[TAKE OVER] HKSAR Film Top 10 Box Office (January 13, 1999)

[Top Ten Central]

The following publication contains material that might be objectionable to
some readers. Parental guidance and reader discretion are advised.

[FLUFF OF THE WEEK] Courtesy of Ming Pao, Sing Tao Daily, Apple Daily,
Oriental Daily, and Ta Kung Pao

1. This week's Top 10 is dedicated to

A. Lisa, whose has graciously asked Your Chaffing Editor to
plug her book titled CITY ON FIRE: HONG KONG MOVIES. As you know,
Your Chaffing Editor usually doesn't do plugs (unless of course it
involves certain 5 people from England). However, due to Lisa and her
son Tyler's support of Hong Kong film and in particular Chow Yun Fat,
Your Chaffing Editor will make an exception. CHECK IT OUT! Remember,
the title is:

CITY ON FIRE: HONG KONG MOVIES

BTW, Lisa, check out THE KING OF COMEDY stuff you asked for below.

B. Chai Chun and Joey Wong Cho Yin, who plan to wed after the
Lunar New Year. Their wedding date was accelerated by the
hospitalization of Chai Chun's 70 some year old father for cancer. His
final wish is to see his youngest son Chai Chun walk down the aisle
with Joey Wong Cho Yin. Upon talking to Wong Cho Yin and consulting
with Wong's family, the wedding ceremony has been scheduled for after
the Lunar New Year.
Chai Chun and sister Chai Yu have been going to the hospital
before their 70 some year old father is there for cancer. One late
night his father lying the bed said to Chai Chun, "Your brother and
sister are already married, only you are left. While I am still here,
take care of the wedding ceremony!" Chai Chun understood his father's
final wish and relayed it to Wong Cho Yin who nodded in agreement.
Chai Chun felt that after more than a decade, Wong Cho Yin's
parents have treated him very well. "Siu Yin's parents have always
treated me like a part of the family. For this wedding, I have to
personally visit Siu Yin's home and ask Papa and Mama Wong before I
can announce the date. Due to my father's illness, the date cannot
be dragged on any longer, probably after the Lunar New Year!"
Chai Chun is busy recording for a March release, then will
head to Singapore to help with Power Station's concert. Then on
the Lunar 4th and 5th he will bring Wong Cho Yin for 2 concert dates
in Las Vegas. After that he and Siu Yin will quickly return to
Taipei to prepare for the wedding.
"Siu Yin and I once planned for a holy and serious ceremony in
Tibet, unfortunately due to father's current illness, the plans have
changed. We will hold our wedding in Taipei, but only friends and
family are invited, unlike some artists who even broadcast the
wedding on television. To us that is like doing a show. Siu Yin and
I only want a ceremony that friends and family wishing us well."
"After all the turbulence, Siu Yin and I are cherishing our
simply and fortunate life now. Siu Yin and I are completely different
people who are deeply attracted to each other. I like to take care of
people, she likes to be taken care of. Only then did we finally get
together after breaking up!"

2. SUKI KWAN SAU MEI GOES FOR BROKE

(1/14/1999) Even though on the night of the 13th the weather was
extremely cold and drizzling, Suki Kwan Sau Mei, Ben Ng Ngai Cheung,
Yeung Fan and Nick Cheung Ka Fai still worked all night on KEUNG GAN
JUNG GIK PIN JUI HAU GO YEUNG (RAPED BY AN ANGEL FINAL CHAPTER LAST
LAMB).
Among the cast Kwan Sau Mei and Ng Ngai Cheung suffered the
most. Ng Ngai Cheung was covered in only powder and a pair of shorts
for a statuesque disguise. Kwan Sau Mei had to appear in a shirt
and a pair of panties in a chase scene with a rapist. She could
confidently perform these provocative scenes because she has an
agreement with Wong Jing that any scene that would be too revealing
would not see the light of day.
"Actually this time will be the farthest I will ever go. I
caught a chill thanks to these sexy scenes. Last night after work I
already had to go to the emergency room for shots. Otherwise I
couldn't continue to work."
Taiwan actress Yeung Fan revealed that when she decided to
perform nude scenes, her boyfriend has left her behind. Even so,
she would not sad because she is still young and work should come
first. She hoped to make her mother's life better by making more
money; yet another filial daughter in show business.
Hsu Chi (Shu Kei) and she belonged to the same agency and
joined during the same period. She honestly said that she is a little
envious of Hsu Chi's success and hoped that she too could reach that
plateau soon.
Ng Ngai Cheung revealed that his divorce became official last
November with his former wife gaining custody of their daughter.
"Now my relationship with Tong Lai Kau is stable, but after a failed
marriage, I don't want to repeat that step so there is no
wedding plan yet." Ng said.

3. WONG JING FINALIZES PLANS FOR EIGHT FILMS
ANDY LAU, LOUIS KOO, AND GIGI LEUNG INVOLVED

(1/14/1999 [THANKS SANNEY]) -- Last year, Wong Jing movies occupied
half of the Top Ten Highest Grossing Hong Kong made films. This year,
even though it is a poor market, Wong Jing is still attacking the market.
Moreover, he as recruited several popular stars for the assault. He
hopes that he can blaze a new trail in the poor market.
Long-time movie-making stalwart Wong Jing still has the power to
hold up his position in a poor market. Last year, his movies occupied
half the spots in the Top Ten Highest Grossing Hong Kong produced
movies list. This year, he plans to continue his attack with plans to
make more than ten films using prominent stars such as: Andy Lau Tak-
Wah, Leon Lai Ming, Hsu Chi, Sammi Cheng Sau-Man, Carina Lau Ka-Ling,
Zhao Wen Zhou (Chiu Man-Cheuk), Louis Koo Tin-Lok, Gallen Lo Ka-Leung,
and Gigi Leung Wing-Kei.
Yesterday, Wong Jing revealed to Apple reporters the following:
"I've so far finalized plans for eight productions this year. For
instance, DO HUP DAI JIN LAI SI WAI GA SI (GAMBLING HERO VS. LAS VEGAS)
will star Andy Lau and Nick Cheung Ka Fai and WAI SI LEI JI LAM HUET
YAN (WESLEY : BLUE BLOOD PERSON) will star Andy Lau in the male lead.
The female lead may be either Carina Lau Ka-Ling or Sammi Cheng Sau-Man.
SUN WONG KOK KA MOON (NEW MONGKOK CARMAN aka NEW AS TEARS GO BY) with
Louis Koo Tin-Lok and Gigi Leung Wing-Kei. CHUT CHOI CHUNG MO YIM
(SEVEN COLOR CHUNG BEAUTYLESS, the Hong Kong version of THERE IS
SOMETHING ABOUT MARY) starring Gallen Lo Ka-Leung and Hsu Chi. I want
to get Zhao Wen Zhou to do TEET KUEN DUT GING (lit. IRON FIST SPECIAL
POLICE). TIN HA MO DIK JUI LUI JAI (lit. INVINCIBLE CHASHING GIRLS)
besides Nat Chan Pak Cheung will star a bevy of young beauties. I
want to get Leon Lai to star with Deanie Yip Tak-Han for LO TUNG
(OLD COMRADE). JI JUEN GI JONG YUEN CHOI (lit. MOST RESPECTED PLAN
TOP OF THE CLASS MATERIAL) will be comedy in the tradition of THE
STING which will star myself and a bunch of other popular stars.
(Reportedly they are Leon Lai, Ekin Cheng, and Sammi Cheng.)
Wong Jing has always primarily made commercial films. However,
this year he hopes to broaden his horizons. He has asked Ann Hui On-
Wah to make LO TUNG (lit. OLD COMRADE). The film will begin production
in June and will be a story about a famous artist's drug addiction.
The film will commemorate the International Ant-Drug Year.
Yesterday, reporters contacted Louis Koo. Koo confirmed Wong's
plans, "Jing-Gor has indeed talked to me about starring in a film with
Gigi Leung Wing-Kei that will be similar in style to AS TEARS GO BY."
When Apple asked if he was afraid that he would be compared to
Andy Lau, Koo replied, "There is no comparison! Wah-Jai has made films
for so many years, in the film industry, I'm just a rookie! So I won't
feel any pressure. Besides, I haven't even seen the script. Who knows
if the story will be the same! Right now I'm working on a TVB series.
It'll be at least three to four months before I start work on this film."

4. JACKIE CHAN HUMBLY SAYS HIS ACTING CANNOT COMPARE TO GOR GOR AND
FAT JAI

(1/4/1999) Jackie Chan promoted for a collection of sushi debit
cards based on four of his favorite movies, OPERATION CONDOR (FEI
YING GAI WAT), RUMBLE IN THE BRONX (HUNG FAN KUI), WHO AM I (NGOR SI
SHUI) and GORGEOUS (BOR LEI JUNG).
IN GORGEOUS Jackie Chan who tried a new role by playing a
businessman honestly said that he was not right for the role and that
either Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing, Chow Yun Fat or Tony Leung Ka Fai in
his place will be better. However he of course meant the
acting side, since on the action side it would be impossible for them to be
better than him.
"The scenes don't look right. My late god father (Leonard) Ho
Koon Cheung had always objected to me performing in a drama. Maybe
he was right, but I won't stop making drama because of that and
instead I will keep studying it."
He also greatly praised Hsu Chi, "Hsu Chi's performance has
been surprisingly good. She and I have exchanges. To us she is a new
comer, but she still was able to make the grade. I really misjudged
her before, she deserves all her success! The entire cast did well.
I am the only exception."
In order to allow more people to participate in the film, he
made an exception by not singing the theme. The duty instead has
gone to William So Wing Hong and Kit Chan Kit Yi. He said that if
he and Hsu Chi sang the theme, the entire film would be just the two
of them.
After GORGEOUS, Tony Leung Chiu Wai will tentatively work with
Maggie Cheung Man Yuk on Wong Kar Wai's new film next month.
However if he successfully lands a role in the French film he is
currently in negotiations for, he must report to France next month.
(Then that means this year he will not have time to wed?) Wai Jai
said, "When did I say I will get married this year!" Wai Jai actually
forgot that last year he publicly expressed that he would wed Carina
Lau Ka Ling on September 9, 1999. After the reporters reminded him,
he said, "I really don't have time. I am already troubled by the
question, not to mention getting through with banquet. Ka Ling and I
have been together for so long, whether I wed or not doesn't depend
on me alone. Don't always think that I am the one who is unwilling!"
He suggested that the press should address the question with Lau Ka
Ling. On top of that they are very satisfied with their current
status and things will not change unless a child enters the equation.
Leung Chiu-Wai revealed that his chances of being in a stage version
of CHINESE GHOST STORY is slim. Leung explained, "To be in a stage play
will take at least six months, the pay will be limited. It doesn't compare
to my making several million for a film. In half a year I can make a lot of
films. It's probably likely that I'll be making money instead of acting in
a stage play. The economy is bad. Of course, making money is a priority.
Unless the play will pay me a lot of money, the odds of my rejecting the
offer is huge." Tony Leung revealed that he would begin working on Wong
Kar-Wai's new flm next month. Afterwards, he will go to France to act in a
French film. Also, he is considering six or seven future projects.
Earlier a magazine reported that Richie Yam Yin Chai went to a
dinner date with Karen Joy Morris (Mok Man Wai) just as Mok Man Wai's
"good friend" Stephen Chiau Sing Chi and Alice Yu Man Fung got hot
and heavy in the rumor mill. Yam Yin Chai at the Jackie Chan debit
card press conference confirmed that they had dinner together.
Since both Mok Man Wai and Yam Yin Chai work for Rock Record,
the company always arrange collaboration opportunity for them. Thus
if they hit it off no one will be surprised.
However when asked Yam Yin Chai was shocked, "Really? Someone
took pictures? I didn't see the magazine." Siu Chai continued, "I
had dinner with her. Usually when I come to Hong Kong she will
treat, and vice versa in Taiwan. We became good friends after a
pleasant concert collaboration." Siu Chai even stressed that he and
Mok Man Wai were not sneaking around, but outright friends in the
public because he felt the more they avoid the more suspicious they
will be.
As for stealing Chow Sing Chi's girl, Siu Chai said, "No! It's
hard to find good friends. My girlfriend knows Mok Man Wai and had
dinner with her too. She won't be suspicious. (Had you tried a
double dinner date?) No, I don't frequently dine with Chow Sing Chi."

