April 30: The Courier-Mail (Australia) includes remarks from a recent interview with Gong Li. On the topic of being famous: "I don't pay so much attention to that kind of thing, especially because I never had a plan to become a movie star or to become famous anywhere or to represent China abroad. But I do feel lucky that I have a job that I enjoy, and it is a way for me to meet many people from around the world." She did not confirm or deny rumors of her participation in the Indiana Jones 4 movie that is scheduled to begin filming in June. Her only response - that the reporter termed "curiously coy" - was, "That is flattering, I wonder where that came from."

April 29: Actress Vivian Wu mentioned Gong Li again during a new interview. She was asked about the success of certain Chinese actresses in Hollywood and replied: "I think Gong Li is the most charismatic Chinese actress, she is very precious." Vivian says that she has always followed her career and feels that even without Zhang Yimou, Gong Li would have been the first Chinese actress to receive success internationally. (Thanks to NewPath for assistance with the translation.)

April 28: A reporter for United Daily News (Taiwan) writes about Gong Li's participation in the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, noting that she has been invited to attend the opening ceremony. Even though she does not have a film in competition at the festival this year, she is called a "daughter of Cannes" and is considered a distinguished guest. The reporter also claims that an insider revealed that Gong Li did not attend the recent Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony because she was on vacation in France with her boyfriend. There is speculation about them making a public appearance together in Cannes. The festival begins on May 16. The reporter also notes that after the festival there are several Hollywood projects lined up.

The nominations list for the seventh Chinese Film Media Awards was announced this week. The judges considered films from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and had previously submitted their choices for consideration. The judges then discussed the list and voted to decide the top three in each category. Gong Li is one of the final three nominees for Best Actress ("Curse of the Golden Flower").

April 27: "Curse of the Golden Flower" opened in Germany this week. Josef Schnelle writes for Germany Radio's Culture magazine: "Gong Li is the forceful center of this film about the illusions of power, and she is more beautiful than ever. Her place in film history is somewhere between Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo… Zhang Yimou will not find someone like Gong Li in Hollywood."

April 26: An interview with actor Kevin McKidd was conducted this week in Singapore. (Thanks to NewPath for the tip.) When asked about working with Gong Li on "Hannibal Rising", Kevin gave a thumbs up, saying that she had left an excellent impression on him. He said that she is beautiful, very polite, quiet, committed to her performance, and has a great screen presence. He felt that it was a pity that he did not have more scenes with her.

From a review of "Curse of the Golden Flower" in the Daily Telegraph (Australia): "An almost overwhelming palette of colour, martial arts scenes staged with operatic splendour, and the beautiful Gong Li back to her best. You don't need to read the credits to know this is a film by renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou… Gong is superb as the empress who would make Machiavelli's Prince look like an amateur in political machinations."

April 25: Zhang Yimou spoke about Gong Li's performance ability during an interview to promote "Curse of the Golden Flower" that is published in the Courier-Mail (Australia): "In terms of her acting, there are a lot of things that still surprise me after all these years. I would boil those down to really three primary things. One is that explosive quality she brings to the screen, that power and emotion. The second is her ability to control her emotions and the handle that she has on her emotions. And the third is the speed in which she can get into character. I can say 'Action', and seconds later she will be completely in character. These are all things that seem to have come with the passage of time. That's really an accumulation of both acting experience and life experience."

Vivian Wu is promoting her new film release, "Shanghai Red", and is featured in today's edition of the Beijing News (thanks to NewPath for the tip). Vivian was asked about the potential success of Chinese actresses in Hollywood. She used Gong Li in her answer as an example: "Gong Li is terrific, she has been the representative of Chinese art films, allowing the foreign audience to have an understanding of Chinese movies. Now, she has used her acting skills to conquer the world."

Magazine alert -- A two page article on Gong Li, "Golden Return", is included in the May issue of Film Ink magazine (Australia).

April 24: Allan Dart reviews the "Hannibal Rising" R1 DVD (May 29 release) for fangoria.com. While he feels that the film "never rises above the rudimentary and routine underpinnings of the source material," he has nice words for Gong Li: "Li adds emotional and compassionate elements to Lady Murasaki that lend new depth to the character and her relationship with Hannibal. She isn't given that much to do, but Li has always been able to hold the screen and captivate audiences without words - her expressions, eyes and gestures speak volumes."

