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NEWS
July
15: New L'Oreal commercial... -> Watch
There
is news on Indiewire The Playlist that Harvey Weinstein says
"Shanghai" will finally be released in the U.S. later this year.
(Thanks to Cocoa for the tip.) He is quoted as saying: "That's a really
underrated movie. It did so well in Asia; we did great in Japan, we did great in
China, and it was really made with that audience in mind. We're very pleased
with the film, and the delays here have to do with all sorts of political
reasons that have nothing to do with the film itself. Finally the Radius guys
convinced me that would be the best way to play the movie [Video on Demand], and
I think they're right." ->Article
 June
29: Gong Li participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for a large commercial
project in Inner Mongolia. She told reporters that the large mall is not only a
very stylish high-end project, but will contribute to the local community by
adding many jobs. She added that is one of the reasons she chose to endorse the
project.
->Video
May
29: Screen International includes the news about the "Marco Polo" film
project that Gong Li announced to Chinese reporters in Cannes a few days ago.
Mike Goodridge reports: "Gong has yet to meet [director] Tarsem but said
that he was just the kind of 'audacious film-maker you need to make a film about
Marco Polo'." The project will be filmed in English and is "a major
US/China joint venture". Gong Li commented: "So far the
collaboration between China and the US has mainly involved Chinese actors going
to work abroad, so it's a great thing to have a Chinese story shoot in China
with both Chinese and foreign actors."
In
other news: During an interview with dnaindia.com, John Cusack was asked about
working with Gong Li on "Shanghai". He replied: "Gong Li was part of my cinematic introduction to China. I was an admirer of Gong Li for so long... A role like this and to work with such great actors is a rare
honor. She is such a nuanced performer like a Mona Lisa, with a very subtle way
of conveying how the character feels. She's a very complicated and intricate
performer. You have to pay attention to not just her lines but her body
movements and subtle gestures five seconds before and after those lines."
 May
27 (10:00am PDT): The first photos of Gong Li walking the red carpet at the
Cannes Film Festival are online.
Update:
She had the honor of presenting the Best Actor award to Mads Mikkelsen
("The Hunt"). Fans may recall that Gong Li was a member of the Cannes
Film Festival Jury in 1997, and was presented the Festival Trophy for her
body of work in 2004. She has also served as President of the Jury for the
Venice, Berlin and Tokyo Film Festivals.
->Photo
Album ->Video1
(Award Presentation) ->Video2
(Red Carpet)
May
26: Photos from one of the interviews that Gong Li accepted today for Life Style
magazine.
->Video1
->Video2
->Video3
During
an interview
with Sina.com, she revealed that she will join the film project "Marco
Polo", in which she will play a Mongolian Empress. The
lead actor has not yet been determined. The film will be directed by Tarsem
Singh. She did not confirm "Gone With The
Bullets", commenting that she would be very pleased if Jiang Wen asked her
to participate. Also, she said she will present an award at the closing ceremony
of the Cannes Film Festival Sunday night.
Ent.qq.com
includes the transcript
of an interview done today, along with photos. Regarding "Marco Polo",
she said that she hopes to work on the film at the end of the year, the creative team is from Hollywood, and the movie will
be filmed in China. She was also asked about the Wu Zetian film project, and
answered that she is waiting for script revisions before deciding on that
project.
May
25: Gong Li has arrived in Cannes. The L'Oreal headquarters is once again at the
Martinez Hotel. ->Video
May
23: Screen Daily reports that Gong Li "is very likely" to star in
Jiang Wen's "Gone With The Bullets". The film is a sequel of sorts to
the 2010 hit "Let The Bullets Fly". Marco Ma, who co-owns a production
company with Jiang Wen, said: "It will be another action drama about
contests of wits and power, that has a tense pace and is full of Jiang Wen's
playful imagination, but on a grander scale." The production company is in
talks with international companies on casting and co-production deals. Ge You
("To Live") may also star in the project that is scheduled to begin
filming this fall. Fans will recall that Jiang Wen starred with Gong Li in her
first film, "Red Sorghum".