5. SAMMO HUNG INVITED BY GEORGE LUCAS TO PARTICIPATE IN STAR WARS
PREQUEL

(APPLE DAILY, 1/15/1999 [THANKS SANNEY]) -- The invasion of Hong Kong
film actors on Hollywood seems to be getting more and more fierce.
Earlier, it was reported that action star Jet Li (Lee Nin Kit) has been
invited by George Lucas for a part in EPISODE 2 of the STAR WARS
prequels. Now it has been rumoured that, as a result of the television
series MARTIAL LAW, Sammo Hung Kam Bo has been asked to become part of
the production team for the prequels.
According to a Hollywood web page report that cites the NEW LOS
ANGELES TIMES, Sammo Hung, who was selected by PEOPLE magazine as one
of 1998's breakout artists, has been contacted by George Lucas.
Reportedly, Lucas has been impressed not only by the simplicity of his
action prowess but is impressed by Hung's directorial and cinematographic
prowess behind the scenes -- a veritable jack-of-all trades.
The STAR WARS prequels consist of three parts. The first is
currently in post-production and will be released on May 21st of this
year. The roles for the second and third film have not yet been cast.

>From Cinsecape On-line: (Thanks for the URL Jeff)

The Insider received a return phone call from Sammo Hung's reps in regards
to the New Times L.A. story that linked the Martial Law star to the Star
Wars prequels. Sammo's reps say that he's never talked to them about such a
possibility, so this is news to them. In all likelihood it is simply a
rumor, but they're sure that Sammo would love to participate. Either way,
yours truly thinks that if Episode Two or Three calls for fast-moving
hand-to-hand combat scenes, George Lucas could do a lot worse than to have
Sammo do a bit of the fight choreography or even some consulting on those
sequences.

6. GIGI LAI CHI AND PATRICK TSE YIN PLAY A COUPLE

(TA KUNG PAO, 1/15/1999) Gigi Lai Gi denies rumours that she appears
in a scene in which she "satisfies herself" in her new movie THE
ACCIDENT (SUM YUEN YI MA).
Lai Chi said, "I never performed that scene. We will see when
the movie is released." She claimed that in the movie she had an
one night stand with Patrick Tse Yin, but the scene was daring only
in concept. Comparing to her previous performances, this one will not
be the most daring one. With Stanley Kwan Kam Peng, a highly artist
director, as the producer, how can there be scenes like that?
Also, after going to the censors, the film was slapped with a
category III rating. Reportedly if it wanted to lower the rating to
IIB, it will have to remove 1/3 of the movie because the homosexual
scenes with Wong Hei and Ben Ng Ngai Cheung was too explicit. Kwan
Kam Peng has finally decided not to edit at all.

7. A MOVIE FOR THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY

(TA KUNG PAO, 1/15/1999) Report from Nanjing, 1/14/1999: According to
famous Taiwan film director Lee Heng, Xie Jin (Tse Chun) after making
THE OPIUM WAR before the 1997 Hong Kong Handover will welcome the 21st
Century with RABE'S DIARY. Days ago Xie Jin on a press conference
revealed his creative concepts further.
After being kept in secret for 60 years, Rabe's diary after its
unveiling in New York immediately led to a giant reaction. Due to
the tremendous success of the American film SCHLINDER'S LIST, everyone
immediately linked Rabe with Schlinder.
However Xie Jin strongly responded, Rabe and Schlinder were
different. The background was different, and the story will be
different.
Due to the huge success of SCHLINDER'S LIST, difficult questions
has risen for RABE'S DIARY -- how it will surpass the former? How
to make it different from SCHLINDER'S LIST? Xie Jin explained his
approach will start with the word love. The movie will be about
Rabe's friendship with the Chinese people during his 30 years there.
Moving an audience with emotion has been Xie Jin's specialty in past
films, Thus Xie Jin's Rabe's Diary will be different from the cold
"extraordinary" style of Schlinder's List.
RABE'S DIARY definitely requires scenes of the horrid Nanjing
Massacre. Xie Jin expressed that no matter what this movie must
break into the Japanese market, affecting not only the Chinese, the
Americans, but also the Japanese.
Xie Jin said there have been two major tragedy in history,
one being Nazi Germany's mass execution of Jews, the other being
the atrocities committed by the Japanese during its Chinese invasion,
especially the Nanjing Massacre. Germany has recognized its crimes
against the Jews, but Japan has never allowed its citizen know about
Nanjing Massacre. "Thus we wanted to make Rabe's Diary to let the
world know about the truth behind the Nanjing Massacre so history
will not repeat itself again. I also hope that this movie can be
imported to Japan."
Xie Jin has many Japanese friends. He said, "Many Japanese
people I have come in contact with are in the film industry. They
are very kind and friendly toward the Chinese people. However, Japan
indeed has troops that once competed in murder contests and rapes in
Nanjing. An army like that is rare. How can an army like that
exist? This phenomenon is worth pondering over."
Xie Jin's JING LOI JI DIK JUNG SING (JING LOI TEMPLE'S BELL
RINGS) described a Chinese Resistance Regiment, which raised several
Japanese orphans. This movie which focused on humanity led to a
great response in Japan. Xie Jin felt that he would take the same
approach to move the Japanese people. He said that by using love
to move the audience, the movie can jump out of the usually bloody
documentaries on the Nanjing Massacre and reflect how the horror and
crimes covered up the human spirit.
Xie Jin's female leads have always left deep impressions. In
his past movies the female leads are very beautiful, gentle, and
angelic. Reflecting the female image is another one of his specialties.
Thus, on the first draft of Rabe's Diary, Xie Jin has already focused
on a female image in the script. She will an American nun who helped
Rabe in saving the Chinese refugees.
Xie Jin could not praise this character more and stressed that
he will cast the most beautiful American film star for the role.
However salary will be a major obstacle. Speaking of which, Xie Jin
said that many Mainland actors who literally volunteered for the
film.

8. JOHN WOO WANTS TO USE BIG STARS <<KING'S RANSOM>>
TO USE CHOW YUN-FAT AND BRAD PITT

(CHAN YUET MEI, APPLE DAILY, 1/16/1999 [THANKS SANNEY]) Former Hong
Kong director John Woo (Ng Yu Sum) has become one of Hollywood's most
powerful directors. In March he will start work with Tom Cruise on
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II. Following that, he will be working with other
big international superstars, maybe even with hunk Brad Pitt.
John Woo has been preparing to shoot MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II for
the past year. Currently, it has been revealed that shooting will
start on March 8th in Sydney, Australia. The most important factor in
the film will be its leading man Tom Cruise. After MISSION, Woo's next
film will be KING'S RANSOM. Apart from Chow Yun-Fat, the movie will
likely co-star Brad Pitt. As for actresses in the film, Sandra Bullock
from SPEED and Cameron Diaz from THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT MARY are
being considered.
John Woo's agent Terence Chang (Cheung Ka-Chun), in a telephone
interview from Los Angeles revealed, "we've been in discussions with
Tom Cruise. We've got an understanding. The reason the film has been
delayed for so long is because the script has not been finalized. We
wanted to make sure the script was all right before we started shooting.
After that movie, the next two films will be KING'S RANSOM and THE FINAL
WORD (JUI HAU WAI YU). At the time we'll consider the actors'
availability and the progress of the script and decide which one to
shoot first."
John Woo has always admired Brad Pitt. Because KING'S has two
leading roles for men, apart from Fat-Jai, Woo hopes to work with Brad
Pitt, Cheung Ka-Jun commented, "John feels that Brad Pitt is a good
actor. He hopes that Pitt and Fat-Jai can work together on this film.
For the actresses, we hope to pick from either Sandra Bullock or Cameron
Diaz."
THE FINAL WORD is slated to be a top flight, powerful production.
John Woo hopes to cast Harrison Ford as the male lead. Ford's agent
has seen the script and has expressed interest. The other male role
will either be filled by Paul Newman or Matt Damon.
Yesterday, Apple reporters contacted Fat-So for confirmation on
the story, "John has spoken to me about getting Brad Pitt and Sandra
Bullock for KING'S RANSOM. But because Fat-Jai has not signed for the
movie, I can't comment any further."

9. JACKIE CHAN FILMS UNDERWATER KISS SCENE

(1/16/1999) Jackie Chan, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, and Hsu Chi attended the
event celebrating the International release of the theme song for their
upcoming Lunar New Year's movie GORGEOUS (BOR LEI JUNG). Jackie Chan,
who has steadfastly refused to include kiss scenes in his movies,
finally has filmed a romantic kiss scene underwater with Hsu Chi as a
scene of the two kissing is in the video for the theme song.
Afterwards, Jackie revealed that the scene was shot a while ago and was
intended for the film. However, he felt that the scene did not match
the standards for the rest of the film so he edited out. Later, the
director suggested that the scene be put in the music video. As a
result, the film remains steadfastly chaste.
For a person who is more used to action scenes, how did Jackie
feel about doing a kiss scene? Jackie Chan smiled and replied, "We took
ten days to do the underwater scenes. My skin was all wrinkled and
tight. How could I have any other feelings?" Jackie Chan says that
he is used to such rigors of film making but Hsu Chi had a more
difficult time. Jackie revealed that he felt bad for Hsu Chi as she
felt extremely cold during the filming.
Given that he felt bad for Hsu Chi, did he do anything to help
her keep warm? Jackie Chan again smiled and said, "No, because it
turned out Hsu Chi came over and yelled for help."
Jackie Chan admitted that Hsu Chi was a rare case for actresses
he has seen recently. He praised Hsu for being a consummate
professional. The only thing that he can find fault with is that she
is too mischievous -- always fooling around on the set leaving him
with the impression that she was a big little girl.
After hearing Jackie's praise, Hsu Chi laughed heartily and thanked
Jackie. As for her comments on the kiss scene, Hsu Chi admits that she
was so cold during the filming of it she was shaking. Moreover, she
was running out of air under water so she didn't have any special
feelings while filming the kiss.