While promoting his recent film, Chinese actor Sun Honglei was asked to compare his co-star, Vivian Wu, with Gong Li (they starred together in "Zhou Yu's Train"). He said that Vivian is "especially outspoken" and Gong Li is "humorous and gentle. As a man, I appreciate Gong Li's type." He was also asked about Gong Li's win at the recent Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony. He said, "The award for Gong Li is a very simple matter because her acting skills are up there."

April 23: The "Nanjing! Nanjing!" casting rumors in the Chinese media have already been dismissed. An investor in the project told a reporter that he is very surprised at the rumors and said, "Impossible… We are negotiating with the actors, but Ge You and Gong Li are unlikely."

Box office update from The Hollywood Reporter: "Universal is handling director Zhang Yimou's 'Curse of the Golden Flower', a Chinese costume drama with Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li, in the U.K., where it earned an estimated $440,000 from 218 sites in its second weekend. Its U.K. market cume stands at $1.6 million over 10 days."

April 22: There is a new role rumor circulating in the Chinese media that should be addressed: "A claim from a staff member of 'Nanjing! Nanjing!' disclosed that Ge You and Gong Li have been locked for the male and female leads, the specific issues are being negotiated with the two actors. In addition to their superb acting skills, it is also the hope that they can promote Ge You's and Gong Li's first cooperation since 'To Live'." It should be noted that one of the methods used to attract attention to a project is to link big names to it. Most of the time, there is no truth to the rumor. Gong Li has said in recent interviews that her next projects are "Hollywood" films and that while she has received many offers for roles in Chinese films, the scripts are not of the quality she is seeking.

April 21: Successful advertising -- In January, Gong Li signed with Midea to promote a line of refrigerators for the home appliance company and filmed a commercial advertisement that has been airing. Yesterday, it was announced that sales of Midea refrigerators in March set a new record and sales are up 200%.

April 20: The Athlone Advertiser (Ireland) includes a review of "Curse of the Golden Flower". "The added gravitas of Curse is heightened by the performances of its two main stars, Gong Li and Chow-Yun Fat. Each delivers an extraordinary performance, moving between cold restraint, controlled fury and wild despair… This detailed (and fictionalized) look at a historical regime typified by overt luxury, combined with a complicated plot and a series of action sequences, results in a dense, richly textured film."

From a review of "Hannibal Rising" by Ann Demarco that is posted on di-ve.com today: "Luckily, Gaspard Ulliel does a very good job playing the psychopathic, cold blooded killer starting off his interesting career, and Gong Li, although in a part which seems totally contrived, is always wonderful to watch. The two have an exciting chemistry, which keeps us interested in what's going on."

April 19: From the Entertainment Weekly site: "The Next Bond Girl? On Pop Watch, we asked you which actresses you'd like to see go toe to toe with Daniel Craig in the next 007 flick - see the suggestions, then vote for your favorite." Thanks to AGL forum member Luke for submitting Gong Li's name for consideration in the poll. He wrote: "Gong Li would probably not agree to be a Bond girl but she has all the required elements of one: beautiful, mysterious, smart, strong, rebellious, and capable of evil." Vote!

Joanna Mace writes about "Curse of the Golden Flower" for The Gazette (UK): "Fans of Yimou's work will be in heaven for a lot of the running time... Gong Li, with whom he once had an intense professional and private relationship, takes the leading role of the empress, and is, quite frankly, the heart of the film. She has to do a lot of crying and emoting, while struggling against the weight of some of the most fabulous costumes ever seen on cinema screens and with her bosom pushed up chinwards, but she manages it - with style."

April 18: There is a brief mention of a future project in a profile of director Tim Burton on an Italian site. "His next plans comprise a musical comedy on the murders of barber Sweeney Todd [currently filming] and Believe It Or Not, with Gong Li and Jim Carrey." It is believed that BION is the project Gong Li mentioned earlier this month while attending a promotional event in Shanghai. She said, "Next year I will continue to film Hollywood movies, a film will be shot in Shanghai. I was recently looking at the script." BION has been described as "a period adventure saga that is largely set in China." Jim Carrey and Gong Li were announced as cast members last year on the production company's website. The project was to begin filming in late 2006, but was delayed when Carrey demanded a script re-write.

