Britney Spears' promotion in Seoul, J-Pop singer Utada's global debut, Singaporean Bollywood Extravanga and many more in this issue of News From Abroad.
Britney Spears Visits Seoul to Promote "In The Zone"
Worldwide pop diva Britney Spears will be visiting Seoul for the first time from December 7th to the 12th to promote her new album "In the Zone." On December 8TH, Spears will join a special showcase at the Central City Millennium Hall in southern Seoul to present a few of her new songs after a VIP party that will include concerts of local pop stars such as Bi (Rain) and Noul. The event will be hosted by the telecommunication company SK Telecom.
Spears and Korean pop idol BoA will also be having a joint concert on December 9. The special concert, which will feature interviews, will be aired by the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS). BoA has often been dubbed as the "Korean Britney Spears."
"In the Zone" is Britney's first album in two years and was released simultaneously around the world on November 18th. Since her debut in 1999, Spears has sold more than 60 million records worldwide, with more than a million copies sold in Korea alone.
Utada Hikaru Makes Global Debut
20 year-old Japanese pop sensation Utada Hikaru plans to make her global debut under the name of "Utada" with the release of an all-English album due out next spring. But this singer/songwriter is no stranger to the U.S. market. Prior to her return to Japan with her family, Utada had released 3 singles under the name of "Cubic-U" in the U.S.
Born and raised in New York, her mother is the famous enka singer Fuji Keiko. Utada's first Japanese album "First Love" was the most popular debut album ever in Japan, selling more than 8 million copies. She signed with Russell Simmons' Def Jam label early in 2002. Also in the summer of that year, she married Kiritani Kuzuaki, a little-known photographer 15 years her elder who worked with her on some of her earlier projects. Utada currently attends Columbia University.
"Tokyo Godfathers" Eligible for Oscar Nominations
Satoshi Kon's "Tokyo Godfathers" U.S. theatrical release was moved forward to December 29th by Columbia Tristar so that it would be eligible for an Oscar nomination for the 2004 Academy Awards. The movie is expected to be released simultaneously in the U.S. and Japan.
The film first made its U.S. debut at the Big Apple Anime Fest held on August 29th to 31st, where director Satoshi Kon was a guest of honor. The film is about three homeless people-- Gin, a former professional bicycle racer; Hana, a transvestite; and Miyuki, a runaway young girl-- who all discover a baby girl at the garbage dump on Christmas Eve. They head to the city to find the baby's parents, but little do they know that this journey will be life-changing.
"Tokyo Godfathers" is the third and latest film by acclaimed director Satoshi Kon. His first film was "Perfect Blue" and his second was "Millennium Actress," which was released by Dreamworks in September 2003.
20 Korean Directors with 20 Films to Collaborate on Digital Work
Twenty Korean directors will be partaking on a digital project that will be screened via mobile phone. The project, entitled "20" will have films of five minutes each that will be focused around the number 20.The project is being financed by the telecom company KTF and overseen by producer Kim Young.
Each of the films will be presented on mobile service first before being assembled together into a 100-minute work that will be shown at the Korean Academy of Film Arts festival later this year. Shooting began in November, shortly after a press conference held on October 28th at the caf?BIS in Apkujong-dong.
Directors who are expected to participate include Bong Joon-ho ("Memories of Murder"), Hur Jin-ho ("Christmas in August"), Lee Hyun Sung ("Il Mare"), Kim Tae-gyun ("Volcano High") and many others. Actors to appear in the films include Hwang Jeong-min, Choo Sang-mi, Kang Hye-jung, and others.
Bollywood Extravaganza in Singapore
On November 30th, Singaporean audiences will be gathering at the Indoor Stadium to catch a glimpse of the biggest names in north Indian cinema at the Bollywood Extravaganza.
Headlining the two hour show will be Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood's current leading man. He will be accompanied by many others including his love interest from the recent hit "Chalte Chalte," Rani Mukherjee, Miss World Priyanka Chopra, and classic Indian cinema icon Sharmilla Tagore. Saif Ali Khan and X MTV VJ Rajeshwari are also expected to make appearances.
The event will include a troupe of over 50 dancers performing high-energy song and dance routines to the sounds of pounding rhythms, haunting melodies, and plaintive love songs. The show will also be an elaborate display of fashion as the performers will go through more than 100 costume changes. There will also be special features such as spectacular pyrotechnics, hydraulic lifts, and huge projection screens.
This show is an effort by the Singapore Tourism Board to promote more visitor arrivals to Singapore. The show, which will have seating for 7,900 people, is expected to draw audiences from Indonesia, Malaysia and India.
For more information, please visit bollywoodinsingapore.com.