10. JO KUK CHO LAM TO MEET ANG LEE IN NEW YORK FOR A CHANCE TO STAR
IN NGOR FU CHONG LUNG

(CHAN YUET MEI, APPLE DAILY, 1/16/1999) Vincent Kuk Tak Siu's niece
Jo Kuk Cho Lam has completed a short film in England. At the end of
last month she flew to New York to record the theme for the movie
and also to meet with famous director Ang Lee for a test screen for
his new film NGOR FU CHONG LUNG (LYING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON). If
the test was successful she would have a chance to work with stars
like Jet Li (Lee Nin Kit), Michelle Yeoh (Yeung Chi King), Takeshi
and Kaneshiro (Gum Sing Mo).
Kuk Cho Lam revealed at the premiere of THE LONGEST SUMMER
(HUI NIN YIN FA DUT BIT DOR), "Last month I went to New York to
audition for NGOR. After my first meeting with Ang Lee, I thought
that he is very well mannered and polite. He was very informed on
my experiences and asked me about a lot of things, proving that the
director wasn't just entertaining me and the audition was sincere.
Even though I don't know if it's successful or not, I am very happy
because it's hard to get a chance to meet with Ang Lee." Recently
Kuk Cho Lam and William So Wing Hong will guest star in TEMPTING
HEART (SUM DUNG).

11. ANTHONY WONG CHAU SUN IS SUED FOR 170,000

(APPLE DAILY, 1/16/1999) -- Anthony Wong Chau-Samg is being sued by
the tenant below Wong's penthouse apartment for water damage resulting
from a plumbing problem on his flat. For his part, Wong says that he
has spent lots of money on the problem, going so far as to ripping up
his floor, and has talked to the building supervisor about the recurring
problem. He is perplexed that he is being singled out as the problem
apparently is endemic to the entire building. Wong says that if the
case is ruled in his favour, he will definitely sue the plaintiff for
defamation.

12. ALMEN WONG PUI HA FACES THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET

(ORIENTAL DAILY, 1/17/1999) Earlier rumors surfaced that Almen Wong
Pui Ha was been "frozen" by Fitto. Even though everyone denied it,
she quickly flew to Beijing for a television series to "correct the
matter". Yesterday at a wedding gown show, she honestly said, "Now
Fitto is talking with Rick, the producer of the sequel to HER NAME IS
CAT (PAU MUI) because Rick wants to sing me. By next week the
details will be set, then I will know what is going on!"
Pui Ha will very likely end her relationship with Fitto. She
explained, "Actually I am not suitable for this market. If I sign
with Rick I might have more opportunity in other places."
As for the sequel, Pui Ha expressed that it should begin
production around April. Currently she and Rick constantly meet to
discuss the script and its details. Pui Ha added, "Now we are trying
to decide whether to use a Hong Kong or foreign director. I feel that
Rick would prefer using a foreign director. If so all of the cast
will have to speak English. The lead should still be (Michael) Wong
Man Tak."
Also, Wong Hei and Ben Ng Ngai Cheung's passionate scenes
caused THE ACCIDENT (SUM YUEN YI MA) to be slapped with a category
III rating. Pui Ha said, "I have seen their performance, we really
have to stand aside. Category III is pretty good, at least people
will be interested."

13. GIGI LEUNG WING KEI IS SLAPPED SILLY

(1/18/1999) Gigi Leung Wing Kei signed over 500 autographs yesterday
but Gigi did not complain about a weak hand because she was too busy
to care. The night before she was working overnight on TEMPTING HEART
(SUM DUNG) then rehearsed for musical JUNG HA YE KONG SEUNG KUK (MID
SUMMER NIGHT'S MADNESS).
She said that in the scene she worked on the night before Elaine
Kam Yin Ling slapped her. At first Kam held back but the director
asked for a more realistic performance. After communicating Kam Yin
Ling slapped her with full force. After the scene Gigi's face was
swollen. Gigi laughed that besides her face, Kam Yin Ling also
beat her on her bottom and shoulder. Due to her height and size,
when Kam Yin Ling hit her, it hit her hand more than her face! Kam
Yin Ling said to her, "I have never bruised my hand from hitting
somebody."

14. RICKY TSANG CHI MING WILL NOT MARRY VIVIAN LAI SHUI YUN
As a mysterious call reveals

(CHOI PING, MING PAO DAILY, 1/17/1999) Vivian Lai Shui Yun's marriage
into wealth has run into problem after problem. Even though she is
willing to sacrifice career and love for boyfriend Ricky Tsang Chi
Ming, things did not go according to plan because her "future father
-in-law" Tsang Hin Sun suddenly fell ill and their wedding was delayed
indefinitely.
Reportedly, cable television program FAT MA PHONE SHOW two
weeks ago received a mysterious call from someone claiming to be Ricky
Tsang's friend. He asked to remain off the air and asked the
operator to relay his words to the program host and Ah Yun's pal
Nelson Cheung Hok Yun. He strongly stressed, "Ricky Tsang definitely
will not marry Lai Shui Yun. Ask Cheung to relay that message to Lai
Shui Yun for me. She is a nice girl. I can't just stand idly by!"
Even though this viewer did not reveal Tsang Chi Ming's real reason
for not marrying Shui Yun, but the reason is obvious if we read
between the lines.
Cheung Hok Yun asked the reporters, "Where did you hear about
that?" He neither confirmed nor denied the rumor and only said that
the caller is only concerned about a friend.

15. JOEY CHAN LAI YING NEARLY GOES CATEGORY III

(SING TAO DAILY, 1/18/1999) Joey Chan Lai Ying after finishing TRUST
ME U DIE (GO YEUNG YI SUN) in mid December returned to Malaysia for
Christmas. Earlier she returned to Hong Kong to promote TRUST and
her pictorial book. In TRUSH she and Mark Cheng Ho Nam have a hot
love scene which nearly earned the film a category III rating. Later
the director edited some of the more revealing scenes for a II rating.

16. JOEY WONG CHO YIN PLANS TO RETIRE FOR MOTHERHOOD

(APPLE DAILY, 1/18/1999) Apple contacted Joey Wong Cho-Yi to confirm the
story that she would be marrying Chai Chun soon after the Lunar New
Year. Wong confirmed that after fulfilling a commitment in Japan she will
be returning to Taiwan to marry Chai. The wedding will take place in
Taiwan as Chai's father is too ill to leave the country. After the
marriage she will retire from the entertainment circle and, in her words,
"go back to being a normal person."
When asked about earlier reports that she was ready to assault the
Japanese market again with the release of an album in March, Wong replied,
"actually Chai Chun and I have a long history in the entertainment circle
and we've been through a lot. He's repeatedly asked me to marry him.
This last time I finally accepted. I really want to have a baby after
we marry. In order to put my full attention to raising a family, I've
decided to quit the business."
When asked if the embers are truly burnt out of her ambitions in
the industry, Wong replied that it was and added, "I've been through a
lot. There comes a point in every one's life when the birds have to
come home to roost. Right now, all I want to do is to go out to the
markets buy groceries and cook dinner. I want to live a normal life.
Before having a baby, I'll quit smoking. I really want to have a baby
as soon as possible."
Also, Chai Chun's father after two months in the hospital has
already been released.

17. ANITA YUEN WING YI PRETENDS TO BE A CREW MEMBER'S GIRLFRIEND

(APPLE DAILY, 1/18/1999) -- Anita Yuen Wing-Yi returned to Hong Kong
from Beijing where she had been filming a television series based on
the story of Fa Mok Lan (Hua Mulan). Commenting on the Beijing shoot,
Yuen said that the thing she had the most problem adjusting to was the
below zero temperatures. When asked about rumours that she found a
new boyfriend in Beijing, Anita Yuen openly proclaimed, "Yes! I called
a crew member my boyfriend and he called me his girlfriend. Actually,
we became very good friends and one time we were talking about romance.
He told me that because of his work environment it was very hard for
him to meet girls. So I temporarily became his girlfriend!"
In other news, Zhao Wen Zhou (Chiu Man-Cheuk) said that it was
a pleasure to work with Len Len; however, he pointed out that her
Mandarin needed work. On that Len Len explained, "Actually, I have
no problems speaking in Mandarin. The only thing is when we shoot, I
use Cantonese because it's easier and more natural for me to act with.
Later, I will head into the studio and dub my Mandarin lines!"

18. SAM LEE CHAN SAM SENDS FANS FLYING OUT OF A TRAN

(ORIENTAL DAILY, 1/18/1999) Sam Lee Chan Sam might not be as handsome
as Andy Lau Tak Wa or Aaron Kwok Fu Sing, but girls are still throwing
themselves at him.
Fruit Chan Gor's latest THE LONGEST SUMMER (HUI NIN YIN FA DUT
BIT DOR) had a scene in which Lee Chan Sam throws a girl out of a
tran. He held an open audition for the role, not expecting to get
much of a response. However when the girls caught wind of the
audition, nearly a hundred showed up, thanks to the drawing power of
Lee Chan Sam.
Later when Lee Chan Sam discovered that the girl he threw out
the window was one of his fans laughed. In order to avoid risks, the
jump was eventually taken by a double, however Lee Chan Sam still got
his grab in.

