumori Nochi, Kaisei is the theme of the Asahi TV drama Uta no Onisan starring band leader Ohno Satoshi.

Text / Snoopy

Korean actress Jang Ja Yeon committed suicide on March 7 in the latest tragedy to hit the beleaguered cast of KBS youth drama Boys Over Flowers. The 26-year-old actress, whose death has sparked off great controversy in the media, was laid to rest on March 9. She played the supporting role of Sunny on Boys Over Flowers, part of the mean-girl trio that makes life miserable for protagonist Geum Jan Di.

Based on the best-selling Japanese comic Hana Yori Dango which also inspired hit television adaptations in Taiwan and Japan, Boys Over Flowers began broadcast on KBS on January 5. Since the start of production, the drama's cast have been struck with numerous accidents and injuries. All five main cast members - Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum, Kim Joon, and Koo Hye Sun - have been involved in minor car accidents or set injuries. Most recently, leading actress Koo Hye Sun was hospitalized after a car accident on February 27, causing a delay in production.

Despite all the production setbacks, the Boys Over Flowers fervor that has swept Korea is as strong as ever. The drama's March 9th episode reached a series-high nationwide viewership rating of 35.5%, overtaking SBS daily drama Temptation of Wife for the first time for the #1 ratings spot. The drama's best-selling soundtrack, which has spawn multiple top ten hits, will also see a sequel in March with the release of a second soundtrack featuring T-max, SS501, Kara, A'ST1, and other popular artists.

Text / Sanwei

Two of Asia's top divas, Utada Hikaru and BoA, may soon be meeting on the Oricon and the Billboard charts because they're both dropping English albums in March. First up is Korean sensation BoA who is releasing her self-titled English debut album on March 17. The 22-year-old pop star released her first English single, the Henrik Jonback-produced dance track Eat You Up, in October last year. For her highly anticipated US debut album, she has recruited many hit-making hotshots on board including Brian Kennedy, Bloodshy & Avant, and Sean Garrett who wrote, produced, and features in BoA's second single I Did It For Love. Not to forget her fans back in Asia, she's also releasing on the same day her Japan compilation album BEST&USA which will include both her J-pop hits and U.S. debut album.

New York-born J-pop diva Utada Hikaru is venturing back to the U.S. with This Is The One, her second English album under the name "Utada", which hits shelves first in Japan on March 14 and then in the U.S. on May 12. Despite being one of the biggest names in world music and the record holder for Japan's all-time best-selling album, Utada Hikaru remains virtually unknown in America. Her last English album, 2004's Exodus, was a bestseller in Japan but failed to make any mainstream impact in the U.S., though two of its singles, Easy Breezy and Devil Inside, became club hits. For her second crossover attempt, the talented singer-songwriter wrote and composed all of the album's songs including single Come Back to Me, and teamed with powerhouse producers Stargate and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart.

BoA and Utada aren't the only Asian superstars trying to break into the U.S. market. Korean idol SE7EN, who has been preparing and promoting his American debut for over a year now, officially releases his first English digital single Girls on March 10. Produced by Darkchild and featuring Lil' Kim, Girls will be available for download on iTunes, and the music video will premiere online at MySpace Music.

Text / Sanwei

Taiwanese movie maestro Ang Lee has been appointed the president of the jury for the 66th Venice Film Festival, to be held from September 2 to 12 this year. The jury will decide who wins the Festival's top prize - the Golden Lion - and other awards. Last year, Hong Kong director Johnnie To was among the jury members, and the year before that, Mainland director Zhang Yimou headed the international jury. Lee himself has won the Golden Lion on two occasions: first with Brokeback Mountain in 2005, and then with Lust, Caution in 2007. A statement on the Film Festival's website calls him "one of the most successful directors in creating a dialogue between the film-making culture of the East and West".

Lee is currently finishing up his latest film Taking Woodstock, a comedy about the 1969 music festival. He is in talks to direct a big-screen adaptation of the acclaimed novel Life of Pi, and is also said to have offered to advise Cape No. 7 director Wei Te Sheng on editing his next film Seediq Bale.

Text / dian

Released on February 25, Hamasaki Ayumi's new single Rule/Sparkle has taken Oricon's No. 1 spot. Her 32nd No. 1 song is also her 20th consecutive single to reach Oricon's top spot since Free & Easy in April 2002. Hamasaki holds the record for longest streak of consecutive No. 1 hits for a female artist, leaving runner-up Matsuda Seiko with 12 consecutive No. 1s far behind her. Her single Rule is the theme song for the movie Dragonball Evolution which opens in Japan on March 13. Hamasaki's new album Next Level will also be released this month.

Exile whose Exile Love, was the highest-selling J-pop album of 2008, announced on March 1 that they are merging with group J Soul Brothers to turn into a 14-member group. Bandleader Hiro commented during their press conference that the addition of new members would fortify their strength and lead to even more grandiose performances. Atsushi and Takahiro will remain in their positions as Exile's lead vocalists. The new Exile will release the single THE MONSTER-Someday on April 15 and kick off their nationwide EXILE LIVE TOUR 2009 - THE MONSTER in May.

Text / Snoopy

Honoring Korea's best in film and television, the 45th Baeksang Arts Awards were held in Seoul on February 27, 2009.