May
19: Gong Li attended the Van Cleef & Arpels "Timeless
Beauty" exhibition ribbon cutting ceremony and reception tonight in
Shanghai. The exhibition is held at the Museum of Contemporary Art May 20 to
July 15, and will feature collections of jewelry, watches, accessories, archive
drawings and documents. ->Video
May
15: India
Blooms reports that actress Sonam Kapoor will walk the red carpet at the closing
ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on May 27, along with Gong Li and Andie
MacDowell.
Update:
The L'Oreal ambassadrice schedule has been released, and Gong Li is scheduled to
make appearances for the sponsor on May 26 and 27. We can look forward to an announcement about future film projects.
Also, L'Express reports that Gong Li
has been invited to attend the second annual PlaNet Finance
Foundation gala dinner during the Cannes Film Festival on May 18. She attended
the group's first charity event last year. French actress Carole Bouquet will
again serve as hostess. Considering her schedule, however, she would not be in Cannes at the time of this event.
May
14: Gong Li attended the
Chinese film festival premiere event tonight in Paris, and "What
Women Want" was
screened.  She
remarked during a media reception: "I hope these Chinese films become
popular in France, through which French people will be impressed by China's
modernization and discover another perspective to the country. They could
develop their understanding of China through these films." Raphaelle O'Brien
wrote about the event for a French publication and commented on the quality of
"What Women Want": "In short, this is a first-class
entertainment, well above a standard Hollywood comedy, and we want more."
->Article: "Gong Li, Ambassador of Charm"
->Video1
->Video2
Upcoming Event: May 14, Paris.
[Posted April 4] Gong Li and Alain Delon are the Guests of Honor of
the Chinese Film Festival in France. The festival will premiere in Paris on May
14 and will run from May 16 to 29, and then move to Lyon, Marseille,
Cannes, Strasbourg and Reunion. (source: chine-informations.com)
From a press release on the official festival site: "This second edition
will be launched Monday, May 14, 2012, in Paris, at the Gaumont Champs-Elysees
Marignan in the presence of Zhang Pimin, Chinese Vice Minister of SARFT, Alain
Delon and Gong Li." One of the films on the screening list is "What
Women Want", starring Gong Li and Andy Lau. A press reception will be
held April 10. ->Official
Festival Site
April
30: Thanks to David Ninh, Publicist for the Film Society of Lincoln Center, for
contacting me regarding an upcoming screening of one of Gong Li's early films.
"Ju Dou" will be screened May 1st as part of the "50 Years of the
New York Film Festival." The screening will be held at the Walter Reade
Theater at 6:15pm. ->Link
April
8: Gong Li attended the China Film Directors' Guild Award ceremony tonight
and presented an award.
 March
31: Gong Li attended the Aimer company's 2012 swimwear fashion show tonight in
Beijing, held during China International Fashion Week.
-> Photos
(fan forum) ->Photos2
->Photos3
->Photos4
->Video
March
23: Gong Li made an appearance for Mont Blanc, attending the opening ceremony
for a store in Shanghai. Nicolas Cage escorted her and remarked: "I'm very
thrilled to be here with her. I consider her one of the great actors of all
time, and my heart is like this [pounding] next to her. I am very happy to be in
Shanghai with her."
In
response to questions about an upcoming film project, Gong Li said that she may
play Wu Zetian. She has met
with the director and producers, and is waiting for script revisions. It is
hoped that filming will begin in July.
->Photos: Link1
Link
2 Video: Link1
Link
2
 January
23: The Aimer group released a new photo to celebrate Chinese New Year.
A
new L'Oreal advert was also released recently. ->Watch
Nov
1-2: Gong Li attended the welcome reception for the HSBC World Golf Championships
in Shanghai on November 1, and had a golf lesson with professional golfer Paul
Casey on November 2.
->Photo
Album (red carpet / reception) ->Video
1 ->Video
2
->Slideshow
1 (golf lesson - sina.com) ->Slideshow
2 (golf lesson - sohu.com) ->Video
Oct
28: L'Officiel magazine selected Gong Li as the Outstanding Chinese Female Role
Model for 2011. From sina.com: "The 2011 L'Officiel fashion magazine
public awards ceremony was held in Beijing. Gong Li, Carina Lau, Yang Lan,
Huang, Tong Dawei, Han Geng, Wu Xiubo, and other stars walked the red carpet,
but still Gong Li was the spotlight. Because many stars attend on that evening,
it attracts many fans who come to show support. Gong Li, in a black and white
dress, made the final appearance, causing an on-site fans screaming frenzy.
