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NEWS ITEMS JULY 2009 July 21: Weinstein Co. VP Bey Logan updated his blog recently with photos and an entertaining story about working with Gong Li on ADR for “Shanghai”. Excerpts: “As expected, Gong Li was totally focused on the job at hand, standing in a sterile studio environment to recreate the emotions expressed on the soundstage, months earlier... When I drop her off, she kisses me on each cheek then, as she walks away from the car, ducks down to give me a goofy smile and wave. As her character in Miami Vice says to Colin Farrell, ‘Time is luck‘, and I know I’m very lucky to spend time with a real life legend…” ->Link July 17: Regarding “The Grand Master” casting rumor… It all began when Ip Man’s son reportedly stated during an interview earlier this year that Wong Kar Wai was thinking about inviting Gong Li to join the project. Speculation in the media about what role she might play followed, and many fans apparently believe the subsequent reports that she is co-starring in the film. This week, the casting rumor has spread to Western media, but is being reported as fact. A mention in Kung Fu Cinema is being copied by others here: “The film also stars Gong Li who reportedly will play a female martial arts master, which would be a first for the veteran mainland actress.” I asked Gong Li’s manager if she is attached to this project, and he responded that Wong Kar Wai has not offered the role to her. July 17: “Curse of the Golden Flower” is included in a Blu-ray special release package this week that includes “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “House of Flying Daggers”. From the Blu-ray.com review: “A dazzling array of colors and superbly detailed sets come to vivid life in this 1080p, 2.35:1-framed Blu-ray transfer of Curse of the Golden Flower. Perhaps the most colorful transfer yet to grace the high definition format, Curse of the Golden Flower puts on a brilliant display that covers the entire palette… The actors play the parts well and sell the tragedy… but Gong Li steals the show as the troubled, vengeful, and ill Empress Liang, her every scene a mastery of the tidal wave of emotions that befall her character during the picture.” July 16: I had posted the news that Gong Li’s manager informed me recently that she would be filming a TV commercial this month… Thanks to NewPath for the link to the blog of a stylist who worked on the shoot. She posted three photos. -> Link July 8: A blogger posted photos of herself with Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat during breaks from working on ADR for “Shanghai” ->Link July 5: Today is the four year anniversary of AdmiringGongLi.com. Thank you to all who have visited this site regularly and especially to those who have posted on our forum. Your participation and support are deeply appreciated! Thanks also to Gong Li for her inspiration, and to her manager, Mr. Tseng, for content and encouragement. While there has been a news “drought” and lack of activity in the past few months, we admirers can look forward to the release of “Shanghai” and, hopefully, a new film project in a few months. Meanwhile, Mr. Tseng informed me three weeks ago that Gong Li is scheduled to shoot a new television commercial this month in Beijing and Seoul. Also, he said that discussion of new projects and reading of new scripts is “ongoing”. July 4: FilmDistributionInsider.com recently posted a lengthy review of the “Shanghai” script and detailed description of the story. “Shanghai is set to the back drop of popular history, rendering it intimate on a large scale. European cinema is full of war films examining resistance and collaboration and what Shanghai offers is a Hollywood version, accessible to all… Shanghai covers issues of race, war, love, betrayal and murder; there is something for male and female audiences. While the film might skew slightly older than the key target audience, it should still perform well.” Anna, the character that Gong Li plays, is described as “a character who constantly twists and turns… Like the best femme fatales Anna’s beauty and charm drag Paul [played by John Cusack] into conspiracy far bigger than he predicted… Anna is an enigma until the very end.” Let’s hope that the final cut of the film is at least as good as the script, which I have also read. ->Read the FDI script review (includes spoilers)
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