Awards in film were distributed fairly evenly among the year's critically acclaimed box-office hits, though 2008's biggest release, The Good, The Bad, The Weird, was shut out of the winner's list. Director Kang Woo Suk took the Grand Award (Daesang) for Public Enemy Returns, the third entry in his blockbuster franchise. Oh Jeom Gyoon's alternative romantic comedy Viva! Love beat out blockbusters The Good, The Bad, The Weird, Speedy Scandal, Rough Cut, and Frozen Flower to take Best Film. Best Director was awarded to indie champ Lee Yoon Ki for My Dear Enemy, while top acting honors went to Ju Jin Mo for Frozen Flower and Son Ye Jin for My Wife Got Married.

Sleeper hit Scandal Makers, which turned into Korea's second highest-grossing film of 2008, picked up Best Screenwriter, as well as Best Newcomer Actress and the audience-voted Popularity Award for its petite star Park Bo Young. So Ji Sub and Kang Ji Hwan shared Best Newcomer Actor honors again for Rough Cut; fellow television heartthrob Ju Ji Hoon took the Popularity Award with Antique. Best New Director went to Lee Chung Ryul who delivered last year's most unexpected hit, Old Partner, a documentary about an elderly farming couple and their ill cow.

In television, KBS family drama Mom Has Grown Horns was the big winner, collecting Best TV Drama and the Grand Award for veteran actress Kim Hye Ja. Beethoven Virus maestro Kim Myung Min won Best Actor, while a teary-eyed Moon Geun Young accepted the Best Actress statuette for her gender-bending turn in the SBS period drama The Painter of the Wind. The directing and screenwriting awards all went to SBS series, namely, On Air, Star's Lover, and The Scale of Providence.

Korea's newest poster boy Lee Min Ho, star of the hit KBS youth drama Boys Over Flowers, took a spill on the red carpet, but that didn't stop him from winning Best Newcomer Actor. His F4 co-star Kim Hyun Joong received the Popularity Award. Also a pop idol-turned-actor, Im Yoon Ah of Girls' Generation won both Best Newcomer Actress and the Popularity Award for her starring role in KBS daily drama You Are My Destiny.

Text / Sanwei

With a reported cost of around 100 million yuan (US$14.6 million), Metallic Attraction: Kungfu Cyborg is touted as the film with the highest special effects budget in the history of Chinese Cinema. Production on the film has recently wrapped, and the filmmakers held a press conference in Beijing to announce its summer release.

Last seen at the helm of A Chinese Tall Story in 2005, Hong Kong director Jeff Lau (A Chinese Odyssey) returns with his highly anticipated new film blending sci-fi action with romance and comedy. The effects-heavy movie features a cast headed by Hu Jun (Red Cliff), Sun Li (Painted Skin), Alex Fong Lik Sun (L for Love, L for Lies), Ronald Cheng (All's Well Ends Well 2009), and Wu Jing (Legendary Assassin), with Eric Tsang and Law Ka Ying making cameo appearances. Plot details are still murky, but it is known that the film is set in a distant future, with Hu Jun and Sun Li playing cops. Alex Fong will play a humanoid robot who develops feelings for Sun Li's character. Wu Jing revealed at the press conference that he and Hu Jun have an unusual relationship in the film, cryptically described as "a union of the soul and the body." Hu Jun quickly added, "But not the Lan Yu kind!"

Text / dian

Takita Yojiro's Departures came up big twice in one weekend, sweeping the 32nd Japan Academy Awards on February 20 and then winning Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards on February 22. Beating The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany), The Class (France), Revanche (Austria), and Waltz with Bashir (Israel), Takita's moving drama about a violinist-turned-small town undertaker is the first Japanese film to win the Foreign Language Film Oscar since Miyamoto Musashi's Samurai, The Legend of Musashi in 1955.

Completing its sweep of domestic accolades, Departures won in 10 of the possible 13 categories at the Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor for Motoko Masahiro, Best Supporting Actress for Yo Kimiko, and Best Supporting Actor for veteran Yamazaki Tsutomu. Repeating her Blue Ribbons win, Kimura Tae edged out Hirosue Ryoko in the Best Actress category for her portrayal of a woman suffering from depression in Hashiguchi Ryosuke's All Around Us. Miyazaki Hayao's Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, the highest-grossing film of 2008, unsurprisingly won Best Animated Film as well as Best Music for its Hisaishi Joe-composed score. Best Art Direction went to Nakashima Tetsuya's colorful tragicomedy Paco and the Magical Picture Book. While Departures took Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, Japan's Academy Awards gave their Best Foreign Film to The Dark Knight, which gets the critical nod though it grossed comparatively less in Japan than elsewhere in the world.

The Best Newcomer winners, announced back in December 2008 with the nominations, were Koike Teppei (Homeless Chugakusei), Matsuda Shota (Ikigami), Ayaka Wilson (Paco and the Magical Picture Book), Nagabuchi Ayane (Sanbongi Nougyou Koukou, Bajutsubu), Fukuda Saki (Sakura no Sono), and Yoshitaka Yuriko (Snakes and Earrings). Suspect X and Detroit Metal City lead Matsuyama Kenichi received the audience popularity awards. Special awards were also given to legendary director Kon Ichikawa and actor Ogata Ken, both of whom passed away last year.

