Korean music group Baby Vox faces copy infringement lawsuit, Chinese singer A-mei gets boycotted by fans, Vietnamese filmmaker Khuong Me dies of prolonged illness, and many more in this issue of News from Abroad.
Baby Vox accused of copyright infringement
Korean female pop group Baby Vox has been accused of using Tupac Shakur's material without permission for their song “Ecstasy," which is the title track on the group's seventh album. On the official Tupac website (www.2paclegacy.com), Amaru records released a statement on April 8 that stated: “Amaru is aware of the offending use of the Tupac Shakur material on the latest Baby Vox release. At this time, Amaru is aggressively pursuing Baby Vox and its production company to end the unlicensed and unauthorized exploitation of Tupac Shakur's music, trademarks and personality rights."
This has become a big controversy as Baby Vox claim that they used Tupac's material legally with the suggestion of Bungalow Music, the US hip-hop company, and their management company, Dr. Music.
Relating to this incident, Baby Vox is threatening to sue DJ Doc member Lee Haneul if he does not apologize for a post he made on an internet web site. He was upset at the group's use of Tupac's music so he called the group “Miya-ri Vox." Miya-ri is a neighborhood in Seoul notorious for it prostitution.
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William Hung to perform in Singapore
Apparently, Americans are not the only one who's caught up with the William Hung craze. Along with all the endorsements, performances, albums, and movie deals, the American Idol reject is slated to have a one-night performance in Singapore in September.
Hung will perform in a two-hour plus show alongside local comedians like Kumar, Hossan Leong, and Irene Ang. Part of the proceeds from the concert will go towards charity. Tickets are priced between $48 and $98.
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Bollywood Movie About First Elected Eunuch
Audiences who want a change from the typical Bollywood song and dance movies can now entertain themselves with a new film about the first Indian eunuch elected to public office. After filming for 18 months, the movie is not ready for release.
The film was based on the story of Shabnam Masi, who won a set in the assembly of the central state of Madhya Pradesh in 1998. He had gained victory even though he ran independent of the two major parties, and served for five years but lost in 2003 when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party dominated the state election. Running on a platform of anti-corruption, his victory in 1998 was hailed as a triumph for the marginalized eunuch community.
Playing the role of Mausi is Ashutosh Rana, an actor who gained prominence for his portrayal of a psychopathic killer in the 1998 production of Dushman. In an interview with AFP, Rana said that he was impressed that Mausi did not conform to the general image of Indian eunuchs, who generally earned their living through begging, prostitution or entertainment.
In India, eunuchs were not castrated but were seen as ambiguous in gender from birth, and thus, were often banished by their families.
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Popular Vietnamese filmmaker dies
Filmmaker Khuong Me passed away in Ho Chi Minh City on June 18 after a prolonged illness. He was 88. A commemorative service was held for him at the HCM City Funeral House on June 21 and he will be buried at the Hong Ngu District in Dong Thap Province.
Me, who was born in Chau Doc in An Giang Province in the Mekong Delta, gained recognition in the film industry with his first documentary on the French resistant war, Tran Moc Hoa (Moc Hoa Battle). Between 1948 and 1950, he made Tran La Bang (La Bang Battle), which earned him the Silver Lotus Prize at the Viet Nam Film Festival in 1973. By this time, he was already well known for his films about memorable war battles, and thus continued to focus on this theme with Chien Dich Tra Vinh (Tra Vinh Campaign) and Chien Dich Cau Ke (Cau Ke Campaign).
After he started work with the Viet Nam Feature Film Company in 1954, he began to stray away from war films and started focusing on feature films. The results were several popular films such as Vo Chong A Phu (A Phu and His Wife), Hai Nguoi Linh (Two Soldiers), Khoi Trang (White Smoke), and Lua Rung (Forest Fire).
Me was also known for his films about Liberation Day, including Co Nhip (Ms. Nhip) which earned him another Silver Lotus Prize in 1977 and Ben Le Ngay 30-4. Even at the age of 82, the filmmaker was busy working on film topics about disabled children who were victims of Agent Orange during the war.
In 1997, he was invited to take part in the Amiens Film Festival in France and was honored as one of the festival's most outstanding filmmakers. He was an active contributor in the Club of Veteran Film Makers and was a member of the Viet Nam Cinematography Association and the HCM City Cinematography Association.
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Japanese artists perform at The Rock Odyssey
Featuring top rock bands and singers from home and overseas, “The Rock Odyssey" concert will be taking place on July 24 and 25 in Osaka and Yokohama.