19. IRENE WAN BIK HA BECOMES A COVER GIRL FOR AN ADULT MAGAZINE

(1/19/1999 [THANKS SANNEY]) Irene Wan Bik-Ha was incensed yesterday when
she learned that the Hong Kong adult magazine AKASI had her on the cover
of the current issue and claimed that they had nude pictures of her
inside. Last issue, AKASI published old nude pictures of Hsu Chi which
they had somehow obtained. In the next issue, the magazine claims that
they will expose Diana "Mystical Breasts" Pang Dan. In the current
issue, Irene Wan is photographed on a boat in a variety of sexy poses
with only a thin, sheer, white cloth as clothing which is so thin it is
transparent.
Wan commented, "I haven't seen this adult magazine. I don't know
why I would suddenly appear in their magazine so I really can't say what
happened. However I can say this for sure, I only made two risque films
and did a series of sexy photos for the Asian edition of PLAYBOY. I
can say unequivocally that I have never shot a revealing pictorial. I
really don't know how these pictures came onto the market. However when
you tell me that some of the pictures show me on a boat, I begin to
suspect that these were publicity photos taken during the filming of
ALL OF A SUDDEN (GAING BIN) that were intended for use on the posters.
I was assured, however, that those pictures would only be used for
publicity of the film. As for why they would turn into a pictorial I
have no idea. To clear up this matter, I will return to Hong Kong
immediately. To suddenly appear in a pictorial like this is an
embarrassment for me. Actually, after I made ALL OF A SUDDEN, I
already felt that I never wanted to do anything like this again. I
wanted to change my life. I am very unhappy about this. I'm going to
investigate the right of the magazine and the studio to do this."
Apple's calls to the producer of ALL OF A SUDDEN, Nam Yin, were
not returned. When Apple contacted Diana Pang Dan in the Mainland,
where she is shooting the film HOI JIRK FOR CHE SEUNG BUK GAING
(DRIVING THE TRAIN TO BEIJING), to get her reaction to the story.
Pang became extremely agitated, thought the magazine was acting
unethically, and vowed that her agent and her lawyers will see if the
impending publication infringes her personal rights in any way. She
also stressed that she has never wanted to pose nude even turning down
a HK$3 million dollar offer to do so.

20. JACKIE CHAN PROMOTES RUSH HOUR AND HIS LINE OF FOOD PRODUCT IN JAPAN

(1/19/1999 [THANKS SANNEY]) Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker were in Japan
yesterday to promote their film RUSH HOUR. With over three hundred
reporters in attendance at the press conference at the Park Hyatt Hotel,
Jackie Chan also took the opportunity to promote his new line of frozen
snacks, JACKIE'S KITCHEN, that will be sold in grocery stores throughout
Japan for the price of 300 yen (HK$20) a box. Chan will stay in
Japan for a day before going to Australia to promote RUSH HOUR there.

21. ATHENA CHU ACTS IN <<RAPED>> AGAIN
GIVES UP SEXINESS TO PLAY A SEX FIEND CATCHING DETECTIVE

(APPLE DAILY, 1/19/1999 [THANKS SANNEY]) Sex goddess Athena Chu Yan,
along with Nick Cheung Ka-Fai and other cast and crew members, spent
the day in Kowloon City to shoot location scenes for their new movie
KEUNG GAN JUNG GIK PIN JI JEU HAU GO YEUNG (RAPED BY AN ANGEL THE
EXTREME FINAL STORY: THE LAST LAMB). According to Athena Chu, because
of the strong reaction to RAPED BY AN ANGEL 2: THE UNIFORM FAN, the
studio enthusiastically pursued her to act in the final chapter in the
RAPED series. She will reprise the role she played in RAPED 2, that of
a young, strong-willed detective. Athena commented, "This time I won't
be acting sexy to trap the sex fiend in a trap. I will only be
responsible for catching the sex fiend. I really like the way this is
set up!"
Athena Chu worked yesterday despite being under the weather. She
blamed her illness on working several days without a good rest. However,
after she finishes shooting RAPED, she has to be in studio to record
her new music album. A good rest does not appear to be in her future.

21. WHILE STEPHEN CHOW AND CECILIA CHEUNG SHOOT ROMANTIC SCENES
KAREN MOK KEEPS A CLOSE WATCH

(1/19/1999 [THANKS SANNEY]) Stephen Chiau Sing-Chi and Karen Morris
(Mok Man-Wai) have never admitted that they are dating. However,
rumours about the couple's relationship do not abide. Recently,
disturbances have come from the emergence of Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi as
Chow's co-star and the Alice Yu Man-Fung incident. While Karen Mok has
always downplayed the rumours, Cecilia Cheung indirectly hinted yesterday
that Karen Mok's cool reaction to the rumours is a facade and that Mok is
a girlfriend who maintains a short leash.
Although the relationship between Stephen Chow Sing-Chi and Karen
Mok have endured much turbulence, the two, according to all reports from
the set, remain as close as they were when they first became a couple.
Confirming this is Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi who inadvertently revealed
yesterday that when she and Sing-Jai film a romantic scene, Karen Mok,
the girlfriend, watches in the background.
Stephen Chow, Karen Mok, Cecillia Cheung, and the rest of the
cast and crew were at Shek-O yesterday filming the closing scenes of
KING OF COMEDY (HEI KET JI WONG). In order to thank the cast, director
Lee Lik Chi and Sing Jai gave presents. Sing Jai expressed that since
new comer Cheung Pak Chi's acting is still at the minimal level, he
gave her a book titled "Actor Self Study Guide" which he hoped would
be useful for her. Recently, Cheung and Chow have been filming
several romantic scenes that may have made Karen Mok jealous. To
defuse the situation, Cecilia Cheung stressed that she was too young
and is not even in the same class as Mok so she does not deserve
mentioned in any rumours regarding Chow. Besides, Cheung revealed that
Mok regularly watches over Chow when she and Sing-Jai film romantic
scenes. Cheung said, "Actually, it isn't just Sing-Jai who takes care
of me, the whole cast and crew love me and take care of me too. So why
would Karen be jealous? One time when I was filming a scene where I
hold Sing-Jai's hand and hug him romantically, Karen was there to watch."
However when Karen Mok was asked about the matter, Karen denied
it. Karen said, "Did she see the right person? I didn't know where
they were filming so how could I go and watch. Besides, why would I
be jealous, it's natural for everyone to have special care and
concern for newcomers."
When Sing-Jai was asked to comment on the matter, he replied,
"Nothing of the sort happened. Why would Karen be jealous. (Because
she is your girlfriend!) You say that. There is no kiss scene. All
we do is hold hands and embraces. We're all professionals here."
When asked if his romance with Karen was stable, Chow replied,
"Stable? There's no romance to talk about."

21. NG MAN-TAT SHAVES HEAD FOR FILM

(TA KUNG PAO, 1/19/1999, [THANKS SANNEY]) For his newest film, Ng Man
-Tat shaved his head. He joked that every time he works with Stephen
Chiau Sing Chi, he gets to try new things. Last time, he shaved his
moustache. This time he shaved his head. Next time, he doesn't know
what he'll have to shave! He revealed that it has been a long time
since he last shaved his head. Recently, the weather turned colder
and the feel of the cool air on his shaved head took some getting used
to but he's OK with it now. There's a common phrase that says, "ten
bald heads, nine will be rich." Ng hopes that he'll be one of the nine.
However, he admits that he is older now and money is not as big as a
priority as it used to be.
After finishing hi part in KING OF COMEDY, Ng will immediately
head to the Mainland for an extended period of time to work on a
television series. Ng says that his wife will certainly come to visit
him but not to spy on him; rather, it is because they will have not seen
each other for a while. As for his daughter, he has not seen her for
months either. However, he says that they talk on the phone every day.
His daughter is now in an International school. Because he is a Chinese
person and English is not fluent to him, Ng fears that one day he will
not be able to talk to his daughter. How many more children does he
want to have? Ng says that he has no plan. He feels that the issue
of child birth should be left up to nature.

22. DUT GAING SUN YUN LUI'S HK$140,000 RENTAL BID FOR THE NEW
CONVENTION CENTER IS REJECTED

(ORIENTAL DAILY, 1/19/1999) Even though the Benny Chan Muk Sing
directed new film DUT GAING SUN YUN LUI (SPECIAL AGENT NEW HUMANKIND)
is almost completed, but actually it ran into problems with property
rentals, especially for empty government lots. The daily rental cost
of HK$40,000 made things difficult financially for the film company.
Recently the production tried to rent an area of the New Convention
Center which cost HK$140,000. However even if they were willing to
pay the bid was still rejected due to resistance to the plot which
made the authorities uncomfortable. The film company could only
complain to the proper government department. Production cost due to
the rejection has also risen from HK$25 million to 30 million.
Which scene made people uncomfortable?
Reportedly the scene takes place during a major convention
when a group of villains came with bombs for revenge. Finally two
New Special Agent Stephen Fung Tak Lun and Nicholas Tse Ting Fung
arrived, threw the bombs out of the windows, and rescued everyone
inside.
Although the story has an explosion scene, according to director
Chan Muk Sing and Media Asia chief Chung Joi Si, they stressed that
there will not be a single gun, explosion, or even noisy disturbance
or effect on the public. In the end the chief manager of the New
Convention Center responded that they were uncomfortable with the
implication that terrorists are present on their location. An
international convention center like theirs cannot permit these kinds
of production to occur. They believed the Hong Kong Police will
support their stance.
Chung said helplessly, "This scene is the center of our movie,
but now since we can't rent the New Convention Center, we will have to
spend another 2 million to build the set. This move will not only
delay the production time, but also increase the cost of salary. With
the difficult market nowadays, we are very encouraged by Chief
Executive Tung's 100 million fund allocation to assist the film
industry. Even though we don't know how the money will be spent,
we don't even have a basic cooperation. Panhandlers can sit by the
Star Pier. Those of us in movies have it worse than they do!"
Earlier during the production of a ship burning scene the police
came to investigate. At the time Maggie Quigley was also present on
the set. Cast member and Maggie Q's rumored boyfriend Daniel Wu (Ng
Yin Cho) admitted that they are a couple and expressed concern that
Maggie Q, shooting a television show in Beijing, would not be used to
the cold weather since she was raised in Hawaii.
"We are dating. Currently we are in a trial period. Now that
she is working in Beijing, I am always worried that she will catch a
chill. So everyday no matter how busy I am I would call her to
remind her to be careful."
Toru Nakamura (Jung Chuen Hung) came all the way from Japan for
this film. What did he feel is different between working in Hong Kong
and Japan? Jung Chuen laughed, "The biggest different is the Hong Kong
production doesn't have a complete script, but it's no big deal, I
don't feel it will be hard to adjust."
Even though it was freezing, besides Hong Kong reporters, even
Jackie Chan's new movie GORGEOUS (BOR LEI JUNG) new comer Lee Wing
Han visited the set as a reporter for a Taiwan television station.

23. CHOW YUN-FAT'S NEW FILM TO TAKE MEASURES AGAINST PIRACY

(ORIENTAL DAILY, 1/20/1999 [THANKS SANNEY]) Chow Yun-Fat's second
Hollywood film THE CORRUPTOR will soon have its debut in Hong Kong.
However, the film's distributor in Hong Kong On Lok Film Company, in
order to fight pirated copies appearing before the date of release,
will have special midnight sneak previews in five theatres in Kowloon,
Hong Kong Island, and the New Territories on the night of February 6th.
Proceeds from the screenings will go to the Anti-Piracy fund.
When Fat-Gor heard of the news, he expressed full support for the
idea. However, due to work preparing for his new film, he was too busy
to appear at the event announcing the screenings. However, on the night
of the previews, he will return to Hong Kong to make an appearance.
The reason only five theatres will have special screenings is
because it will make it easier for the studio to have adequate security
personnel to watch for any pirates making unauthorized copies of the
film. Otherwise, the point of the night would be lost. The studio
hopes to raise sixty to eighty thousand on the previews.