Text / Sanwei

2009 marks the centenary of Hong Kong Cinema, and if the nominations for the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards announced yesterday are any indication, then period action film is still the way to go for Hong Kong filmmakers. John Woo's historical war epic Red Cliff got the most nominations with 15, followed by Gordon Chan's martial arts fantasy Painted Skin and Wilson Yip's kung fu master biopic Ip Man, each with 12 nods. The "Big Three" will face Ann Hui's Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award-winning drama The Way We Are and Stephen Chow's sci-fi comedy CJ7 for Best Film accolade.

Only three helmers of those five Best Film contenders made it to the Best Director field, as The Sparrow's Johnnie To and Connected's Benny Chan were favored to join John Woo, Wilson Yip, and Ann Hui. Nick Cheung (The Beast Stalker) and Donnie Yen (Ip Man), both first-timers in Hong Kong Film Awards' Best Actor race, have to fight an uphill battle against five-time winner Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Red Cliff), frequent nominee Simon Yam (The Sparrow), and popular actor Louis Koo (Run Papa Run). As for Best Actress, Golden Horse winner Prudence Liew (True Women for Sale) and Film Critics darling Paw Hee Ching (The Way We Are) are in heated contention with another novice Barbie Hsu (Connected), plus usual suspects Karena Lam (Claustrophobia) and Zhou Xun (Painted Skin). Elsewhere, Stephen Chow "only" got a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his onscreen duty, while his goddaughter Xu Jiao is tipped by many to win Best Newcomer, which also sees their CJ7 co-star Kitty Zhang (All About Women) and Taiwan supermodel Lin Chiling (Red Cliff) among the nominated.

Mainland blockbuster director Feng Xiaogang's If You Are The One and Assembly are up against Taiwan's Cape No. 7, Japan's Suspect X, and China/Hong Kong co-production Forever Enthralled for Best Asian Film.

The awards will be given out on April 19.

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Korean director Kim Ji Woon's The Good, the Bad, the Weird leads the pack with eight nominations in seven categories in the 3rd Asian Film Awards (AFA). Set in the Manchurian deserts in the 1930s, the epic western is in contention for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (for Song Kang Ho), Best Supporting Actor (for Jung Woo Sung and Lee Byung Hun), Best Cinematographer, Best Composer, and Best Visual Effects.

In the Best Film category, this South Korean entry is up against China's Forever Enthralled and Red Cliff, Japanese duo Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea and Tokyo Sonata, as well as Indonesia representative The Rainbow Troops. Kim Ji Woon's fellow contenders for Best Director include Feng Xiaogang (If You are the One), John Woo (Red Cliff), and Miyazaki Hayao (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea).

Leading man Song Kang Ho looks to take back his Best Actor crown after winning the award previously for The Host in the first edition of AFA, but this time he faces fierce competition from Ge You (If You are the One), Motoki Masahiro (Departures), and fellow Korean actor Ha Jung Woo (The Chaser) among others. Song's co-stars Jung Woo Sung and Lee Byung Hun will be fighting with each other for Best Supporting Actor, with Nick Cheung of The Beast Stalker also a hot favorite for the award.

The Awards ceremony will be held on March 23, 2009, and the complete list of nominations can be found at www.asianfilmawards.org.

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Hong Kong Film Critics Society announced on January 4th its picks for the best of Hong Kong Cinema in 2008. Ann Hui's The Way We Are was unanimously voted Best Picture of the year, and Hui repeated her Best Director win after The Postmodern Life of My Aunt the previous year. The film also won Best Actress for veteran thespian Pau Hei Ching, who got her first ever acting accolade. Nick Cheung was also crowned Best Actor for the first time with The Beast Stalker. Best Screenwriter went to Claustrophobia's Ivy Ho. The Society also named seven recommended Hong Kong films of 2008: High Noon, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, The Sparrow, Run Papa Run, The Beast Stalker, Claustrophobia, and City Without Baseball.

Text / dian

No upsets at the 7th Korean Film Awards this year, held on December 4 in Seoul, as acclaimed serial-killer thriller The Chaser walked away with seven awards including Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Lighting, and Best Editing. Na Hong Jin bagged both Best Director and Best New Director, and lead Kim Yoon Suk picked up yet another Best Actor Award to accompany his Daejong and Blue Dragon statuettes. Kim Ji Woon's blockbuster western The Good, The Bad, The Weird settled for wins in Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound, and Visual Effects.

Beating out heavyweights like Kim Yoon Jin and Son Ye Jin, Kong Hyo Jin was crowned Best Actress for the first time for her performance in Crush and Blush, while co-star Seo Woo won Best New Actress. Seven Days' Park Hee Soon and Forever the Moment's Kim Ji Young repeated their Blue Dragon Best Supporting Actor and Actress wins. Television idol Kang Ji Hwan shared his Best New Actor trophy with Rough Cut co-star So Ji Sub at last month's Blue Dragon Awards, but he gets it all to himself at the Korean Film Awards.

This year's Special Achievement Award was given to veteran actor Shin Young Kyun. Actress Song Yoon Ah hosted the award ceremony, and pop superstars Rain and Big Bang elicited the most screams of the night with their special performances.

Text / Sanwei

Period actioner The Warlords and hit romance Cape No.7 shared the spoils at the 45th Golden Horse Film Awards held in Taichung on December 6.

In terms of number of prizes, Wei Te Sheng's Cape No.7 was king with six, including Outstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year, Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year for Wei, Best Supporting Actor for Ma Ju Long, Best Original Film Score, Best Original Film Song, and the Audience Award.