On-site media quickly handed over the microphone, hoping to interview the 'red
carpet queen' of the night. However, because of rushing to participate in the
upcoming ceremony, Gong Li said only a few words, then dashed away. It is worth
mentioning that Gong Li's red carpet dress was designed by domestic designer
Jiang Hong. Jiang Hong admits to never having met Gong Li, but thinks 'The
Queen' is an adjective that belongs to Gong Li alone. Gong Li not only snatched
the attention on the red carpet but also became the biggest winner at the
evening awards ceremony. She had the honor to receive the 2011 Outstanding
Chinese Elegant Female Role Model award."
->Photo
Album
Oct
24: Gong Li attended the opening night event for China Fashion Week, the Aimer
2012 Spring/Summer fashion show. She is the company's "global
ambassador" and was escorted to the show by Aimer Group Chairman Zhang
Rongming. During an interview, she said that she expects to begin filming her
next project early next year.
->Photo
Album ->Interview
Clips ->Video
report
Sept
29: Gong Li is scheduled to host the welcome dinner for the WGC-HSBC
(world golf championships, Nov 3-6) in Shanghai at the Sheshan International Golf
Club. The public is invited to express their views on the HSBC website regarding the
current state of Chinese cinema and enter a contest to win a ticket to the
dinner. Gong Li commented: "The international influence of
Chinese cinema is increasing day by day. In this process, we need to ponder how to achieve better recognition in
the world. This online contest provides an excellent platform to explore this
issue. I hope while expressing their remarkable viewpoints on this issue,
people can also explore their own strengths in order to find the key to
open the door to success in their own lives in this process."
Sept
28: Gong Li is the cover girl for the 90th anniversary issue of L'Officiel
magazine. During the interview, she commented that fans won't have to wait too
long until her next project, as it should begin filming at the end of this year,
or beginning of next year. ->Photo
Album
Aug
28: Gong Li attended the Huabiao Film Awards ceremony tonight in Beijing. She
presented her "Curse of the Golden Flower" co-star, Chow Yun-Fat, with
the Best Overseas Chinese Actor award (for "Confucius").
->Photos
(sina.com) ->Video
(arrival) ->Video
(award presentation)
June
27: Gong Li attended the Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award Ceremony
in Beijing tonight. From the Montblanc site: "In these [past] 20 years, the
'Montblanc de la Culture Art Patronage Award' has recognized and celebrated the
work of outstanding private patrons of the arts throughout the world - patrons
who have dedicated time, energy, experience, and financial resources to the
furtherance of arts and culture."
->Photo
Album ->Video
One
->Video
Two (Interview)
May
31: I added an album
of photos taken during last night's Louis Vuitton opening ceremony for
their "Voyages" exhibition. ->Sina's video
interview
May
29: Gong Li will attend events related to the Louis Vuitton Voyages Exhibition
at the National Museum of China (May 31-August 30). Her appearance dates are:
May 30, 31, June 1. Thanks to Gong Li's manager for the news.
May
13: Gong Li has accepted several interviews while in Cannes. Links to video
interviews:
->CineMoi
(English voice-over) ->L'Oreal
Behind The Scenes (English subtitles) ->Sohu
interview
May
12: Thanks to Gong Li's manager for informing me that they are departing Cannes
tomorrow, May 13. Tonight, they attended PlaNet Finance's Foundation dinner and
auction. The event was hosted by French actress Carole Bouquet and held at the
Palm Beach Club.
May
11 (9am PDT): The opening ceremony in Cannes begins shortly. Gong Li will walk
the red carpet as a L'Oreal Ambassadrice. Follow the breaking news and view photos on
our forum!
->Photo
Album - Opening Ceremony
->Video
interview for Madame Figaro (my translation of the French subtitles is
posted on our forum).
