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June
12: Steven Zeitchik of The Hollywood Reporter wrote earlier this week that
the release date for “Shanghai” will be moved “likely to sometime in
October.” From his Risky Business Blog: “Ever since word that it [The
Weinstein Co.] was seeking a refinancing hit in the WSJ last week, there's
been lots of scuttlebutt about what happens to some of its releases. Turns
out not much has changed, though it looks like ‘Shanghai,’ that
expensive wartime epic starring John Cusack is moving yet again - though
not that far. After being dated for last Christmas, it's now moving off
its planned September 4 date, likely to sometime in October.”
A
new release date has not yet been confirmed, but Gong Li’s manager
assured me yesterday that the film is on the way and that the new cut is
very “powerful”.
June
8: Nikki Finke is reporting on her Deadline Hollywood Daily site that the
release of “Shanghai” will be delayed. In an article about The
Weinstein Co. financial restructuring, she included the unconfirmed info
that one of her sources told her, "They will push that film to
another date in the distant future."
May
30: The Beijing Soundwalk audio tour, sponsored by Louis Vuitton, has been
awarded the "Audie" in the category “Original Work”. From
the press release: “The Audio Publishers Association (APA) announced the
winners of the 2009 Audies(R) at a formal Gala at the New York Historical
Society on May 29th in New York City. The Audies are the only awards
program in the United States honoring spoken word entertainment…
Original Work -- Louis Vuitton Soundwalk: Beijing; By: Stephan
Crasneanscki; Read by: Gong Li; Publisher: Louis Vuitton/Soundwalk;
Executive Producer/Director: Stephan Crasneanscki; Producer/Production
Supervisor: Clementine Duzer.” Congratulations to all involved in the
production. -> Visit
the Soundwalk site.
May
5: Midea (home appliance company) advertising photos (thanks to "tiali"
for 2-5):
April
27: Four of the wonderful Zhang Yimou/Gong Li film collaborations will be
screened during May at the George Eastman House International Museum of
Photography and Film: "Raise The Red Lantern" (May 5),
"To Live" (May 12), "The Story of Qiu Ju" (May 19),
and "Shanghai Triad" (May 26). All screenings begin at 8:00 p.m.
The Dryden Theatre is located at 900 East Avenue, Rochester, New York.
Advance ticket information: 585.271.3361 x295. Link: Calendar
of Events
April
19: It was reported in a French magazine a few days ago that Gong Li was
scheduled to attend the Cannes Film Festival this year. I emailed her manager about the
report because he had previously indicated to me that she probably would
not attend. Mr. Tseng confirmed for me today that the folks at L'Oreal
invited Gong Li to attend the festival; however, due to her schedule and
other factors, she decided to not attend this year.
A
New Jersey Nets fan
has translated an entry from Yi Jianlian’s blog: “Gong Li came
to the game to support me! …I always saw her in movies and I never
thought that the first time I would actually meet her in person would be
in the stadium. How can I describe it... She's different than what I
imagined. She was like a girl next door. She's not a diva and was very
friendly and easy-going. She's generally a happy person. She said it's her
first NBA game. She felt very excited. I wanted to tell her if she came to
the game often, there would be a huge increase in our ticket sale! LOL.
She looked so serious in most movies, but she’s actually a very fun,
interesting person off-screen. She asked if I heard her shouting 'Jia-yo'
(means 'Go Team') during the game. I told her I heard it but I
didn’t know that was from her and that made her laugh really hard."
April
16: An article on the “Voici” French magazine website claims that
Gong Li will attend the Cannes Film Festival this year. I translated a
portion of the article: “Soon the 62nd Cannes Film Festival: the mobs of
tourists armed with cameras, its crowded café terraces, its parade of
stars on the red carpet… L'Oreal has therefore asked its ambassadors to
represent the luxury brand on the Croisette. The 1994 Miss World and
Bollywood star, Aishwarya Rai, will open [the festivities], along with
actress Elizabeth Banks, on 13 and 14 May. Eva Longoria will take over on
14 and 15 May, followed by Gong Li, 16th and 17th, the beautiful
Doutzen Kroes on 17th and 18th, Michelle Yeoh on 19th and 20th, and
Noémie Lenoir on 22 and 23 May. To close the Festival with a flourish,
the spectators and photographers can see Milla Jovovich and Kerry
Washington on 23 and 24 May.” I emailed Gong Li’s manager to
request confirmation or denial of the report.
 April
11: Gong Li attended the New Jersey Nets game today with friends in
support of Chinese basketball player Yi Jianlian. Sohu.com has
additional photos: ->GO
Update:
Yi Jianlian wrote on his blog about meeting Gong Li. He wrote that he had
been told that she might attend the game, but he didn't expect to see her
for the first time at his home arena. He described her as the girl next
door type, friendly, cheerful and easy-going.
March
26: The premiere of director Wong Kar-Wai’s “Ashes of Time Redux”
was held in Beijing yesterday, and will be released in theaters in China
tomorrow. The late Leslie Cheung starred in the original 1994 version. He
and Gong Li worked together on “Farewell, My Concubine” and “Temptress
Moon”. Gong Li’s manager asked me to post on this site her tribute to
Leslie Cheung: “沒有人可以代替你的光采，你的笑容永遠陪伴著我們。想念你--張國榮!