But the top prizes were snatched up by The Warlords, which netted Best Feature Film and Best Director for Peter Chan. The Best Visual Effects award rounded off a triumphant night for the all-star epic.

Hong Kong singer-turned-actress Prudence Liew won Best Leading Actress for her portrayal of a downtrodden prostitute in True Women for Sale, while Mainland thespian Zhang Hanyu was awarded Best Leading Actor for Assembly, which also won Best Screenplay Adaptation.

But the night was more memorable for the resurgence of Taiwan Cinema. Besides the phenomenal Cape No.7, a variety of other homegrown films also took prizes home, such as Winds of September (Best Original Screenplay), Orz Boyz (Best Supporting Actress), Parking (Best Art Direction), Candy Rain (Best Make-up & Costume Design), and Hopscotch (Best New Performer).

Other notable winners include Sparrow (Best Cinematography), Connected (Best Action Choreography and Best Film Editing), and Missing (Best Sound Effects).

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Korea's 29th Blue Dragon Awards were held in Seoul on November 20. The night was anticipated as a showdown between Na Hong Jin's blockbuster serial-killer thriller Chaser and Kim Ji Woon's top-grossing western The Good, The Bad, The Weird which led with nine and eight nominations, respectively. In the end, Lim Soon Rye's sports drama Forever the Moment fended off tough competition to take Best Film honors, as well as Best Supporting Actress for Kim Ji Young.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird went home with four wins including Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction. The Chaser, which topped the Baeksang Art Awards and Daejong Awards earlier this year, picked up a Best Actor award for Kim Yoon Seok. Na Hong Jin, however, surprisingly lost in the Best New Director category to Crush and Blush director Lee Kyung Mi who also won the Best Screenplay Award. Son Ye Jin beat out Kong Hyo Jin, Kim Yoon Jin, Moon So Ri, and Soo Ae to take Best Actress for My Wife Got Married, while Seven Days' Park Hee Soon won Best Supporting Actor. Television idols So Ji Sub and Kang Ji Hwan shared Best New Actor honors for their performances in Rough Cut, and Han Ye Seul completed her trifecta of Best New Actress trophies by repeating her Daejong and Baeksang wins.

Popularity Awards went to Sol Kyung Gu, Jung Woo Sung, Kim Ha Neul, and Son Ye Jin. Actress Choi Jin Sil who tragically passed away last month was remembered with a special posthumous Honored Popularity Award presented by veteran actor Ahn Sun Ki.

Text / Sanwei

It was the night - make it the year - of Moonlight Resonance when the drama juggernaut monopolized the 2008 TVB Anniversary Awards held on Nov 15 with six major awards.

Hot favorites Ha Yu and Michelle Yim beat their fellow cast members Raymond Lam and Louise Lee to the most coveted and fiercely contested Best Actor and Best Actress awards respectively. The latter pair, who were tremendously popular despite narrowly losing out in the race for the acting accolades, could take consolation in the "My Favorite TV Character" awards for their roles of "Butler Boy" and "Ho Ma" respectively. Tavia Yeung, playing the adopted daughter of the mooncake-baking family, took home Best Supporting Actress. Without suspense, the 40-episode ratings champion was awarded Best Drama as well.

Elsewhere, character actor Wayne Lai got a standing ovation from his peers when it was announced that he won Best Supporting Actor. Wong Cho Lam and Nancy Wu were this year's Most Improved Actor and Actress respectively. Best Host went to So Sze Wong of food show Good So. Best Variety / Infotainment Program was The Story of a Million People, while the program deemed having the Most Enjoyment Value was The Art of Cantonese Opera.

Finally, Raymond Lam was voted Most Popular Artiste on tvb.com and Myolie Wu was given the Fashion & Charisma Award. Rounding off the ceremony, acclaimed veteran actor Paul Chun was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

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K-pop's premier music event of the year, the 2008 Mnet KM Music Festival (MKMF) was held on November 15 at the Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. Now in its tenth year, the MKMF was broadcast live in Korea, China, and Japan and, per usual, brought together the biggest names in Korean music. Top Daesang honors were shared by Big Bang, Wonder Girls, and Dong Bang Shin Ki, who took the Artist of the Year, Song of the Year (Nobody), and Album of the Year (Mirotic) awards, respectively. Big Bang and Wonder Girls also triumphed in the highly competitive Best Male and Female Group categories, but Dong Bang Shin Ki had more than enough trophies (and thankful tears) to go around as they swept the fan-voting Mobile Popularity, Netizen Popularity, and Overseas Viewer awards.

Sexy pop diva Lee Hyo Ri won Best Female Singer and Best Dance Music (U-Go-Girl), and provided perhaps the night's most memorable moment by locking lips onstage with Big Bang's T.O.P during their special stage performance. Best Male Singer went to music icon Seo Tai Ji who did not attend the ceremony. SHINee came out on top in the battle of the budding boy bands to take Best Male Newcomer, while girl group Davichi won Best Female Newcomer.