"Curse of the Golden Flower" is getting financial assistance in order to reach a wider audience. From Variety: "The U.K. Film Council has announced its latest round of prints and advertising awards, including a $600,000 injection into the coffers of UPI to assist with the distribution of Zhang Yimou's Chinese epic 'Curse of the Golden Flower'. The UKFC P&A fund helps distribs bring foreign, arthouse and classic pics to a wider audience."

April 17: Box office update: "Curse of the Golden Flower" opened at number seven this past weekend in the UK, according to a Reuters.uk report, earning $716,280. Its strongest foreign numbers are from the U.S. ($6.6 million), France ($6.1 mil after four weeks) and South Korea ($5.9 mil after three weeks). To date, CotGF has earned approximately $66 million worldwide. Mike Barnard of FutureMovies.co.uk writes, "With the cast, especially Gong Li's tormented Empress Phoenix, producing what must be some of their finest work, this is an unmissable treat."

April 16: Praise for Gong Li's work in "Curse of the Golden Flower" from Channel 4 (UK): "Above everything else there is Gong Li, who anchors the film with an incredible performance. Like a more sympathetic version of Lady Macbeth, her character is a schemer, yet a tragic one, exuding a fierce charisma that hijacks attention from everyone else in the film. Whenever Li is onscreen, it's clear what kind of film Yimou wanted Curse Of The Golden Flower to be."

April 15: 7:30am PDT - The Hong Kong Film Awards presentation is just ending. Results for "Curse of the Golden Flower", thanks to "live" updates on the Baidu fan forum: Best Actress (Gong Li), Art Direction (Huo Tingxiao), Costume/Make-up Design (Yee Chung Man), Original Song (Jay Chou and Vincent Fang Wen Shan). "Curse of the Golden Flower" producer Bill Kong accepted Gong Li's award on her behalf. Gong Li was unable to attend and is reportedly overseas. Congrats to all of the winners!

April 14: Thanks to "person" for the link to a new L'Oreal commercial.  Watch video

Fiona Campbell met with Gong Li in Beijing and asked for recommendations on sightseeing. She wrote about her visit for The Telegraph. "It's hard to define exactly what it is about Gong Li that makes her so attractive... somehow she has a unique combination of grit and sparkle. I have come here especially to meet her and to discover her city - which itself has a fair degree of grit and sparkle... 'All these places - Summer Palace, Fragrant Hill, Forbidden Palace - are good enough, but what makes them more special is who you are with when you visit them,' she says tantalizingly."  Read Article

April 13: Associated Press reporters preview the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony that will be held on Sunday. "Chinese star Gong Li from 'Memoirs of a Geisha' and 'Miami Vice' is the strongest candidate in the best actress field." Film critic Shum Longtin says: "Gong Li should definitely win; there are no other possibilities. She deserves it." But he also notes, "The Hong Kong Film Awards is like the Oscars. It is very political. The winners don't always reflect the quality of a film."

From a review of "Curse of the Golden Flower" in the Guardian newspaper (UK): "Gong Li radiates charisma and beauty as [the] queen, conveying eroticism, guile and tragedy as she is imprisoned in the gilded cage of court life and intermittently paralyzed by the insidious infirmity which she comes to realize is the result of foul play. What a fascinating actor she is: someone who really can lay claim to being a modern Dietrich or a Garbo, and who carries so many close-ups with such ease. Without Gong Li, this would be a moderate film, but when she's on, it is pretty delectable."

April 12: Chinese director Wang Quanan mentioned Gong Li again during an interview this week. He was asked about the differences between Chinese actresses, and spoke about why Gong Li is successful and respected internationally. "Yu Nan [Quanan's leading lady] always favors Gong Li, and Gong Li is truly a dignified, elegant lady. More importantly, when collaborating with Hollywood A-listers, Gong Li has demonstrated the ability, disposition and confidence that even many Europeans don't possess."