May
10: Gong Li traveled to the Cannes Film Festival site today. She was
photographed arriving at the airport in Nice, France. I posted the images
on our forum.
May
5: An interview
with Gong Li has been included in the May issue of VMagazine. Excerpt:
"Everyone is urged by the wheel of the market. Quicker, please! The faster,
the better. There is no time for sufficient preparation, so everyone only plays
him or herself. That's why I prefer to make only one film every year, or two
at the most." Her secret to a good performance? "You have to watch and feel
the world with keenness and sensitivity."
May
1: The DVD (Region 3 with English sub-titles) of "What Women Want" is
available to order from YesAsia.
Note: A region free DVD player is required.
April
19: Thanks to Gong Li's manager for sending me the news that she
will attend the Cannes Film Festival this year. She will walk the red carpet on
the opening night, May 11, as a L'Oreal Ambassadrice.
March
1: Positive review
of "What Women Want" from Derek Elley for FilmBiz.Asia: "Andy Lau
and Gong Li shine in an improved remake of the US rom-com... Gong, 45, in her
first rom-com, acquits herself in relaxed style and forges a mature chemistry
with Lau that really does drive the movie. With a younger actress in the part,
it would have been a different - and lesser - film."
Feb
17: Gong Li is the cover girl for the March
issue of Elle China. Thanks to "loves Gong Li madly" for the
scans!
Feb
1: Michael Rechtshaffen reviews
"What Women Want" for the Hollywood Reporter. Excerpts: "Easy
chemistry between its amiable leads - box office royalty Andy Lau and the
ever-radiant Gong Li. Opening day-and-date with China, where Feb. 3 coincides
with the start of New Year's festivities, the picture should score with
female-skewing Asian-Americans in the market for slick, mainstream escapism...
Aside from the spirited give-and-take of its photogenic leads, the film boosts
the glam factor with Zhuoyi Li's gleaming art direction and costume designer
Yikai Li's impeccably chic wardrobe selections."
Jan
28: I attended the Los Angeles media screening of "What Women Want"
last night. Thanks to the folks at China Lion Entertainment for inviting me and
for providing a media kit! I added more publicity stills to the photo
album.
Jan
27: A media conference
and premiere were held in Shanghai for "What Women Want". Gong
Li, Andy Lau, director Chen Daming, and other members of the cast attended. (See
Video links below)
Jan
26: The cast and director of "What Women Want" attended a media
conference and premiere in Beijing.
Jan
25: Visit the official U.S. website
for "What Women Want" for list
of theaters screening the film as of Feb 3.
Jan
24: A media conference and premiere of "Shanghai" were held today in
Seoul. AGL Exclusive: Gong Li's manager, Mr. Tseng, emailed me several
photos taken with cell phones. Update, Jan 25: Mr. Tseng has sent me
several professional photos taken during the media conference, and I have added
those to the photo album.
The
Korea
Times and Korea
Herald included reports on the media conference. From the Times: "Acting
is a profession without regionalism, and you don't always remain in one place.
You can film anywhere if there is a project at hand. I am a Chinese actress but
I was fortunate enough to have encountered foreign cultures and lived abroad. I
shot about five Hollywood films and the experience has broadened my perspective.
Many Korean actors are debuting overseas and I would like to congratulate them.
I hope they make new waves in Hollywood and create new trends and cultures."
->Video
Report from the media conference ->Video
Report from conf and premiere
Jan
23: Gong
Li arrived in South Korea today, one day prior to a media conference and
screening of "Shanghai".
Jan
22: Gong Li attended a PRADA fashion show at the Central Academy of Fine Arts
Museum.
Jan
20: The official "What Women Want" website
has been unveiled (in Chinese). It includes the videos and publicity stills
previously released, along with wallpapers and character
descriptions.
Jan
11: Several new publicity photos from "What Women Want" have been
released.
Jan
10: Music video from "What Women Want', featuring Andy Lau singing over
film clips.
Jan
9: Interview with Gong Li, Andy Lau released (recorded Nov 18) to promote
"What Women Want".
Jan
7: "Shanghai" will be released in South Korea on January 27. Gong Li will attend a press
conference and a screening of the film on the 24th.
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