The genre awards went to Nell (Best Rock), Epik High (Best Hip-Hop), Brown Eyes (Best Ballad/R&B), Jewelry (Best House & Electronic), and SG Wannabe (Best OST) who received their award live in Japan. Hong Kong singer Khalil Fong accepted his Asia Best New Star award live in China. Special Awards were also given out in celebration of MKMF's decade benchmark: balladeer Shin Seung Hoon was honored with the 10th Anniversary Special Award and Moon Hee Jun accepted the 10th Anniversary Commemorative Award for H.O.T. The ceremony was hosted relay style by different stars including CLON, Sean of Jinusean, and Rain who also gave an electrifying special performance.

Text / Sanwei

Considered a precursor to the upcoming year-end music award ceremonies, the 2008 CASH Gold Sail Music Awards were held on October 2, 2008. Khalil Fong won the CASH Best Song award as the composer, lyricist, arranger and co-producer of Love Song. Kay Tse was recognized with the Best Vocal Performance by a Female Artist award for her work "17 Degrees", besting competitors Prudence Lau, Susanna Kwan, and Denise Ho. Tse is now a two-time-winner of the award, which she also received in 2006 for the song "A Deadly Journey". In addition, her song "Double Happiness Invitation Street" won in the categories Best Lyrics (Wyman Wong) and Best Composition (Eric Kwok).

Eason Chan secured the trophy for Best Vocal Performance by a Male Artist for Wheel of the Era. Chan managed the same feat earlier when he was honored for the song "Under Mount Fuji" from his 2006 album What's Going On...?. Other award winners include Anthony Lun and Juno Mak, who won Best Collaboration with Vocals award for the song "Xie De Tai Duo". The twin brother duo Soler were honored with awards for Best Alternative Composition for "Persevering" and Best Performance by a Band for "Re Wo". The CASH Hall of Fame Award went to veteran lyricist Peter Lai who has written songs for Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung and Alan Tam, among others. Lai was also Sam Hui's chief songwriter during the 70s and early 80s.

Text / Snoopy

The winners of the 43rd Golden Bell Awards for Television were announced on October 31 in Taipei. The equivalent of the Emmy Awards in Taiwan, this year the annual media awards ceremony was emceed by Jacky Wu, Tien Hsin, and Patty Hou.

Ariel Lin was crowned Best Actress for her multi-layered performance in They Kiss Again in the most fiercely contested category. She narrowly beat out competitors Joe Chen (Destiny Love), Rainie Yang (Why Why Love), Angela Chang (Romantic Princess) and Kelly Ko (Huang Jin Xian) to snatch this much coveted award. Best Actor went to veteran actor Lei Hong for the Taiwanese drama Niang Jia.

Nominated in six categories, ratings champion Destiny Love won Best Drama Series and Best Marketing Campaign. Another popular series Wayward Kenting took home the Best Screenplay award.

Nominations for the 45th Golden Horse Awards were announced on October 30. After sweeping the Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) earlier this year, Peter Chan's war epic The Warlords is again the heavy favorite with 12 nominations. Taiwan blockbuster Cape No. 7 from first-time director Wei Te Sheng follows closely behind with nine nominations, and Feng Xiaogang's Assembly and Liu Fendou's Ocean Flame also garnered five or more nods. The Taiwan media has been abuzz with speculation about whether local champion Cape No. 7 can beat out Warlords, as well as Assembly, Ocean Flame, and Orz Boyz, for Best Film honors.

Peter Chan will look to repeat his HKFA Best Director win at the Golden Horse against Wei Te Sheng, Pang Ho Cheung (Trivial Matters), and Sylvia Chang (Run Papa Run). HKFA Best Actor Jet Li (The Warlords), Hundred Flowers Award Best Actor Zhang Hanyu (Assembly), Louis Koo (Run Papa Run), and Liao Fan (Ocean Flame) are competing for Best Actor. The Best Actress category is a free-for-all with the unlikely lineup of Karena Lam (Claustrophobia), Priscilla Liew (True Women For Sale), Monica Mok (Ocean Flame), and Sandrine Pinna (Miao Miao). The Best Supporting Actress category is dominated by locals with nods for Taiwan actresses Mei Fang (Orz Boys), Lai Ming (Money No Enough II), and Wu Li Qi (Detours to Paradise), and former action heroine Nora Miao who returned to the silver screen in 2008 in Run Papa Run. Best Supporting Actor sees bigger names with Eason Chan (Trivial Matters), Leon Dai (Parking), Ma Ju Lung (Cape No. 7), and Hu Jun, the only cast member from John Woo's Red Cliff to receive an acting nomination.

Japanese actress Tanaka Chie and elderly actor Johnny C.J. Lin from Cape No. 7 are both competing for New Performer alongside Pang Chin Yu (Orz Boys) and Suming Chiang (Hopscotch). If Lin wins, he will be the oldest ever recipient of the award. Model-turned-actress Lin Chi Ling who made her much-publicized acting debut in Red Cliff is noticeably absent from the New Performer shortlist.

The 45th Golden Horse Awards ceremony will be held in Taiwan on December 6, 2008.

Text / Sanwei

Inheriting the tradition started by KinKi Kids, popular Johnny's group NEWS will be ringing in 2009 at Tokyo Dome. They will hold concerts at the Dome for three consecutive days from December 30, 2008 to January 1, 2009, making them only the third group after X Japan and KinKi Kids to hold New Year's concerts at Tokyo Dome. NEWS will start their winter tour on October 25 in Sendai, and go on to perform in 10 major cities and 33 venues.