24. TEARFUL IRENE WAN BIK HA YELLED AT NAM YIN

(1/20/1999 [THANKS SANNEY]) Nam Yin strenuously objected to Irene Wan's
accusation that he was responsible for nude pictures of Wan appearing
in a local adult magazine. Nam said, "Irene phoned me early this
morning and asked me for an explanation why publicity shots would end
up in a magazine. I explained to her that it's most likely the shots
her manager gave to a Taiwanese publication. It doesn't have anything
to do with me. I told her if she didn't believe me she could come back
to Hong Kong to get a clear explanation!"
Nam went on to say, "I recruited Yvonne Yung and Irene to make
CAT-III films. If I wanted to make CAT-III type pictorials, I would
have done it a long time ago. Why would I do it this way, I told
Irene that I was very offended by her suspicions of me and so on the
phone we had some vigourous exchanges."
Nam Yin swore, "If I was the one who released those photos, I
will die in a car accident on the Tuen Moon Highway."
Nam Yin expressed that Wan Bik Ha has gone to Taiwan twice to
promote ALL OF A SUDDEN (GAING BIN) and at the time she posed for
similar photos, only in different clothing. Nam Yin hoped that Wan
Bik Ha could recall whether she posed for those photos during that
period.
Nam Yin revealed that he was a victim as well. Apparently
Taiwan buyers asked why the magazines have revealing photos but they
did not have any revealing publicity stills? In the end he did not
go to Taiwan for the promotion because of that.
Nam Yin also pointed out that Raymond Wong Pak Ming is also the
owner of the film. If they wanted to make a quick buck, they could
have released photos of Yvonne Yung from A FAKE PRETTY WOMAN and
Irene Wan in ALL OF A SUDDEN as a pictorial book. However he did not
do so. After the film was completed, he took all the bad takes and
burnt them with the negatives and stills locked in a safe. Even so
he still was blamed at the first sign of trouble.
When Apple contacted the Taiwanese publication in question. A
spokesman said that the a photographer named Deng was offering to sell
the photographs of Irene Wan to many companies. When told of this,
Irene Wan commented, "I hope to find this photographer and pursue my
legal remedies."
In related news, Nam Yin says that he plans to release footage of
Yvonne Yung from A FAKE PRETTY WOMAN and Irene Wan in ALL OF A SUDDEN
to a production company to make a video. The reporters asked Nam Yin,
"If the films are sold to these companies, can they do whether they
want with them?"
"Basically, but it has specified that the movies cannot appear
in pictorial books! If the actors want to buy them they can, I will
give them a discount. Yung Hung earlier said she would like to buy
them back, but she and I cannot agree on a price because she has
made many sexy movies for many companies, she could not buy them all!
If Irene wants to buy it back, we won't sell it to another company."
Reportedly these film negatives are worth HK$300,000 each.

25. RAYMOND WONG PAK MING BELIEVES IN FASCINATION MON AMOUR

(ORIENTAL DAILY, 1/20/1999 [THANKS SANNEY]) At an event yesterday
promoting the Mandarin studio's agreement with Hong Kong TeleCom to
premiere the Andy Lau Tak Wa, Ishida Hikari (Shek Tin Guong) starred
FASCINATION MON AMOUR (OI CHING MONG WAN HO) simultaneously on
InteracTV and at the theaters. Raymond Wong Pak-Ming has boldly
predicted that his Lunar New Year film would not disappoint audiences.
Yesterday numerous directors like Nam Yin, Joe Cheung Tung Cho,
Jacob Cheung Chi Leung, Herman Yau Lai To, Derek Chiu Sung Kei, and
Norman Law Man attended the event. Chiu Sung Kei will direct a Johnnie
To Kei Fung produced romantic movie CHUN SIU YUT HARK (A MOMENT ON A
SPRING NIGHT) with a mute boy for Metropolitan and later a Chang Cheh
(Cheung Chit) produced movie SEI HOI CHING (FOUR SEA LOVE) about a kid
during the early Republic period. The film will cost HK$10 million and
will be a collaboration with Shanghai Film Studio. The entire movie
will shoot in China. Andy Lau Tak Wa is the primary choice for the
lead.
Chiu Sung Kei praised Chang Cheh for his undying passion in
film. His spirit and endurance is worthy of admiration. Previously
many suspected that directing cannot be a lifelong career. Chang
Cheh is perfect example. He currently lives at the Shaw's dormitory,
and his only problem is his hearing as he depends on writing for
communication. At the same time, Chang Cheh's mind is still very
active. Some felt that he has lost touch with the times as a director,
thus he needed a new director to interject new factor.
Wong Pak Ming also is in contact with him about a new film.

26. Yeung Sau Sing establishes Emperor Entertainment Group

(1/20/1999) Emperor Entertainment Group headed by Yeung
Sau Sing will officially begin its operations tomorrow with a press
conference. Sammi Cheng Sau Man's former manager Lee Chun will be
the CEO for the Group and will be responsible for music, movies, and
talent management. His first assignment will be hunting down Heavenly
King singers to join the Group.
Reportedly Daniel Chan Hiu Tung and Dior Cheng Yi Kin have the
highest chances of joining. Tung Tung's contract with Universal
(formerly Polygram) will be up this year and reportedly he will sign
Lee Chun as his manager and join EEG Records.
On the other hand, Lee Chun is working on landing Heavenly King
singers Jacky Cheung Hok Yau, Aaron Kwok Fu Sing and Leslie Cheung
Kwok Wing. Because Hok Yau and Kwok Fu Sing have not officially
signed with their current record companies, Lee Chun hopes to land
one of them.
Because Capital Artist has neglected "Big Sister Big" Anita Mui
Yim Fong, Ah Mui constantly had complaints. Thus she has become Lee
Chun's first target. On top of that since they have worked together
during the early stages of Capital Artist. Lee Chun felt that Ah
Mui can sing and dance, in terms of records, films, and even concerts
she still has room for development. Thus he believed by working with
Ah Mui again he can bring Ah Mui's career to a new peak. At the same
time, he also felt that Ah Mui is the perfect choice to star opposite
Cheung Kwok Wing in the musical version A CHINESE GHOST STORY (SIN
NUI YAU WAN).

27. FAYE WONG PUBLICIZES HER VIEWS ON CNN :
I AM MORE RELAXED BECAUSE OF MY DAUGHTER

(APPLE DAILY, 1/20/1999) Faye Wong went to CNN Hong Kong's studio in
Central the night before last to appear on the news show Q & A. She
answered several questions from callers. A Hong Kong fan asked her,
"in recent years, your attitude to the media has changed. May I ask
what the reason for that is?"
Wong replied, "Actually, I don't feel that I've changed my
attitude to the media or my fans. Maybe it's because I've always felt
the need to protect myself. However, recently everyone knows that I've
loosened up in public and I think a big part of that is because of my
relationship with my daughter."
Another fan asked Wong if she had taken any voice lessons. Wong
replied that apart from a few lessons from Dai Si-Chung she does not
have any formal training. Wong feels that a voice is a natural talent
and cannot be created by training. Another caller asked how she
balances career and family, to that Wong answered, "I don't feel the
need to balance it. Both are parts of my life. When I have to work
I work, there's no need to make a balance."
Finally, after the interview it was learned that Wong did not
stress any bottom lines for the interview. She commented, "When I do
an interview I don't have bottom lines. If I don't want to talk about
something I don't talk about it. Recently, many HK artists have done
this kind of interview. This is a good format, we can all exchange a
bit of information."

28. Miscellaneous

(CHAN KA YUN, SING TAO DAILY, 1/14/1999) Andy Lau Tak Wa's soon to
begin production new film HOI NAM GAI FAN (SOUTH SEA CHICKEN RICE)
is considering the casting of Petrina Fung Bo Bo, Josephine Siao Fong
Fong and Nancy Sit Ka Yin.

29. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Saturday January 16 1999
People
Woo faces up to new identity
US citizen: John Woo
LIZ HODGSON

Legendary Hong Kong film-maker John Woo has a new title to his
list of credits - US citizen.
The 51-year-old director of Face/Off and Broken Arrow fled with
his family from the mainland to Hong Kong in 1951.
Hollywood gossip columnist Ted Casablanca revealed: "John Woo,
hip action director, is a freshly minted American citizen."
Woo grew up in China, and his family witnessed a number of
harrowing events on the mainland, including gang-related killings
being carried out in front of their home.

30. STRAIT TIMES
JAN 16 1999

Sorry, I prefer to appear in Stanley Kwan film
In-demand actress turns down offer to play a lusty lover

HONGKONG actress Shu Qi has certainly made it from trash to
class.
The former Category III star is so much in demand these days she
was offered a part in a biographical film on a Chinese literary great.
But, alas, no-one will ever know how she would have handled the
role of a lusty lover in the film about the modern Chinese writer Xu
Zhimo.
The actress rejected the part to play the character of Lu Xiaoman,
because filming clashed with another biggie she wanted to act in,
Hong Kong director Stanley Kwan's movie Stone Paper Scissors.
With her sexy pouty lips, Shu Qi would have fitted the bill to
act as Lu, who had a long and torrid relationship with Xu, a poet who
lived during the Chinese Republican period.
Xu, who studied in the United States and Britain and died in 1931
in a plane crash, was known in Chinese literary history for creating
new forms for popular lyrical poetry by incorporating Western influences.
His romance with Lu resulted in many gushy love letters exchanged
when they traveled apart.
The hugely-anticipated movie is this year's major release by Zong
Heng Studios, and filming is expected to start in March.
But, so far, only Chinese actor Huang Lei has been confirmed to
play Xu. With Shu Qi opting out of the film, the search is on for
someone else to play Lu.
Apparently, Shu Qi has an abundance of scripts to consider after
winning a Golden Horse award for Best Supporting Actress for her
role in Glass City recently.
There is even talk that she has met top Taiwanese director Lee
Ang (The Wedding Banquet, Sense And Sensibility) in New York to star
in another big release, Wo Hu Cang Long.
Her agent has denied this.

