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NEWS ITEMS September 2007 Sept 30: A kimono that Gong Li wore in "Memoirs of a Geisha" is on display at The Women's Museum in Dallas, Texas. "Star-Struck: Hollywood Costumes & Designers, 1934-2006" is described as "an astonishing exhibit of famous costumes worn by our most captivating 'leading women' of the silver screen." The exhibit ends October 28. ->More info Sept 28: Gong Li is included on the cover of Good Housekeeping China and was selected one of the 20 "most feminine of Chinese women".
A gown that was custom made for Gong Li is being auctioned to help raise funds for cataract patients. It is valued at 100,000 yuan ($13,300 USD) and includes hundreds of Swarovski crystals. An insider claims that it was an alternate choice for Gong Li to wear at the Cannes Film Festival. The auction will be held on October 10 in Beijing.
Sept 25: Another admirer: Gila Almagor, "the first lady of Israeli stage and film", is in China to attend a retrospective of her work that begins this week. During an interview, she said the Chinese actress she likes the most is Gong Li, and she admires the work of directors Zhang Yimou and Cheng Kaige. She joked that if those directors are willing to cast a short, older, foreign woman in one of their movies, she is willing to play the role.
Sept 17: From a DVDTimes.co.uk review of the latest release of "Raise The Red Lantern": "Superbly shot, written, and acted, Raise the Red Lantern is a key film in Chinese cinema as a mature masterpiece of the fifth generation of film-makers. It is a brave film full of integrity and care and it confirmed the international reputation of Yimou despite the concerns of his own government. Raise the Red Lantern is one of the best films of the last twenty years… Gong Li makes Songlian as sympathetic as is possible given the consequences of some of her actions… A superb film that has finally got an R1 treatment it deserves." Sept 16: Gong Li was spotted in Beijing this afternoon. Thanks to NewPath for this info: A man who is a salesman in a luxury brand store wrote on his blog that Gong Li did some shopping there today. He wrote that he feels she has an enduring beauty (not just attractive at first glance). She was very nice to the salespeople while shopping, asking questions about various products, agreeing to pose for photos with them and giving autographs. The photos he took didn't turn out as well as he had hoped, so he hasn't posted them on his blog. Sept 15: "Curse of the Golden Flower" has been released in India and generated mostly good reviews. From the Hindustan Times: "One of the few worthy foreign-language films to make it to our multiplexes… The long-awaited reunion of Zhang Yimou and Gong Li - one of the great director-actress collaborations - yields an entertaining spectacle… With overtones of a Shakespearean tragedy, the film is a feast for the eyes and mind. Recommended viewing for buffs of world cinema." From The Hindu: "deserves the plaudits due to the very best… is able to match up to the best that Hollywood can offer in the genre… There is ruthless perfection in Gong Li's depiction of the empress married to intrigue." Coincidentally, "Hannibal Rising" was released yesterday in India. While the reviews of the film are mixed-negative, an India Times reviewer writes: "The magnificent Gong Li is stunning to behold." Sept 13: An actor who met Gong Li on a recent commercial shoot posted the following on his blog today: "I have the very fortunate privilege to meet Gong Li last week. She was very sweet and friendly. As she walked by me on her way back to the set, she locked eyes with me and smiled back at my big boyish grin. I said hello and she replied with a very sweet and charming "hello". After the job was finished about 30 minutes later, I gathered up my courage and approached her as she was rushing by and kindly asked her for an autograph. I had no camera with me (my friend was supposed to come with me with his professional camera but he cancelled on me at the last minute) but I did not get a photo taken with her also because with about 10 people around her, I did not want to make any trouble or upset anyone. I was just so happy to see her work. So getting an autograph and meeting her was more than I could ever ask for. It really was a dream come true."
Sept 10: Gong Li's name is mentioned in connection with the IndoChine Festival 2007 that will be held in Singapore October 21-28. The festival is described in a press release as "Asia's jet set event of the year, providing a platform for guests from Europe and the Middle East to establish an Asian network and strike potential business partnerships through a superb line-up of convivial activities." The folks at EasierTravel.com posted this addition to the promotional info: "The week-long mega party will see VIPs like Gong Li, Charlie Webster and Jamie Ong rubbing shoulders here in Singapore." ->About IndoChine Sept 9: Thanks to NewPath for this info from a Chinese language blog post dated today: A Chinese girl living in Singapore saw Gong Li this past Friday about 2pm at the Louis Vuitton store in Singapore. She wrote that Gong Li is even more beautiful in person than on the screen and her figure is great. Gong Li was dressed very casually, but looked classy. Even though the girl couldn't help but stare at her, Gong Li was friendly and smiled at her. The girl also wrote that Gong Li was speaking on her mobile phone in fluent English. Sept 6: Joel Martinsen of Danwei.org reviews this month's issue of Maxim China: "The Chinese Maxim Hot 100 is actually two Hot 50 lists: one for Hollywood stars and one for Asian stars… Gong Li, this month's cover model, is so far ahead of the pack that she's given a special designation as 'Hot 100+1'." ->Hot 100 list Sept 5: Excerpts from another review of the "Curse of the Golden Flower" R2 DVD; Helen Earnshaw writes for FemaleFirst.co.uk: "This is a beautifully designed, visually stunning, Lord of the Rings type extravagance (in terms of size) mixed with a Shakespearian style tragedy… Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li provide the best and most tense scenes in the whole film, in this complex character driven picture. It's a pity they don't appear together on screen more often that they do… It really is a well crafted visual masterpiece which will cement Zhang Yimou as one of current cinema's great movie makers." Sept 4: Gong Li is the cover girl for the September issue of Maxim China. ->Photos Updates on the commercial ad shoot in Guangzhou on Sunday: From the Baidu fan forum - "The day before yesterday Gong Li came to Guangzhou, stayed at the Westin Hotel." From the You Tube forum (thanks, Cocoa) - An actor who was on set writes that Gong Li was "very sincere and charming" when asked for an autograph. "She is gorgeous, not only for her age, but just in general. Her eyes are amazing and has such a gorgeous, glowing smile." Sept 2: Gong Li is mentioned in the new book, "China A to Z: Everything You Need to Know to Understand Chinese Customs and Culture," by May-lee Chai and Winberg Chai. From Spencer Ramsey's review for Newsday: It's "a lively, yet sophisticated guide to a big country that many Americans know little about even though it's assuming an ever-greater role in the global economy… You read about Gong Li, perhaps the greatest contemporary Chinese actress, for whom 'Memoirs of a Geisha' marked her Hollywood debut in 2005 (years after she'd become an international star)." Sept 1: The Golden Bauhinia Awards ceremony was held today in Hong Kong. Gong Li was named Best Actress for her performance in "Curse of the Golden Flower". There was a tie in that category; popular Hong Kong singer Charlene Choi also received the honor. A writer recapping the event for sina.com noted, "These awards results, in most years, is far from satisfactory, if not unpalatable. Gong's award is well deserved, but Choi's award, although her performance is better when compared to the performances of several other nominated actresses, still it [her tie with Gong] is far-fetched to some." CotGF also won in the Best Song category and was named one of the 10 top Chinese films.
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