As for the KinKi Kids, they will perform at Tokyo Dome on November 30 and December 1, and switch bases to Osaka Dome for concerts from December 29 to January 1. Rather than participating at the annual Johnny's Countdown concert, the duo will ring in the year in Osaka.

In other music news, popular crossover diva BoA held a press conference in Seoul to announce her official entry into the US market. Her debut work Eat You Up is composed by Bloodshy & Avant, known for earlier works with Madonna, Britney Spears, and Jennifer Lopez. The energetic hip hop number will be first released as a digital single and officially released as CD in November when BoA launches her US promo activities. BoA's first English album is scheduled for release next year, and she is also planning a nationwide tour in the US.

Text / Snoopy

Korean actress Choi Jin Sil passed away of suicide on October 2, 2008 at the age of 39. Choi, who has a history of depression, was reportedly distressed by rumors connecting her to the death of entertainer Ahn Jae Hwan, who committed suicide a month earlier. She leaves behind two children from her marriage with Jo Sung Min. Choi Jin Sil, whose widespread fame and popularity during the 1990s earned her the nickname of "The Nation's Actress", was laid to rest on October 4. In a year laden with tragedies for the Korean entertainment circle, Choi Jin Sil's death has been another shocking loss for the industry and the country.

Born on December 24, 1968 to a humble family, Choi Jin Sil entered the entertainment industry at the age of 19, making her debut in the 1988 TV drama Joseon Dynasty 500 Years. She rose quickly to fame in the 1990s, starring in a series of hit films and dramas including Asphalt Man (1995), Star in My Heart (1997), The Letter (1997), and The Legend of Ginko (2000).

While Choi's work onscreen attracted acclaim and accolades, her rocky personal life often fed the tabloid fodder, including her high-profile marriage with baseball star Jo Sung Min in 2000 and subsequent divorce after enduring adultery and domestic violence. Returning to television after separating from her husband, Choi won the hearts of audiences and critics all over again in the popular 2005 melodrama My Rosy Life and the 2007 series Bad Woman, Good Woman. Her last onscreen performance was in the 2008 drama Last Scandal.

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Three of Chungmuro's best known directors, namely, Kim Ki Duk, Park Chan Wook, and Kang Woo Suk battle out as producers at the box office with their new films A Movie is a Movie, Miss Hongdangmoo (a.k.a. Crush & Blush) and The Divine Weapon. Controversial director Kim Ki Duk, who recently made his producing debut with the jarring psychological drama Beautiful, continues to bask in his newfound role with A Movie is a Movie. Directed by one of his celebrated proteges Jang Hoon, who previously worked as the assistant director for Kim's 3 Iron, this aesthetically enrapturing film sees Korean heartthrobs So Ji Sub returning to the big screen after completing his military duty, along with Kang Ji Hwan, the star of hit TV dramas Hong Gil Dong and Capital Scandal.

Joining the bandwagon of director-turned-producers is Old Boy director Park Chan Wook who makes his producing debut with Miss Hongdangmoo, starring the charismatic Kong Hyo Jin who was recently honored for her heartfelt performance in 2007's MBC drama Thank You. The film is directed by Lee Kyung Mi whose talent was discovered by Park through her 2004 short film Feel Good Story. She was subsequently picked up as assistant director for his third installment of the "Vengeance Trilogy", Sympathy For Lady Vengeance. Another famed filmmaker Kang Woo Suk, the creator behind the recent blockbuster smash Public Enemy and the sensational military thriller Simildo, takes another shot at producing after Hwang Jin Yi with The Divine Weapon, a fusion period fantasy starring Jung Jae Young, Han Eun Jung, and Hur Jun Ho.

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The 29th Hundred Flower Awards were held in Dalian, China on September 13, 2008 as the finale to the 17th Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival. Feng Xiaogang's acclaimed war film Assembly was the big winner of the night, taking four major awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor. Zhang Hanyu beat out heavyweights Jet Li (The Warlords), Chen Kun (The Knot), Guo Tao (Crazy Stone), and Damian Lau (Tokyo Trial) for the Best Actor statuette, while his co-star Deng Chao makes a successful jump from television idol to big-screen star with a Best Supporting Actor win. As a controversial side note, Jay Chou was originally also nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category, but his film Curse of the Golden Flower withdrew from the Hundred Flower Awards at the last minute.

Nominated for Best Actress for four consecutive years, top Mainland actress Li Bingbing finally takes home the top prize with her performance in The Knot. The sweeping romance also won Best Supporting Actress for Gui Yalei, and shared Commended Film honors with Invisible Wings. Best Newcomer went to Invisible Wing's Lei Qingyao, who edged out Isabella Leong (The Knot), Xu Jiao (CJ7), and Huang Bosheng (Crazy Stone). Veteran actor Cheng Qiang and director Yuan Naichen received the Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Text / Sanwei

Three months after grieving the loss of Monday Kiz member Kim Min Soo who died in a motorcycle accident on April 29, the Korean pop duo's representative Can Entertainment officially announced the group's disbanding on August 4, 2008. The decision comes after months of consulting with surviving member Lee Jin Sung and the late singer's bereaved family members who voted unanimously to have the group name Monday Kiz be buried along with Kim. Monday Kiz is expected to release their very last album in memory of Kim Min Soo in early September. The album will include a photo book, a DVD, and a CD featuring a total of 58 tracks including past hits and six new undisclosed songs.