[ BLAH OF THE WEEK ] Columns, Reviews, Interviews

1. STRAITS TIME
JAN 14 1999
Bare all? I'm willing to do more than that
Rising HK star says there are no limits for him in acting
By TEE HUN CHING

NOTHING seems to faze rising Hong Kong actor Sunny Chan Kum
Hung, not even comparisons with veteran star Chow Yun Fat.
In fact, Chan, who is said to be a dead ringer for Chow, believes
he fared better than the superstar in his reprisal of the latter's
famous role as Hui Mun Keong in Once Upon A Time In Shanghai, a remake
of the hit TVB drama serial, The Bund.
"I think I handled the love scenes and buddy ties better," said
Chan cheekily in a telephone interview, when asked if he felt pressure
in tackling the role.
One of the latest idols in Hong Kong, Chan is, however, an
unfamiliar name to viewers here.
But his performance in Stanley Kwan's Hold You Tight, for which he
was named Best Actor at the 11th Singapore International Film
Festival's Silver Screen Awards last year, has made many sit up.
This has perhaps done much to boost his ego. The actor oozed
confidence in the half-hour telephone interview from Hong Kong on
Monday.
Asked whether he faced pressure in replacing Michael Tao Da Yu in
TVB's popular Detective Investigation Files series, his answer was a
firm "no".
Any difficulties when taking on his first period drama role in the
Hong Kong station's remake of The Flying Fox? A pat "no" again.
But he is aware there are areas he needs to improve on, such as
his sword-fighting moves.
"I can't do these with ease as I'm still quite raw," he acknowledged.
He was equally forthcoming when quizzed about his relationship with
Hongkong radio disc jockey Du Wenhui, whom he has been seeing for
the past year and nine months.
But wedding bells are not yet ringing, at least not until he has
earned HK$5 million (S$1.08 million), he revealed.
He also endeared with his humorous quips.
Asked how far he would go in his sacrifice for art's sake, Chan,
who has already bared all in Hold You Tight, said: "For me, there are no
limits when it comes to acting. But so far, no director has asked me to
do anything more."
Would intimate scenes with female co-stars not incur the jealousy of
his girlfriend? "No, of course not. I'm making money!" came the quick
reply.
Viewers here last saw Chan in the TVB drama, The Criminal
Investigator, which ended its run on TCS' Channel 8 last December.
He can be seen in the drama serial, Once Upon A Time In Shanghai,
aired on Singapore Cable Vision's Channel 48, from Monday to
Friday at 9.30 PM.
SCV will also air two of his other shows: the 20-part In The Name Of
Love, which starts its run on Feb 25, and the film, The Love Of The
Eastern Hollywood, to be telecast on Channel 55 on Feb 20 and 26.

2. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, Friday January 15 1999
Films
Drama in real life made mundane
PAUL FONOROFF

The few mainland films to be released in Hong Kong seem to fall
into two categories: revolutionary epics and smaller slice-of-life tales.
Star In The Sky belongs to the latter camp.
A co-production of the Beijing Film Academy's Youth Film Studio
and the Shandong Film Studio (in Mandarin with English and Chinese
subtitles), the picture focuses on an unhappy Beijing family.
Sun Kai (Liu Peiqi) is a popular high school teacher who has
never quite mastered the arts of "shoe-shining" and back-stabbing
necessary to get ahead or obtain a nice apartment. His wife, Wang
Huiyuan (Guo Li), admires Sun's ethics but not the substandard living
conditions in which they and their young daughter reside. Their placid
existence is shaken when Wang quits her low-paying job and begins
working for the distributor of a patently fake Hong Kong health tonic.
Sun, meanwhile, becomes the host of a phone-in radio talk show.
But he does so under an assumed name; even his family is unaware he is
the famous Tian Zhen who dispenses such wonderful advice over the
airwaves.
The basic plot points in Liu Yibing's award-winning script are
engaging enough, but somehow the finished product, directed by Wang
Ping, is not as interesting as the plot synopsis. The radio shows,
for instance, are never as captivating as the screen listeners'
rapture indicate, nor is Sun's advice anything out of the ordinary.
Sun spins tales of his years during the Cultural Revolution
when he was sent to labour on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia.
Though these yarns are potentially absorbing, it is hard to believe
the discourses, and the truisms Sun dispenses, can mesmerise a huge
audience that embraces both middle-aged folks and his own teenaged
students.
Still, Sun manages to solve callers' problems. Meanwhile, his
personal life is complicated by a meddling brother-in-law, and an
amorous radio co-host, Tao Tao (Zou Lei), who falls in love with
the married colleague 20 years her senior.
These dilemmas are not properly explored, so the denouements are
not exceptionally memorable or moving. Attempts at injecting a few
notes of humour fall flat: the farcical tone does not jibe with the
movie's ostensibly realistic mode.
Sun's Mongolian connections have the capacity to form the film's
emotional backbone. What is intended as a fervent high point is the
visit to Beijing by the herdsman who befriended the future teacher
during one of the bleakest periods in China's history. This culminates
in a reunion with other "young intellectuals" banished to the
countryside in the late 1960s and early 70s. Unfortunately, the
segment is overly maudlin.
Despite the lapses, the choice of subject matter - a "typical"
household engaged in mundane activities - is laudable: there is much
drama to be found in everyday life.
Its shortcomings aside, local film-makers can learn from Star
In The Sky.

Star In The Sky, Cine-Art House

[ In Production Now/Soon ]

RAPED BY AN ANGEL 4
Can : KEUNG GAN JUNG GIT PIN : JUI HAU GO YEUNG
Lit : RAPE FINAL CHAPTER : THE LAST LAMB
d. Clarence Ford (Fok Yiu Leung)
Athena Chu Yun, Suki Kwan Sau Mei,
Nick Cheung Ka Fai, Ben Ng Ngai Cheung,
Sherming Yiu Lok Yi, Yeung Fan

Can : Jun Sum Dik Goo Si
Lit : Story of Jane Sam
d. Derek Yee Tung Sing?
Peter Ho Yun Tung, Fann Wong (Fan Man Fong)
Chin Kar Lok, Simon Lui Yu Yeung, Cheng Pei Pei

Can : Wong Gum Ngok Mung
Lit : Gold Nightmare
Max Mok Siu Chung, Michael Chow Man Kin,
Annie Wu (Ng Sun Kwan), Andrew Lin Hoi

Can : Seung Dai ji Sau
Lit : Hand of the Lord
Carrie Ng Ka Lai, Sam Lee Chan Sam,
DiDi Chan Fun Yi, Kif Chan Chun Ho, Ching Yun

Can : Gok Jai Fan Dim
Lit : International Hotel
p. Johnnie To Kei Fung
d. Patrick Yau Tak Chi
Lau Ching Wan, Lai Yiu Cheung, Ruby Wong Cheuk Ling

TEMPTING HEART
Can : Sum Dung
Lit : Heart Move
d. Sylvia Chang (Cheung Nga Ga)
Takeshi Kaneshiro (Gum Sing Mo),
Karen Joy Morris (Mok Man Wai),
Gigi Leung Wing Kei, Elaine Kam Yin Ling,
Sylvia Chang (Cheung Nga Ga)
William So Wing Hong, Jo Kuk Cho Lam

Not the usual run of the mill love triangle between Takeshi
Kaneshiro, Karen Joy Morris, and Gigi Leung Wing Kei.

KING OF COMEDY
Can : Hei Ket ji Wong
Lit : King of Comedy
d. Lee Lik Chi
Stephen Chiau Sing Chi, Karen Joy Morris (Mok Man Wai),
Cecilia Cheung Pak Chi, Alex Man Chi Leung,
Tin Kai Man, Cheng Man Fai, Ng Man Tat,
Lee Siu Kei, Lam Chi Sin, Clarence Hui Yuen,
Dai Lung, Simon Yip Sai King (Bat Leung Gum)
Rating : IIB
Release Date : February 15 1999

[ From The Official Site ]
Wan Tin-Sau (Stephen Chiau Sing Chi) is an extra who passionately
loves the dramatic art. Unfortunately with all his passion he has
no talent. Sau has had numerous disputes with film insiders,
enrages the crew, and becomes the most hated man on the set due to
his insistence on acting methods. Even though he always suffers,
he does not give up at all. Everyday the first thing he does is
to run up to the roof and scream, "Wan Tin-Sau, you are the world's
best actor!" Day after day, year after year, no matter rain or
shine, he never stops. Sau's passion and sincerity toward acting
is rather shocking.

Escort Lau Piu Piu (Cecilia Cheung Pak Chi) no longer believes in
love after being cheated and getting hurt as she becomes cold and
apathetic. At the nightclub due to her lack of warmth and
gentleness in welcoming the customer's needs she relegates to
reserve duty. Mamasan takes Piu Pui to Wan's neighborhood drama
troupe to study acting so Piu Piu can fully grasp "the way to
please customers". At first Piu Piu treats Sau like an enemy, but
gradually under the guidance of Sau she opens her heart again;
Piu Piu also becomes Sau's first viewer in his acting career. Sau
is very appreciative of Piu Piu's support and the couple gradually
falls in love.

Under the help of a Best Actress (Karen Mok Man Wai), Sau receives
a chance to play the lead in a movie. At first Best Actress only
admires Sau but after a series of auditions and time together, the
two establish a complex mentor/lover relationship as Piu Piu, Sau,
and Best Actress finally fall into the bitter triangle of love......

FASCINATION MON AMOUR
Can : Oi Ching Mung Wan Ho
Lit : The Love Fantasy
Formerly known as: Oi Ching Ming Won Ho
Lit : The Love Destiny
p. Raymond Wong Pak Ming
d. Herman Yau To Lai
Andy Lau Tak Wa, Ishida Hikari (Shek Tin Guong),
Lillian Ho Ka Kei, Astrid Chan Chi Ching,
Wong Lui, Kui Wing, Raymond Wong Pak Ming

Can : Jun Wa Ying Hung
Lit : Chinese Hero
d. Andrew Lau Wai Keung
Dior Cheng Yi Kin, Kristy Yeung Kung Yu,
Nicholas Tse Ting Fung, Grace Yip Pui Man,
Yuen Biao, Francis Ng Chun Yun, Hsu Chi,
Jerry Lamb Hiu Fung, Lam Dik On

GORGEOUS
Can : Bor Lei Jung
Lit : Glass Bottle
d. Vincent Kuk Tak Siu
Jackie Chan, Hsu Chi,
Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Richie Yam Yin Chai,
Maggie Cheung Ho Yi, Eileen Tung Oi Ling, Lee Wing Han
Rating : IIA

Can : Chi Tau Mong
Lit : Sticky Head Mango
d. Jacob Cheung Chi Leung
Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing, Kei Kei,
Ti Lung, Carrie Ng Ka Lai,
Lam Ka Tung, Amanda Lee Wai Man
Wong Ka Lok

Can : Hark Ma Wong Ji
Lit : Black Horse Prince
Producer: China Star
d. Wong Jing
Andy Lau Tak Wa, Michelle Reis (Lee Ka Yun)
Deannie Yip Tak Han, Nick Cheung Ka Fai,
Suki Kwan Sau Mei, Wong Shu Kei