The concert will feature American artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, The Who, Lenny Kravitz and Paul Weller. There will also be appearances by Japanese rock performer Eikichi Yazawa, and Koshi Inaba, the lead vocalist of the hard rock band B'z.
Dates: July 24 and 25
Time: doors open at 9:30 am, concert starts at 11:00 am
Venues: International Stadium Yokohama - www.hamaspo.com/stadium/english/access/index.html and Osaka Dome -www.osakadome.co.jp/jp/access/accessframe.htm
Price: 14,000 yen (tax inclusive)
Website: www.udo.co.jp/odyssey/
Lineup of performing artists:
July 24 in Yokohama and July 25 in Osaka:
Aerosmith, Josh Todd, Koshi Inaba (Yokohama only), Love Psychedelico, Michelle Branch, Paul Weller, The Who and Ulfuls (Osaka only).
July 24 in Osaka and July 25 in Yokohama:
Black Eyed Peas, Eikichi Yazawa, HY, L'Arc en Ciel, Lenny Kravitz, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Trapt.
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Korean actress upset over porn sites
Porn sites using famous actress' names to lure visitors to their site is not a new phenomenon, but that doesn't stop Korean actress Kim Hye-su from being upset and taking legal action when she learned that her name had been used by porn sites in their email advertisements.
Hoping to attack Korean internet users, some porn sites have been sending out emails that have titles like “Kim Hye-su's Shocking Total Nudes" and “Kim Hye-su's Nude Release." Kim said that she will take measures against these sites after she gets information regarding the situation, but this might not be a simple task since many sites are set up overseas to evade Korean law.
Kim may be especially concerned about this situation because she has already gained much controversy when it was revealed that she would be in some nude scenes in her upcoming film Beauty without a Face (Eolgul Eomneun Minyeo). However, this film is a high-class erotic thriller and shots nor video footage have been released yet.
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Fans boycott Chinese singer A-mei
Taiwanese pop singer Chang Hui-mei, better known as A-mei, was forced to cancel a performance in China on June 12 because of a protest by students from Zhejiang University. The students accuse the singer of being a supporter of Taiwan's independence. She was also previously blacklisted by China for singing the national anthem at President Cheng Shui-bian's 2000 presidential inauguration.
In response to the cancellation, fans held an online rally on June 14 where they unleashed anti-China sentiment on chatrooms and discussion boards. Some called for Taiwanese fans to boycott entertainers from China such as Faye Wong and Na Ying while others said that A-mei should just forget about China and focus singing in Taiwan. Other fans argued that Saturday's situation had nothing to do with Chinese entertainers so that they should be left alone.
Despite the cancellation, Chang plans to keep her schedule of performances lined up for this summer in China.
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Acclaimed Vietnamese film makes local debut
Me Thao Thoi Vang Bong (Glorious Times in Me Thao Hamlet) will be screening in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on July 16. Directed by Viet Linh, the film had won the “Rosa Camuna" award, the highest prize at the 21st Bergamo Film Festival in Italy, and the second prize at the Francophone Film Festival in Paris in 2003. It also received a consolation prize from the Vietnam Cinematographic Association in 2002.
The film is the tale of a loyal farm manager Tam, who plays a mystical dan-day (three-stringed instrument) in attempts to save his ailing boss Nguyen, an embittered drunkard who lost his fiance. The film is set on a silkworm farm named Me Thao in central Vietnam in the 1950s.
Since 2002, the film has been screened at various international film festivals such as Tokyo, Fukuoka (Japan), Amiens (France), Namur (Belgium), Deauville, Vesoul (France) and Singapore. However, this will be its debut showing in Vietnam. The film is also expected to be marketed in France and several European countries, as well as French speaking African countries by the Public Film distributor.
According to Nguyen Thai Hoa, Vice Director of the Giai Phong Film Studio, “It is too late to screen the film in Vietnam so we chose just two places, Hanoi and HCM city to show it. We want to know audience's initial attitude before screening it widely.?
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All-4-One promotes album in Korea
American music group, All-4-One, most known for their 1990 hit song “I swear," promoted their sixth album in Korea from June 12 through 20. During their eight-day visit, the group held a concert at the COEX in Seoul on June 19 that also featured singer Park Hyo-shin as special guest. The group also held a special showcase at the NB Club near Hongik University on June 12. The group has become particularly popular among Korean audiences because of their remake of Shin Seung Hoon's song “I Don't Wanna Cry."
The recent album includes “Someone Who Lives in My Heart" and the remake of the Beegees song “I Just Wanna Be Your Everything." However, the Simon and Garfunkel remake “Bridge Over Trouble Water" will be excluded on album released in Korea.