Since releasing their debut album Bye Bye Bye in 2005, Monday Kiz have kept themselves busy producing a bevy of hits as well as branching out into a number of different areas such as forming the project group Voice One with fellow singers Jang Hye Jin and Ilac. In 2007, Kim was involved in a head-on collision with an automobile while riding his motorcycle, severely injuring his leg and shoulders. After four months of hospitalization, the singer was back on his feet again and completely dedicated his time to receiving physical therapy treatment and working on the group's third album Inside Story. Released in April, the album generated many chart-grabbing hits such as Gaseum euh ro whe cheo ("Shout From The Heart"), Huoong tur ("Scar"), and Bal ja gook ("Footprint"). Unfortunately, luck was not on Kim's side the second time, as on April 29 Kim was involved in yet another motorcycle accident, this time fatal. Much speculation surrounds the future of surviving member Lee Jin Sung after the group's official disbanding. In a recent statement, Lee expressed his desire to pursue a solo career.

Text / UniG

Former EMI Asia chairman Norman Cheng and Gold Label Records chairman Paco Wong announced on August 3 that they have acquired EMI Taiwan and exclusive distribution rights in the Greater China region for an amount topping HK$100 million. After the merger, the artists from the two record labels now belong to the newly formed Typhoon Group. This new super record label's artist lineup includes popular Taiwan divas A-Mei Chang, Jolin Tsai, and Elva Hsiao; R&B godfather David Tao; dance idol Show Luo; and Gold Label's Stephy Tang, Theresa Fu, Alex Fong, Edmond Leung, Leo Ku, and Wu Jing.

Cheng expressed even though there is an obvious downturn in album sales, the music media options for listeners have also drastically increased and he is optimistic about the future of the new record label. Both A-Mei Chang and Elva Hsiao have congratulated Cheng, and Hsiao expressed her admiration for the daring venture to acquire rights from a large international corporation. Jolin Tsai's future with Typhoon is still up in the air as her current contract with EMI ends after the completion of her upcoming release Love Exercise, an English-language instruction publication that will come with ten English songs. The first Mandarin release from the label will be that of Norman Cheng's son, Ronald Cheng.

Text / Snoopy

Taiwan female pop group Heisehui Meimei has officially changed their name to Hey Girl, and will release their first full-length album with new label Warner on August 29. The eight-member girl group (originally nine members) was formed in 2006 through the popular Channel V variety program Wo Ai Heisehui (a.k.a. Blackie's Teenage Club). However, due to problems including name confusion - all the girls who appear on Wo Ai Heisehui are generally called Heisehui Meimei - and negative media surrounding the show, it was decided that the group would change names to start anew and more clearly separate the group from the program. After a four-month hiatus from variety program appearances, Hey Girl has reemerged in August with the new single "Call Sister" hitting airwaves and their latest idol drama Hei Tang Qun Xia Zhuan.

Text / Snoopy

A handful of Korean blockbusters are being made into television dramas - a trend recently kicked off by SBS's Gourmet, TV's response to Chungmuro's box-office smash Le Grand Chef. Based on Hur Young Man's best-selling comic book, the drama, which began broadcast on May 26, 2008, is fast becoming this summer's biggest hit amongst drama lovers. Kim Rae Won and Nam Sang Mi pair up for the first time, delectably mixing up food and romance along the way. Another film adapted from Hur's popular comic book, Tazza: The High Rollers starring sexy Kim Hye Su and Cho Seung Woo sold more than six million tickets nationwide. Currently awaiting its small screen unveiling, the drama version is expected to star Kim Min Joon, Kim Gap Soo, Han Ye Seul, and Kang Sung Yeon as the sultry madame previously played by Kim Hye Su.

Two 90s box office hits, director Kwak Kyung Taek's Friend and Kang Jae Gyu's North Korean spy thriller Shiri, are being produced as TV dramas under the titles Friend, the untold story and Iris, respectively. Filmmaker Kwak is expected to take charge of the megaphone in Friend, the untold story which will star Korean heartthrobs Hyun Bin and Kim Min Joon in the roles previously made famous by Jang Dong Gun and Yoo Oh Sung. Marking another big star comeback to television is Lee Byung Hun who signed up to play the lead role in Iris, which will be produced and partly directed by filmmaker Kang Jae Gyu. Last but not least, another contender waiting in the wings is the drama version of Son Ye Jin's thriller Open City, which is scheduled to air towards the end of 2008. The cast lineup is yet to be disclosed.

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After a 20-year relationship, Hong Kong stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Carina Lau finally tied the knot this year. A major factor for the two to take this step was the wish of Lau's father who regrettably passed away in 2006. Leung and Lau's extravagant wedding took place on July 21 at the secluded Uma Paro hotel in the Himalayan mountains of Bhutan. Their earlier considerations included Florence, Paris, Japan, and several places in Southeast Asia, but finally the peaceful atmosphere in the untouched nature of Bhutan won the two over. The newlyweds indeed seem to have made the right choice as the strict tourist restrictions in Bhutan helped keep away unwanted press. Guests in attendance included Brigitte Lin, Kenny B, Faye Wong and husband Li Yapeng, and Ti Lung. The newlyweds flew to India for their honeymoon after the wedding.