MOONLIGHT EXPRESS
Can : Sing Yuet Tung Wa
Lit : Star Moon Fairy Tale
d. Lee Kong Yun
Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing, Tokako Tokiwa (Seung Poon Gwai Ji),
Ko Jit, Yuka Hoshino (Sing Ye Yau Heung),
Austin Wai Tin Chi, Liu Kai Chi

Can : Ji Woo Dip
Lit : Paper Butterfly
d. Lau Wa
Michelle Reis (Lee Ka Yun), Andrew Lin Hoi, Nicky Wu (Ng Kei Lung)

Can : Chet Ngai Ching
Lit : Crimson Dangerous Love
Max Mok Siu Chung, Shum Yu,
Ben Ng Ngai Cheung, Ma Tak Chung

Can : Dut Gung Sun Yun Lui
Lit : Special Agent New Humankind
d. Benny Chan Muk Sing
Stephen Fung Tak Lun, Nicholas Tse Ting Fung,
Sam Lee Chan Sam, Grace Yip Pui Man,
Daniel Wu (Ng Yin Cho), Terence Yin (Wan Chi Wai),
Toru Nakamura (Jung Chuen Hung), Jaymee Omg,
Francis Ng Chun Yu

Can : Da Je Oi Ya
Lit : Hitter Hits out of Love
d. Lau Kwok Fai
Ada Choi Siu Fun, Christine Ng Wing Mei,
Max Mok Siu Chung, Gigi Fu Ming Hin,
Simon Lui Yu Yeung, Lai Yiu Cheung,
Cheung Tat Ming, Leung Wing Chung, Ko Lam Sun

---
[New Films]
Info from Next Magazine (http://www.nextmedia.com.hk), Ryan's Hong
Kong Movie DataBase (http://www.hkmdb.com), Netvigator
(http://www.netvigator.com), Starzine Interactive
(http://www.hkstar.com), and Webhkcorner (www.corner.com)

THE LONGEST SUMMER
Can : Hui Nin Yin Fa Dut Bit Dor
Lit : Last Year There Were Especially Many Fireworks
d., w. Fruit Chan Gor
Sam Lee Chan Sam, Tony Ho Wa Chiu, Jo Kuk Cho Lam,
Chan Sun, Peng Yik Wai, Lai Chi Ho, Leung Yiu Wai, Lee Lei
Rating : IIB
Length : 128 mins.

In 1997, the sky of Hong Kong was especially busy with all kinds
of firework celebrations. However behind all the joy there are
even more hidden stories that no one knows about. Chinese British
soldier Ng Ka Yin suddenly finds being on the brink of retirement
from his duty hard to face. Amidst the helplessness he loses his
direction. He joins his younger brother Ng Ka Suen's underworld
organization and with boss Ho Siu Wing he robs banks and steps on
the road of no return......

[ Netvigator ]
With the disbanding of the Chinese British Army, Ng Ka Yin is
forced to retire and rejoin the society, starting everything anew.
His brother Ka Suen is 13 years younger but having been in the
underworld for years he has more life experience than his brother.
Ka Yin and several friends join Ka Suen's underworld organization
and utilize what they have learned in the military to rob banks.
They stepped on a road of no return. Just as they want out, the
mob wants them dead......

HENTAI KAZOKU : ANIKI NO YOMESAN
Can : Bin Tai Ga Jook
Lit : Demented Family
d. Suo Masayuki (Jau Fong Jing Hung)
Kaza Kaoru (Fung Fun), Osugi Ren (Dai Sam Lin),
Yamachi Miki, Asau Masagi,
Sanchi Fumiate (San Dei Mei Gwai)
Rating : III
Length : 62 mins.

On the honeymoon of a family's eldest son and his wife, the sounds
of passion deeply affects other family members......younger
daughter suddenly quits her office job and becomes a spa lady at a
massage parlor. Her first customer surprisingly is her older
brother! The younger brother is curious about sex and finally
spends all his time in the massage parlor. Later the older brother
hooks up with a bar owner who enjoys S&M. His neglected wife
cannot withstand temptation and seduces the younger brother......

[ Netvigator ]
The marriage of the eldest son has brought great conflicts and
changes to a family of four with a single parent. On the honeymoon
night, the sounds of newlyweds makes the younger siblings discover
their own puberty. Not wanting to be plain, the younger sister
becomes a spa lady and her first customer is her older brother.
While the younger brother spends all of his time in the massage
parlor, the father actually......

[ Coming Soon ]

BIG SPENDER
Can : Gwun Tin Bong Ga Dai Fu Ho
Lit : Shocking Kidnap Billionaire
d. Ma Tin Yiu
Ray Lui Leung Wai, Cecilia Yip Tung,
Yu Rong Guong, Ben Lam Kwok Bun,
Simon Lui Yu Yeung, Roy Cheung Yiu Yeung, Cheung Tung Lam
Rating : II B
Release Date : January 23 1999

TRUST ME U DIE
Can : Sun Go Yeung Yi Sun
Lit : New Dr. Lamb
d. Billy Chung Siu Hung
Simon Yam Tat Wa, Mark Cheng Ho Nam,
Sam Lee Chan Sam, Joey Chan Ying Lai, Lo Hei Loi
Rating : II B
Release Date : January 21 1999

TROUBLESOME NIGHT 5
Can : Yum Yeung Lo 5 ji Yut Gein Fat Choi
Lit : Yin Yang Road 5: A Look will Make you Rich
d. Herman Yau Lai To
Simon Lui Yu Yeung, Louis Koo Tin Lok, Law Lan,
Lai Yiu Cheung, Kwan Bo Wai,
Ng Chi Hung, Wong Gei Ying
Rating : II B
Release Date : January 23 1999

THE ACCIDENT
Can : Sum Yuen Yi Ma
Lit : Heart Ape Will Horse
d. Lee Chi Chiu
Patrick Tse Yin, Gigi Lai Chi,
Almen Wong Pui Man, Andrew Lin Hoi,
Wong Hei, Ben Ng Ngai Cheung
Rating : III
Release Date : January 28 1999

Some Days in 1959
d. Au Kam Tong
Au Kam Tong, Chung Wai Ling

Can : Gau Lung Sing Jai
Lit : Kowloon City Fortress
Aka : Heung Gong Wong Dai
Lit : Hong Kong Emperor
d. Clarence Ford (Fok Yiu Leung)
Simon Yeung Tat Wa, Kristy Yeung Kung Yu,

Can : Sam Hup Wui
Lit : Triad
Aka : Mo Fat Mo Tin
Lit : No Law No Heaven
Lau Ching Wan, Athena Chu Yun, Francis Ng Chun Yu,
Diana Peng Tan, Patrick Tam Yiu Man

[ Ming Pao Weekly ]
Francis Ng Chun Yu and Lau Ching Wa play two greasers who aren't
passionate about anything except girls. At a dance they encounter
a wild and free spirited girl (Athena Chu Yun). She falls for Lau Ching
Wan, but due to his immature ways the romance never comes to fruition.
Ching Wan goes from a greaser to becoming a gangster and by chance
he encounters the Big Sister of a gambling parlor (Diana Peng Tan). In
order to earn her support, Ching Wan marries her and his position in the
gang skyrocketed. Chu Yun after losing her beloved Ching Wan in a
moment of sorrow hurrily marries Chun Yu. The 4 way love affair remains
tangled for 2 decades. Finally Ching Wan due to his sentimental side
steps on a road of no return.

---
[ Entertainment URL ]

BIG SPENDER
http://www.hongkongmovie.com/bigspender/

RAVE, musical starring Mark Lui Chun Tak, Andy Hui Chi On, and Kelly Chan Wai Lam
http://www.eldt.org.hk/rave/

KING OF COMEDY
http://www.hongkongmovie.com/kingofcomedy/index.htm

AFRAID OF NOTHING, THE JOBLESS KING
http://www.hongkongmovie.com/joblessking/index.htm

THE CONMAN
http://www.chinastar.com.hk/english/today/main.html

SLEEPLESS TOWN
http://www2.netvigator.com/ente/cinemaview/Sleepless/index.html

Moonlight Express Press Conference
http://www.inno-web.net/star/

Ericsson Mobiles Phone with Andy Lau Tak Wa and Rosamund Kwan Chi Lam
http://mobile.ericsson.com.hk/

Commercial Radio
http://www.crhk.com.hk

Television Broadcast Limited
http://www.tvb.com.hk

City Entertainment Magazine
http://www.webhkcorner.com/cityent/

Tai Seng's Home Page (In Chinese)
http://www.taisengentertainment.com/

Oriental Daily
http://www.orientaldaily.com.hk/
---
[New York Area Concerts]

---
[ Trivia of the Week/Top Ten Mail Bag ]

Quick shout out to Mark; thanks for letting Your Chaffing Editor
know that he is STILL useful to some people. ON THE OTHER HAND...

* From : CHERIEMJ

Hello!!
I'm crazy about HK movies & stars *^__^*
Especially, <<CHERIE CHUNG chor-hung, hung goo>> is
my favorite actress.

These day, I have many difficulties in contacting her news.
but for all that......
I heard cherie have operated "furniture showroom" with husband.
(its name..."the new nuconcepts and cassina showroom" ???)

Would you let me know her showroom's exact address ??
also, Jacky chan's office exact address ???

[ Your Chaffing Editor's Response ]

Wow! Someone even more obsessed than I am.
Besides Ryan, none of us are actually in Hong Kong and off the top
of our heads we do not have any of the information you have asked
for. Sorry.

We here at Top Ten Central suffers from the same problems that
Ryan's Hong Kong Movie Database suffers from: we don't have any
ties, inside information, blah blah blah to Hong Kong or for that
matter ANY film industry.

* From David :

How can i subscribe to Sanney's mailing list?

[ Your Chaffing Editor's Response ]

Strike two. I have communicated with John and Sanney (keepers of
the lists) who unfortunately have informed me that the list is
currently at full capacity. Until they resolve that issue, they
have graciously permitted me to relay the information here. My
appreciation is beyond all the thanks I have given them. Thank
you again!

* From Darryl :
Re : KING OF COMEDY CAST

Simon Yip? So Bobby's dropped "Bobby" for "Simon?" At least
people can say "* Gold Chains" or however you care to translate it.
I finally got a name for the face on the guy and he goes and changes
it! Aiya!

[ Your Chaffing Editor's Response ]

STRIKE THREE! YOU ARE OUTTA HERE! BACK TO THE MINORS WITH YOU,
BUDDY! Actually, we goofed. Usually I would just say Bat Leung
Gum (or Yip King Sun), but I figured I would trust Sanney and go
with that name. Whether he has changed to his name from Bobby to
Simon is anyone's guess. Sorry.