April 11: "Curse of the Golden Flower" opens in the UK on Friday. Damon Smith of the Manchester Evening News (UK) rates the film 4 out of 5 stars. "[It] will appeal greatly to devotees of Yimou's work and to fans of gorgeously framed epics… which strike a delicate balance between thrills and emotion. The cast acquit themselves beautifully to the task at hand, with some delicious verbal sparring between Yun Fat and Li. If looks could kill, their characters would unleash a bloodbath without raising a sword." Justin Matlock reviewed the film for Archant Regional Limited. "The plot may be about as dark and sombre as a family warfare can get but it's all offset by some of the most gloriously opulent set designs ever committed to film. The rich colors and intricate details are pure eye candy, while the exquisite costumes manage to make the beautiful Li even more unbelievably attractive."

April 10: I scanned the cover story from the March 31 issue of The Telegraph magazine and posted the scans in our Magazine Gallery. Even though the text from the article has been posted online, it's nice to see it as it appeared in the magazine.

Gong Li signed on as a spokesperson with Sleemon last September, and filmed a commercial advertisement at that time. The Sleemon site has recently been re-designed with a new Flash intro. The site includes two lovely wallpapers of Gong Li:

Jack Foley of IndieLondon.co.uk rates "Curse of the Golden Flower" 4 out of 5 stars. "[Zhang Yimou] draws terrific performances from his two well-known principals - Li perfectly walking the line between tragic and scheming and Yun Fat conveying a nice sense of arrogance. It all adds up to an extremely heady brew that brings his much-hailed Wushu trilogy to a suitably memorable climax. Yimou's Curse is therefore a blessing for cinema audiences."

April 9: Gong Li accepted interviews on Saturday in Shanghai. She did not disclose the name of her next "Hollywood" project, previously reported to begin filming mid-year. She said that she has recently received offers to appear in Chinese films, but the roles are similar to those she has played previously. "I think there is no shortage of good directors [in China], there is only a lack of good scripts." She also said that she can learn a lot of things in Hollywood, things that are difficult to learn elsewhere. While there are limitations due to cultural differences, she feels those limitations can be overcome. One interviewer's impression of Gong Li: She "is really unique. Honestly, she does not have star 'airs', but is very real and has a sincere attitude. At the end of the interview, I asked to take a photo, and she readily agreed with a smile, her elegance and charm a feast for the eyes."

April 8: A report in today's issue of United Daily News (Taiwan) reveals that Gong Li says she has been "invited to represent Chinese film" at the Cannes Film Festival (May 16-27) and "feels very honored". Prior to the festival, she will return to her hometown of Jinan to visit her mom. Then, she will have, in the words of the reporter, "a series of intensive professional training sessions for the upcoming Hollywood movie. Because there is a signed confidentiality agreement," the name of the film cannot be disclosed at this time. (Thanks to NewPath for the tip on the article.)

Magazine alert: An interview with Gong Li is included in the May issue of Film Review (UK). "The stunning Chinese actress discusses her role in Curse of the Golden Flower." (Thanks to Clemato)

April 7: Gong Li made an appearance in Shanghai last night, attending the opening ceremony of a luxury apartment complex, "8 Jinan Road". Gong Li will be one of the tenants when the building is opened for occupancy early next year. She noted that she will reside in Shanghai while working on a film project. "In addition to the project(s) already decided for this year, next year I will continue to film Hollywood movies, a film will be shot in Shanghai. I was recently looking at the script." The 2008 film is believed by many to be the Tim Burton project, "Believe It Or Not", as her name was listed on the production company's site a few months ago.  Video Report One   Video Report Two

From an interview published on EventGuide.ie: "It's not about proving anything, it's about creating. It's about making something you're proud of, of capturing an emotion, a piece of history. I love the fact that you can move people, that you can affect their lives. Maybe even help them on some level. I could never give that up, no matter how old, or settled, I became."

April 6: A new interview with Gong Li is included in today's edition of The Guardian UK newspaper. Excerpts: "I guess my personality is that of a modern, strong Chinese woman. I don't believe in destiny. There are many things that can be changed. I don't like to be defeated by difficulties. I love freedom so when I am shaping a character, I usually do it the way I want… Due to China's heightened status in the world, it is no longer the case that I go to Hollywood. Instead, Hollywood approaches China. They have started to write screenplays that include interesting roles for Chinese and other Asian women. This was not the case 20 years ago. At that time, Asian women were needed only to decorate a film or to spice it up with kung fu. That held no interest for me. But now there are good opportunities for Chinese actresses in Hollywood. I can be in a film as an artist, not as a decoration."  Read Article

TheAustralian.news.com.au includes Gong Li's interview with David Eimer that was published in the Evening Standard. The Australian publication, however, includes additional remarks: "There are still opportunities for me in China, but Zhang Yimou isn't going to be working for the next two years while he organizes the Olympic ceremonies, and Chen Kaige's movies now have better roles for men than women. And it takes the new Chinese directors a long time to set up their movies. So it's better for me to be in Hollywood now. I'd like to try a comedy but I like comedies that are sophisticated. If there's a smart script and a good story, I don't think you have to try to be funny."

