By APA Staff

Discovery Channel follows Rain, Wang Leehom acts alongside Jackie Chan, and Tang Wei has a new gig with Jacky Cheung. All this and more in the latest edition of News from Abroad.

Tang Wei's new setup

After receiving much international attention and accolades for her role in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, Tang Wei was forced to take a break from the public eye, due to China's government regulators who found her performance offensive for "glorifying traitors" and her sex scenes to be too explicit. Her March Pond's skin care commercial was one of the first casualties of the media ban; later, award shows were instructed to exclude her from their guest lists. However, less than a year later, Wei is slowly yet surely making her way back into the spotlight, starting with the recent announcement of her latest project. She will acting alongside Hong Kong legend Jacky Cheung in a romance titled Crossing Hennessy. The project be written and directed by Ivy Ho, the award-winning screenwriter behind Comrades, Almost a Love Story and July Rhapsody, who made her directorial debut in 2008 with Claustrophobia. Wei and Cheung will play characters who are set up by their relatives, even though they're both in love with other people. --Ada Tseng

Wang Leehom's next acting role

After much critical acclaim as well as criticism for his role in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, Wang Leehom will be giving acting another go. He is set to travel to Yunnan, China to participate in a new film titled Da Bing Xiao Jiang, that is written and produced by Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan had been planning this script for 20 years. In order to achieve the required physique and accent, Wang has diligently been working out and hired a Chinese teacher in order to accurately portray the role of an army general. Chan had originally planned on acting the role of the army general himself, but due the age restriction of the chraracter, he had to choose a younger actor that could fit the role better. Chan will instead play the role of an army solider that has invited Wang Leehom to his house. --Kristie Hang


Discovery Channel to document Rain

International superstar Rain (also known as Bi) will be featured in a Discovery Channel documentary about the rising domination of Korean pop culture. The "Hip Korea" program will focus on Rain's significance as a representative for Korean pop in the world's eyes. The documentary is set to air in Asia on Feb. 23. The Discovery Channel's production crew followed the Rain everywhere for six months to chronicle his every move. Numerous interviews were conducted, including one with Steven Colbert of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. The Colbert Report, a satirical television program in the United States, is hugely popular for skewing political talking heads. Rain's connection to Steven Colbert and the show began two years ago, when a segment playfully mocked the singer, as Colbert declared Rain his arch-nemesis, after Rain finishing higher than Colbert on Time's list of the "100 Most Influential People." This ended with a comical dance battle with Rain appearing as a surprise guest the following year. --Kristie Hang

New Album for Loveholic's Sunny

Loveholic's Lead Singer Hwang Ji Sun (Sunny) released her first solo album on Thursday the 5th. This release has been anticipated since Hwang's statement that she wanted to leave the group and pursue a solo career. This was around the time of the release of Dramatic and Cinematic, a compilation of the group's work in conjunction with popular television dramas and films in March of 2008. As Hwang Ji Sun's releases her album, Kang Hyun Min and Lee Jae Hak, the remaining members, still are unsure as to how the future of Loveholic will look. As of yet, Loveholic has recently released a new single “Butterfly” under the name Loveholics and has invited many popular singers to participate in the single, including Alex and Whale of W&Whale. --Frederick Stiehl

Devdas on your cell phone

Written by Bengali author Sharat Chandra Chatterji in 1917, Devdas has been recreated many times on the silver screen -- most recently, with the 2002 film Devdas, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit. February 6, 2009 brings Dev D, a modern take on the classic love story starring Abhay Deol, as well as a new Devdas mobile phone game, where gamers are invited to take on the persona of Devdas and convince the virtual Chanda of his love. Recently, Ghajini and Chandni Chowk to China have also inspired mobile games of their own. In the Chandni Chowk to China game, called To Become the Savior of the Village, players have to rescue their village that is being attacked by outsiders. Ghajini was not only turned into a 3D video game released by Eros, but it also inspired a mobile phone fitness application to train fans who desire to build Aamir Khan's muscular physique from the film. Good to know that Bollywood fans can use their phones to fight, fall in love, and build a six-pack -- all with the same convenience of dialing and texting. --Ada Tseng
 

Bond hitting Bollywood

Pierce is back! Not in Hollywood, but in Bollywood. After the James Bond actor showed his vocal moves in Mama Mia, he will be flexing his muscles in the upcoming film Teen Patti with Amitabh Bachchan. Directed by Leena Yadav Bajaj, the film is about gambling, casinos, and the art of cards. The story parallels the Hollywood hit 21, starring Jim Sturgess and Kevin Spacey. Pierce Brosnan's cameo in Teen Patti is one of the paradigm examples that illustrate more opportunities for Hollywood to participate with Bollywood. --Joyce Huang

Asian Films at the Berlin Film Festival

The 59th Berlin Film Festival has officially begun as of the 5th of February. Numerous films from around the world are to screen over the next ten days. From Hong Kong comes The Beast Stalker, Claustrophobia, The End of Love, and an international piece with Switzerland and mainland China, Soundless Wind Chime. Indonesia entered three films: At Stake, The Blue Generation, and The Rainbow Troops. Japan's films include Sono Sion's (The Suicide Club) Love Exposure, All Around Us, Naked of Defenses, Mental, Sorasoi, and Deep in the Valley. China offers many films, including historical Empire of Silver, A North Chinese Girl, Forever Enthralled, Lala's Gun, Doctor Ma's Country Clinic, and another international film, John Rabe, a production in coordination with Germany and France. Thailand only offers one film, Citizen Juling, yet this feature film spans 222 minutes. Taiwan brings forth Miao Miao and Yang Yang. South Korea similarly enters a large variety of films, including The Day After, Land of Scarecrows, Members of the Funeral, My Dear Enemy, Antique, based on a popular manhwa comic, and Treeless Mountain. --Frederick Stiehl

Published: Friday, February 6, 2009