[ Trivia Question ]

[ Last Week's Answer ]

------------------------------------------------------------
Box office info : Variety, January 17 - January 23, 1999
The usual suspects : Jerry Chan, Internet Movie Database
Erors : Ryan, ye olde chaffing editor, Uncle Prawn

For The Week Ending Wednesday, January 13, 1999

Title Gross Scrns Wks Cumulative
($US) ($US)
US$1 = HK$7.73

1 Bride Of Chucky 295,294 17 1 295,294
d. Ronny Yu Yun Tai
Jennifer Tilly, Katherine Heigl,
Nick Stabile, John Ritter

2 Meet Joe Black 291,666 26 2 1,038,691
d. Martin Brest
Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani

3 When I Look Upon The Stars 269,686 29 1 296,686
Can : Tin Suen Dei Luen
Lit : Heaven Spin Earth Love
p. Gordon Chan Ka Seung
d. Dante Lam Chiu Yin
Leo Koo Kui Kei, Hsu Chi
Sam Lee Chan Sam, Chan Wing Yin
[ Summary below ]

4 The Prince of Egypt 194,078 23 3 2,001,322
d. Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner
Voices of :
Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes,
Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock

5 A Bug's Life 167,002 16 4 2,307,160
d. John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton
Voices of :
(Cantonese Version)
Nicholas Tse Ting Fung, Grace Yip Pui Man,
Anthony Wong Chau Sun, Kent Cheng Juk Si,
Nat Chan Pak Cheung, John Shum Kin Fun
(English Version)
Dave Foley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus,
Kevin Spacey, Joe Ranft,
Richard Kind, John Ratzenberger

6 Afraid Of Nothing.... 140,023 14 2 383,868
AKA : Jobless King
Can : Sut Yip Wong Dai
Lit : Unemployed Emperor
p. Jimmy Heung Wa Sing
d. Joe Ma Wai Ho
Gallen Law Ka Leung, Gigi Leung Wing Kei,
Eric Kot Man Fai, Sam Lee Chan Sam,
David Lee Seung Man, Liz Kong Hei Man,
Lai Yiu Cheung, Fung So Bo, Chow Hoi Kwong,
Geung Ho Man, Chan Man Lui, Alice Peng Wai Kwan
Guest starring : Wu Fung, Spencer Lam Seung Yi, Lai Chi San
[ Summary below ]

7 Hot War 85,094 15 3 1,161,846
Can : Wan Ying Dut Gung
Lit : Fantasy Shadow Special Agent
d. Jingle Ma Chor Sing
Dior Cheng Yi Kin, Jordan Chan Siu Chun,
Kelly Chan Wai Lam, Terence Yin (Wan Chi Wai),
Venessa Yeung Jung, Higuchi Asuka (Tung Hau Ming Yut Ga)
[ Summary below ]

8 Pleasantville 80,755 6 2 186,322
d. Gary Ross
Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen,
William H. Macy, J.T. Walsh, Reese Witherspoon

9 The Conman 56,428 1 4 2,191,673
Can : Doe Hup 1999
Lit : Gambling Hero 1999
d. Wong Jing
Andy Lau Tak Wa, Nick Cheung Ka Fai,
Athena Chu Yun, Ben Ng Ngai Cheung,
Angie Cheong Wei Yee, Emotion Cheung Kam Ching,
Ng Chi Hung, Waise Lee Chi Hung,
Jack Kao (Ko Jit), Wong Chi Yeung
[ Summary below ]

10 Little City 18,736 6 1 18,736
d. Roberto Benabib
Jon Bon Jovi, Penelope Ann Miller, Josh Charles,
Annabella Sciorra, JoBeth Williams,
Joanna Going, Joe Bellan, Peter Gardiner

Summaries for some of the films above. Some contain SPOILERS
From Next Magazine http://www.nextmedia.com.hk/nm

WHEN I LOOK UPON THE STARS
Rating : I
Length : 101 mins.

To surprise his girlfriend Louise who went to study aboard by
herself, Gei Jai travels to Japan to visit her, only to discover
that Louise has always had a crush on his pal Sam. Broken hearted,
he still encourages Sam to express his feelings for Louise. On
the other hand, Gei Jai delivers a gift for a friend to his
girlfriend KiKi's home. Gei Jai sees KiKi's messy house and has a
bad impression of her, but ......

[ Netvigator ]
Ah Kei is someone who plans ahead and now works as a toy factory
packaging designer. His girlfriend June has gone to study in Japan.
Ah Kei heads to Japan to visit her, only to discover that she has
already fallen in love with his pal Sam. Kei loses all of his
self confidence and luckily encounters the free spirited model Kiki
who takes him under her wings. The two gradually fall for each
other. From this journey, Kei learns to give and to cherish.
Suddenly Tokyo has an earthquake that measures a 5 on the Richter
scale......

[ Ming Pao Daily ]
Koo Kui Kei plays a faithful and calculating young man. In order
to develop his career and plan for his future family, he first sends
his girlfriend Chan Wing Yin to study in Japan, then arranges his
elementary school mate and buddy Sam Lee Chan Sam to study art in
Japan and to take care of his girlfriend; however after all that
calculation, Gei Jai never figured in that his girlfriend would fall
for Sam. Amidst depression he runs into the optimistic, strange,
and romantically direct Hsu Chi and has an one day romance with her.
Then after his boss Eric Tsang Chi Wai hammered the nail right on
the head and further self evaluations, Gei Jai understands that love
is not a calculable, reasonable behavior. Thus he begins to woo Hsu
Chi back and starts a "Heaven Spin Earth Love".

AFRAID OF NOTHING, THE JOBLESS KING
Rating : IIA
Length : 107 mins.

The chair of Ang's Group passes away. His son Ang Seh takes over
the position and sets a trap to frame chief financial officer Ha
Gong in order to fire him. Ha Gong due to overqualification cannot
find a job and ends up temporarily panhandling with beggar Chu Got.
Surprisingly as a beggar Ha Gong earns the admiration of Ah Nam,
the heiress of the drug company Chut Bun Hong! Ha Gong decides to
pretend that he has not graduated from an elementary school and
works as an office assistant at Chut Bun Hong......

[ Netvigator ]
Ang's Group chair Ang Min is dangerously ill and only his loyal
chief financial officer Ha Gong remains by his side; unfilial son
Ang Seh sends his father to the grave and takes over the company.
Ha and Ang become opposing forces in the company. Ang sets a
trap by kidnapping Ha and firing him for truancy. Beaten half to
death, Ha is left in an alley and luckily is rescued by beggar Chu
Got. At the same time he runs into his dream girl Ah Nam......

HOT WAR
Rating : IIA
Length : 95 mins.

Chun, Kin and Lam are CIA agents. The trio develops a "VR warrior"
project. At Chun's wedding, a terrorist nicknamed Alien suddenly
appears, kills Chun's bride Siu Yu and captures Lam. Chun for
vengeance for his wife and Kin in order to rescue Lam can only
join the VR project to fight Alien......

[ Netvigator ]
Three Chinese scientists working for the CIA devise a hi-tech
military training programme known as "VR Warrior", which uses drugs,
virtual reality technology and mind-control to turn its subjects
into powerful combatants. However, when a terrorist and a financial
tycoon try to hijack the project to formulate violence-inducing
subliminal messages on TV, the two heroes become VR Warriors to
fight them, unaware of the dangerous side effects.

THE CONMAN
Executive Producers: Charles Heung Wa Keung, Wong Jing
Rating : IIB

"Gambling Hero" King went to prison for accidentally killing
assassin Chimney. His wife Fun and partner Chung leave him behind.
5 years later, Fa Gwut Lone who sees Gambling Hero as his idol goes
to pick him up from his prison release. The two become good
friends. Lone's sister Ching also grows to have feelings for King.
Rocky invites King to a gambling ship to help him winning money,
but he runs into Macau Man, a major outside bookie and his
assistant San Gang......

[ Netvigator ]
King, nicknamed the Conman, is hailed as the successor to the God of
Gamblers. One day, while defending his brother from attack, he
accidentally kills a man and ends up in jail. When he is finally
released, his wife and partner have both deserted him. Befriending
Dragon, a little guy who hero worships him, King makes a comeback
at a casino aboard a cruise ship.
---
[ Yakety Yak ]
The views and opinions expressed here are purely those of the
writer and in no way reflect those of Hong Kong Film Top 10 Box
Office, its contributors and affiliated web sites.

Your Chaffing Editor
---
[ Saving Private Ryan ]
translated by Your Chaffing Editor

Dying Small Potato (13)

(To Be Continued)

Ryan
ry...@glink.net.hk
---
[ What is playing at Your Chaffing Editor's office? ]

----
HK Fluff Of The Week and Box Office | Past reports available at HK Cinema :
hkto...@ugcs.caltech.edu | http://egret0.stanford.edu/hk/reports
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/2038

[Darryl Pestilence]

Top Ten Central wrote:

Wong Jing has always primarily made commercial films. However,
this year he hopes to broaden his horizons. He has asked Ann Hui On-
Wah to make LO TUNG (lit. OLD COMRADE). The film will begin production
in June and will be a story about a famous artist's drug addiction.
The film will commemorate the International Ant-Drug Year.

This would be a big coup. After Wong disses Hui and Hui admits a perverse delight
taken in Wong getting that beatdown outside of his office a few years back - the two
working together certainly speaks pretty loud!

Darryl Pestilence

[S. Leung]

On 26 Jan 1999 22:52:16 -0500, Top Ten Central
<hkto...@ugcs.caltech.edux> wrote:

>* From Darryl :
>Re : KING OF COMEDY CAST
>
> Simon Yip? So Bobby's dropped "Bobby" for "Simon?" At least
> people can say "* Gold Chains" or however you care to translate it.
> I finally got a name for the face on the guy and he goes and changes
> it! Aiya!
>
>[ Your Chaffing Editor's Response ]
>
> STRIKE THREE! YOU ARE OUTTA HERE! BACK TO THE MINORS WITH YOU,
> BUDDY! Actually, we goofed. Usually I would just say Bat Leung
> Gum (or Yip King Sun), but I figured I would trust Sanney and go
> with that name. Whether he has changed to his name from Bobby to
> Simon is anyone's guess. Sorry.

Sorry I got you sent back to the minors Chaffing editor. Yeah, it was
my fault. Bat Leung Gum's English name is indeed Bobby Yip King-Sun.
An internal inquiry was held to find out who made the mistake so we
could fire his ass but it turned out to be me so I'm pulling a Juan
Antonio Samaranch and staying put. Anyway, I made a mistake that day
on the Fluff by typing in Bobby Simone King-Sun. Thus, causing the
confusion. If any of you are NYPD Blue fans, you'll know that Bobby
Simone is the name of the character Jimmy Smits used to play.

Sorry for the confusion.