" 鞏俐. Translation: “No one can replace
your brilliance, your smile is with us forever. Missing you, Leslie!”
Signed Gong Li
“Collins”,
one of the people who saw the recent test screening of “Shanghai”,
answered Cocoa’s questions via email about Gong Li’s performance: “I
think her performance was good. She did a very good job as the wife of
Chow-Yun Fat who obviously had different view points of the Japanese than
she did. She was very believable as her character. She really got into the
part. A lot of movies you can tell the actress is just acting, but Gong-Li
became this wife, became this leader, became this activist and you truly
believe in her fight. She does an excellent job with her English in this
movie, and she is very seductive with it. She makes the accent very
attractive. You first see her in a casino in the film, and she flirts with
the camera a whole bunch. She makes smoking look sexy again, and yet she
is so mysterious that it makes you anxious to know what she is up to.
Good thing John Cusack discovers what she is up to for us. But she did add
a lot to this film, and without her or her character in this film it
wouldn’t have been a decent film. She made this movie great, and she
will sell those tickets and make those seats full.” (Thanks, Cocoa)
March
24: “Raise The Red Lantern”, the 1992 Zhang Yimou / Gong Li
masterwork, is on the Yahoo! Movies list of “100 Movies To See Before
You Die”. (Thanks to Cocoa for the tip.) ->Link
March
22: Three of the people who saw the “Shanghai” test screening last
Thursday have written about their reactions on blogs and forums…
“Collins” wrote on his blog: “It was overall a good movie to watch.”
In response to questions about Gong Li’s performance, he wrote: “She
has a pretty meaty role. I would say her best scenes are towards the end
of the movie. She truly shines then. I like the fact that she’s so
secretive in the movie, and is part of an underground thing… It’s nuts
how hot she is. It drives you up the wall, no joke.” He added: “Cusack,
Gong and Fat do a stellar job.”
“insp_likening” described the film as a “suspense/drama” and noted
the credits order: John Cusack, Gong Li, Chow Yun-Fat. He wrote: “The
film as a whole is enjoyable, dragged a little in some parts and the story
has too many motivational conflicts to really engage the audience... I
must say the production setting of Shanghai is quite impressive and
captured the intensity and the chaos of international settlement section
very well… I'm sure they will tweak it for the final release. Overall,
it looks more expensive than the reported $45m budget.” He added: “Gong
Li and John Cusack work off each other just fine” and “GL and JC has
[a] few passionate scenes but all got interrupted before the heat settles
in.”
"Patrick-988" also saw the test screening and felt “the story
took a while to unfold. The pacing was off … something essential was
missing - but what? … I would have loved some screen time to see their [Cusack’s
and Gong’s] love interest develop and add conflict to the plot… I
sincerely hope that Håfström gets a chance to give the characters more
room to breathe.” Regarding the performances: “John Cusack as Paul
Soames and Chow Yun Fat as Anthony Lan-Ting were great only to be topped
by the brilliant Gong Li, playing Anna, who keeps surprising me by adding
yet another spellbinding performance to her already immense array of
characters.”
March
14: According to the folks at CurbsideBooty, a test screening of “Shanghai”
will be held on Thursday, March 19 at a Manhattan movie theatre. Go HERE
for more details.
 March
12: Thanks to Gong Li’s manager for letting me know last week that she
would be making an appearance this afternoon in Paris. She attended the
Louis Vuitton Ready-to-Wear Autumn/Winter 2009 show during Paris
Fashion Week, and was escorted by Yves Carcelle, Chairman and Chief
Executive of Louis Vuitton.
She was named “Best Dressed” by Fashion
Week Daily: “Shanghai Smile: Gong Li made a dazzling appearance at
the Louis Vuitton show today. While posing with Yves Carcelle, the
Shanghai starlet beamed for the paparazzi - how unfashion and how
refreshing. Li’s billowing silhouette was paired with just the right
amount of colorful accessories and a to-die-for oversized clutch.” There
is also a mention of Gong Li's appearance on the French Elle magazine
site: “Of all the people who attended the last [runway] show of Paris
Fashion Week, it is no doubt that it was Gong Li who was the most
noticed! At the Louis Vuitton show, the 43-year-old actress arrived
in 100% denim: a light blouse and ultra-large pants of the Louis Vuitton
brand. Accessorized in a colorful way, her allure made all of the ‘street-stylers’
in the capital city go crazy!”
->Photos
are posted on our forum
March
9: Watch for an appearance by Gong Li at an event in Europe later this
week...
March
3: International Women’s Day 2009 is March 8, and the members of the L’Oreal
Chinese “Dream Team” have each issued a message… Gong Li - Fearless
Confidence: “The world is changing, and women have changed as
well. You know more and more clearly what you want, what you do not want.
I appreciate your fearless confidence, daring to listen to your inner
voice. Always strive to become what you want.”
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