April 5: According to a reporter from United Daily News, Gong Li's manager says that she has been invited to be a guest of honor at the Cannes Film Festival 60th anniversary celebration in May, and will then begin work on an American film in June or July. (Thanks, NewPath)

An interview with Gong Li is published today in the Evening Standard UK newspaper and is online at ThisIsLondon.co.uk. Excerpts: "I have to be happy to do my best work. If my love life isn't happy, then my work suffers... I'm an emotional person, not a rational person, so my emotional life is always the most important thing to me... There are more opportunities for me in the West. Every few days, someone will send me a script or talk to me about a new movie... I'm not a big dreamer. It never occurred to me when I was young that I would get the chance to make films in Hollywood. Now, I always tell young Chinese actresses: 'Make sure you learn English, it's your ticket to the world.'"  Read Article

April 4: Magazine alert -- A four page article about Gong Li is included in the April issue of Elle Italy.

April 3: A Presentation Ceremony Booklet for the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards will be published April 5. A group photo of the nominees for Best Actress and Actor was released yesterday. It is composed of photos reportedly taken in the past few weeks. The one nominee notably absent is Gong Li. She was unable to accommodate the photographer, leading to speculation on her whereabouts.

NewPath submitted this additional info: An interview with the chairman of the Hong Kong Film awards was published in a Chinese newspaper today. The reporter asked him why Gong Li's photo was not included in the acting nominee's group photo. He replied, "because she was in a foreign country… In order to accommodate each nominee's schedule, the photographer and I went to wherever the nominee was at that time and took the pictures one by one. In Gong Li's case, we couldn't do anything because she was in a foreign country. We communicated with Gong Li for some time, trying to find a good time for both sides… but it didn't work out… she regretted it, too." The reporter asked him if Gong Li will attend the awards ceremony on April 15, and he replied that invitations have been sent to every nominee, but he doesn't yet know just who will attend.

April 2: Richard Spencer, who interviewed Gong Li for The Telegraph article that was published last Saturday, posted a commentary about her and Chinese film censorship on his blog today. Excerpt: "I find her placing in contemporary Chinese culture fascinating - is she a rebel, or a conformist? She's not 'just a film star', clearly, and while her characters clearly appeal to women, I think for many she is of cultural and even political significance. And Gong Li is certainly a spokeswoman for a decent, concerned, middle class view of the world (and I mean that in a good sense)."

Chinese actress Yu Nan, star of the film that recently won the Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear award, has previously spoken of her admiration of Gong Li. During a new interview, she noted that many Chinese actresses have made films overseas, but few of them have had international success. She feels that Gong Li is one of the best examples of an actress who has achieved international stardom. Yu Nan believes it is important that an actress first develop a good reputation in her home country before accepting roles in overseas productions. She said that she admires actresses like Gong Li and Maggie Cheung because "they do not rely on scandals" to become famous, they rely on strength of character and talent.

April 1: From "Empress Of All She Portrays" in The Scotsman: "In China, Gong Li is probably the closest thing to royalty. Certainly, any interview has a regal style to it as she sweeps into the room… Like any screen star, Gong Li is compellingly beautiful, appearing effortlessly younger than her 41 years - but her paradox lies in the contrapuntal disparity between her porcelain looks and the strength of her spirit." The article appears to be pieced together from previous interviews, and some of the info (her next film) is inaccurate.  Read

"The Yellow M" update: The film was shelved some time ago; however, some recent media reports have led some fans to believe it is Gong Li's next project. Director James Huth spoke briefly about the film during an interview that was published in Le Figaro last week: "I worked on the film for four years, I was going to film in five different countries. Gong Li was attached to the project. The film was not done." Huth will direct another film later this year.