Chinese starlet Isabella Leong is retaliating against her agency, the Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG), by suing the company for unfair contract terms.
EEG has earlier filed a lawsuit (April 3) against Isabella for breach of contract. The 19-year-old starlet has been missing in action since late March after her rumoured relationship with Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li was exposed.
It’s reported that Richard wants to cancel Isabella’s contract with EEG and form an entertainment agency of his own, with Isabella as the core. Although it’s unconfirmed news, the disappearing-act of Isabella has prompted EEG to file the lawsuit.
Isabella signed a 10-year long contract with EEG when she was just 12. She claims that she was too young, and her mother was not English literate to understand the terms when the contract was signed.
Her contract has been extended to 15-years when she was 14, and a total of 20 years when she was 17 (most people has mistaken that she signed a 20-year long contract when she was 12).
Most of the public opinions are not in favour of Isabella though… lots of people are criticising her way of handling the matter, for choosing to hide herself instead of negotiating with the company directly. If Isabella could handle the situation with a bit more maturity, the public would probably be on her side.
Besides, her relationship with 42-year-old Richard Lee is not winning the heart of her fans and critics. It’s generally believed that Richard is behind Isabella’s decision, and that he is providing her the legal team to deal with the lawsuits.
I’ll leave it to the court to decide who’s right or wrong on legal terms. Exploitation or not, it doesn’t hide the fact that EEG does make Isabella one of the most popular young Asian stars at the moment.
Isabella could extend her fame to the west by making her Hollywood debut in August 2008 with “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”. I guess she won’t be thanking her agency for getting the role.
i can understand that actress and stars like to find rich boyfriends, but 23 years older!!!????? that’s sick :x she is not even 20 years old.
i need to rephrase, i can understand too that age doesn’t matter in love. i am ok if its 30 years old with 50 years old, but a teenager with 40 years old is just sickening.
isabella also wouldn’t be famous if the company didn’t sign her, she should be grateful. if something is wrong with the contract, she can sit down and talk. if negotition fails only then sue in court. what she did is hiding and shopping in usa and not discussing with her agent, that is very arrogant.
i dun think there is love between isabella n lee… she’s just after his money..age diff but anyway i dun like her. i thick she’s sick.
i’m not really in favor of any side here…
i’ve disliked eeg since a long time ago…
yes, they are powerful and have their ways to turn any normal person into a superstar.
but the contracts they make are mostly 10 years or above for all their artists.
it’s pretty scary to sign this contract if i were one of these artists.
they obviously wants to keep the artists until they can’t make any more money, or lose popularity.
most singers would probably maintain popularity for a year ot two, but it’s not easy for 10 years, unless you REALLY have talent.
but still, eeg artists need to work for the company for so long, probably even when they are not popular anymore…
one example i can think of is yumiko cheng.
maybe i’m more on isabella’s side, but it’s not because i think she’s right or she’s really in love with mr. lee.
i just like to see eeg lose…they’re such a torturing company.
and i’m glad that eason chan is out of their evil palms…=P
It’s always difficult to judge these kind of issues. It’s easy to say that Isabella is with Richard for his money… but how sure are we? It could be real love… only Isabella would know the actual answer, and time would tell.
EEG is indeed infamous for their long and harsh contract terms… but it’s not like they are forcing anyone to sign the contracts though.
Youngsters these days are tempted to become superstars, and it’s hard to resist when a big company like EEG wants to sign them. They probably didn’t think much when signing the contracts… and it’s too late to regret if things are not working as what they anticipated to.
a contract for 20 years???Geez that’s too long…even if were to become a superstar in that span of time is just so hard to believe…
Well, it depends on how desperate the person wants to become a superstar.
It sounds a bit too long for some (i.e. Isabella), but lots of the other EEG artists are having a 10-15 years contract… and it seems like most of them are happy so far.
I think some places in Europe actually have laws that forbid this kind of long contract for minors.
If not mistaken these contracts for minors are only valid until their adult age (around 18 I guess), and by then the companies would need to offer a new contract, which could be a long one… but the artist should have more maturity to make a better decision for her future at that age.
yes, time would tell, indeed.
It’s about time someone stood up to bullish Albert Yeung and his EEG. That guy thinks he is above the law with his triad relations and relations with China….. It certainly puts a smirk on my face to know Richard Li is pretty much giving Albert Yeung the middle finger, and best yet, Albert Yeung is nowhere in the same league as the Li family.
I am not here to judge who is right or wrong. This is just my own opinion. When Isabella signed the 10 year contract when she was 12, the first few years were just training. EEG invested a lot of time and money on a person who knew nothing just has elementary school education. This was a business deal and a risky investment. If people say EEG was wrong doing, then Isabella’s mother did not protect her own daughter good enough at that time. As soon as Isabella found a deep harbour, she jumped ship and starts mourning she has been in pain and suffer for good long 8 years. It is all bull shit. She is now taking an English class in Stanford University pretending a college student and ignor all her responsibilities left behind. She is a grown up now, not 12 years old anymore. Please handle responsbilety and maturity. I used to like Richard Lee, now I start to doubt his IQ and talent. How do they both communicate, they have nothing in common. Would you feel bored if a college graduate with 20 more years living experience and chat with a fifth grader? Whatever the outcome is, I am sure Isabella and her mother will bring home a pot of gold.
anna jane says blame it to michelle yeoh . and it is not isabellas fault , she is un educated un like me a mass com graduate of the prestigious ateneo de zamboanga university . . .
kolby is rich . . .
she is after the moeny, she is not pretty enough, he deserve better and more mature woman. she want his money
[...] her in April for breaching of contract; but Isabella, with the backing of her rich boyfriend, had counter-sued EEG for unfair contract terms [...]
anna jane is better with richard li than isabela leong . . .
i think……..
i dunno…we also cannot tel about is juz for $$ or true love, cos we ar not her!!!!
so… dun simply guess ok?
do watever u want, dun care ppl say wat !!! ^^
always support u!!!
yr height is the height i want!!!!!!!!