Rotterdam Film Festival Opens with Kitano's Zatoichi
Takeshi Kitano's "Zatoichi" was selected as the opening film at the 33rd International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) which will be held from January 21 to February 1, 2004.
"Zatoichi" is the story of a blind swordsman who makes his living by gambling and giving massages. He stumbles upon two beautiful geishas who are trying to avenge their parent's murder, and from this encounter, he becomes embroiled in battles with sinister gangs and a powerful samurai.
Kitano, who is an acclaimed director and screenwriter, also plays the leading role in the movie. He is expected to make a special appearance at the festival to introduce the film to the audience.
This year's IFFR festival will also feature about 200 feature films and 400 shorts with a special tribute to Romanic culture and cinema entitled "Once We Were Birds: Romanic Cinema." This feature will include the documentary premieres of Aleksander Manic's "Shukta" and Zelimir Zilnik's "Kenidi Comes Home."
For more information on the festival, please visit filmfestivalrotterdam.com.
Huo's "Nuan" Wins Top Award at Tokyo Film Festival
Chinese director Huo Jianqi's "Nuan" won the Tokyo Grand Prix - The Governor of Tokyo Award along with a cash prize of $80,000 at the 16th Tokyo International Film Festival, which was held November 1st through the 9th. "Nuan," which was the only Chinese film nominated this year at the Tokyo Festival beat out 14 other competitors for the prize.
Set in the countryside, the film is about a young man who, after 10 years in the city, returns to his childhood village where he reunites with his old love. The movie stars recent newcomers Li Jia as Nuan, Guo Xiaodong as Lin Jinghe and the veteran Japanese actor Teruyuki Kagawa as Yapa. At the festival, Kagawa also won the Best Actor's award, bringing home $4,500, for his role in the movie.
The film was adapted from a novel titled "Baigou Qiuqianjia" (The White Dog and the Swing) by renowned Chinese writer Mo Yan. Yan is most known for his novel "Hong Gaoliang" (Red Sorghum), which was made into an acclaimed movie by director Zhang Zimou. Huo is a director best known for the Japanese box office hit "Postman in the Mountains," which was a movie that was also set in the countryside.
The Tokyo International Film Festival was established in 1985, and since then, has showcased many films from abroad while attracting a number of Hollywood celebrities. The festival usually takes place at the Bunkamura arts center in Tokyo's Shibuya entertainment district.
Launch of MTV Mobile in Asia
MTV Networks Asia just announced the launch of its new business division, MTV Mobile, earlier this month. This business is scheduled to be launched first in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, followed by China, India, and the Philippines at a later date.
MTV Mobile is a service provided by MTV that aims to deliver content via mobile phones to the youths in Asia. The service will be available in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, and Thai. Overseeing the strategic and operational aspects of this new division will be Sangeeta Gupta, senior vice-president and general manager of MTV Mobile, MTV Networks Asia.
MTV Mobile will feature different content focused around the MTV brand which include polyphonic and mono ring tones, wallpapers, and picture messages. Consumers will also have the opportunity to download a variety of VJ ring tones and test their knowledge about their favorite VJ's in a game called VJ Flirt.
In recent years, MTV has been working hard to promote itself in Asia. For example, in March of this year, it was the first global brand to be granted rights to telecast a music channel 24 hours a day in Guangdong, China. It also launched MTV magazine in Thailand and MTV-branded financial cards in Brunei and Malaysia.
For more information about MTV Mobile, please visit mtvasia.com.
Limp Bizkit Holds Asian Tour
Limp Bizkit will be touring Asia in December to promote their new album "Results May Vary." Their first concert will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on December 3rd, followed by concerts held in Bali, Bangkok, Manila, and Seoul. There will also be concerts held in Saitama, Kukura, and Osaka in Japan.
Limp Bizkit's fourth album, "Results May Vary" was released on September 23rd by Flip/Interscope Records. This album contained 16 tracks that were recorded primarily in Los Angeles. This is the first album to feature new guitarist Mike Smith (formerly of Snot) who replaced original guitarist Borland. This album came three years after its predecessor, the seven-time platinum "Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water."
The complete Limp Bizkit Asian Tour concert schedule is as follows:
December 3: Singapore Singapore Indoor Stadium
December 5: Bali, Indonesia Lotus Pond
December 7: Bangkok, Thailand Impact Arena
December 9: Manila, Philippines Ultra Field
December 11: Seoul, Korea Olympic Gym
December 13: Tokyo, Japan Super Arena
December 14: Tokyo, Japan Super Arena
December 16: Kukoura, Japan Zepp Hall
December 17: Osaka, Japan Zepp Hall
December 18: Osaka, Japan Castle Hall
For more information, please visit mtvasia.com.