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July 20, 2008 was the 35th anniversary of Bruce Lee's death. Though the kung fu icon has long left, the fate of his former residence recently became the center of public debate in Hong Kong. On May 21, Mainland China tycoon and well-known philanthropist Yu Panglin announced that he would sell five of his properties to help raise money for Sichuan earthquake relief, and Bruce Lee's former residence was one of the properties up for sale. Located on 41 Cumberland Road in Kowloon Tong, the two-story residence served as Bruce Lee's home in the 1970s until he passed away on July 20, 1973. Many fans have made the sojourn to visit Bruce Lee's final residence over the years, but the property has never been preserved. For the last five years, it has been rented out to a love hotel.

After Yu announced his intentions to sell the property, Lee's family and fans spearheaded a campaign to preserve the residence. Bruce Lee's younger brother Robert Lee and the star's fans lobbied Yu and the government to convert the residence into a museum instead. Yu has since agreed to donate the property, with plans to establish a Bruce Lee memorial that will include the former residence, a museum, a cinema, a library, and a martial arts hall. Yu, however, has stipulated that all plans are dependent on if he can get the necessary support from the government and other sectors. As the property is designed for residential purposes, converting it into a museum and subsequent management will require input and resources from many sectors. If Yu doesn't receive adequate support on the matter, he may reconsider selling.

Text / Sanwei

The 45th Daejong Film Awards took place in Seoul at the COEX Convention Hall on June 27, 2008. Hosted by the previous year's Best Actress, 200 Pounds Beauty's Kim Ah Jung, and newscaster Choi Ki Hwan, the event showcased musical acts by Wonder Girls, Oak Joo Hyun, and the Korean cast of musical Chicago. Though all eyes were fixated on the superstars as they walked down the red carpet swarmed by screaming fans and camera flashes, veteran actors and fresh young talents stole the evening's spotlights when the trophies were handed out.

The Chaser was the night's biggest winner sweeping five major awards including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Production, and Best Director for first-time director Na Hong Jin. Kim Yoon Seok won Best Actor and the BMW Popularity award, ousting his onscreen rival Ha Jung Woo who failed to show up due to film shooting. This marks a stunning career victory for the veteran actor whose long overdue recognition finally arrived at last year's event when he won Best Supporting Actor for Tazza: The High Rollers. Best Actress was given to Korea's proud export Kim Yoon Jin over Secret Sunshine's Jeon Do Yeon for her chilling performance as a stoic lawyer whose daughter is kidnapped in the thriller blockbuster Seven Days.

Best Supporting awards went to Yoo Jun Sang for his dark complex role in the twisted murder mystery Return and to veteran actress Kim Hae Suk for her daring role as an ex-convict in the erotic thriller Open City. Another film starring Kim Hae Suk, the low-budget romance Viva Love, received Best Screenplay and Best New Director. In addition, Best Newcomer went to Daniel Henney for his breakthrough performance in the tearjerker My Father. The actor, who recently wrapped up shooting for the X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was joined by Han Ye Seul who received the Best New Actress statuette for her bubbly role in Miss Gold Digger.

Sci-fi blockbuster D-War also made its presence known by swooping the Best Effects award. Nevertheless, all of the evening's glitz and glamour combined could not salvage the ceremony's lackluster viewership ratings, raising concerns that such indifference may prolong the slump currently being experienced by the Korean film industry.

Text / UniG

Gary Chaw and Tanya Chua were crowned Best Male and Female Mandarin Singer at the 19th Golden Melody Awards held on July 5, 2008 in Taipei. It was the first win for Malaysian singer-songwriter Chaw, who received the award from the hands of presenter and fellow nominee Eason Chan, and the fourth win for Singapore singer-songwriter Tanya Chua who was also named Best Album Producer. Hong Kong diva Karen Mok was honored with Best Mandarin Album for LIVE IS?, her first album in which she composed all the songs. Best Song of the Year went to heavy favorite "Blue and White Porcelain" which also won Best Composer and Best Lyricist awards for Jay Chou and Vincent Fang. Jay Chou was recognized with two more awards - Best Producer for Classical Album and Best Classical Composer - for his work on the Secret Original Soundtrack, making him the big winner of the night. Chou, however, was unable to attend the ceremony because he was holding a concert in China as part of his world tour.

Sodagreen took Best Band for the second year running, while newcomer Da Mouth won Best Group. Blind singer-songwriter Ricky Hsiao, whose "You Are My Eye" became a huge hit in 2007, accepted awards for both Best Taiwanese Male Singer and Best Taiwanese Album. Other winners of the night include Best Taiwanese Female Singer Zhan Ya Wen and Best Newcomer Debbie Hsiao, as well as well-known musicians Adia and Showan who won Best Arranger and Best Single Producer, respectively, for Jolin Tsai's Agent J.

The 19th Golden Melody Awards was hosted by the all-female team of Matilda Tao, Patty Hou, Dee Hsu, and Barbie Hsu who started off the night with a hilarious parody clip. The night's presenters and performers included A-mei Chang who opened the ceremony with a sexy rock performance and One Million Star idols Aska Yang and Yoga Lin who performed a medley of hits dedicated to late singers. This year's overseas guests were Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Powter who surprised Jolin Tsai with a kiss on stage and Johnny's idols Takaki Yuya, Nakama Junta, and Kiriyama Akito who sang songs from their hit drama Gokusen 3. As a rare treat, veteran singers Jonathan Lee, Luo Da You, and Emil Chau shared the stage for the final performance of the night.

Text / Sanwei