YeinJee's Asian Journal

Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Chow is going to direct and star in the movie version of “The Green Hornet”, announced Columbia Pictures.

Canadian comedian Seth Rogen will co-write the movie and star as the main character; and Stephen Chow will star as Kato, Green Hornet’s sidekick which was played by legendary martial arts star Bruce Lee in the TV adaptation in 1960s.

The Green Hornet and Kato, played by Van Williams and Bruce Lee in 1960s TV series

It’s said that the movie will be more comedic than the original versions (comic, radio and TV)… but I have doubts over the making of this movie regardless. It just doesn’t click for me, and I don’t think the young generations could relate to the characters.

The Green Hornet is scheduled to premier in Summer 2010.

It’s official, the concert is on. The Malaysian authority have changed their mind with the earlier decision to bar Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne to perform on August 29 in Kuala Lumpur.

Avril told MTV on Thursday that the concert will go ahead as planned; and there were other sources indicating that Galaxy Group, the concert promoter, has successfully appeal to the initial ban. It has been officially confirmed on Friday evening that the show will go on.

Canadian singer Avril Lavigne

Earlier this week, Malaysian authority had made the call to bar Avril from performing at the scheduled KL concert, stating that the concert is unsuitable for Malaysian culture, particularly not when the country is celebrating independence day on August 31.

The decision echoed the call from an Islamic opposition party for the show to be scrapped, that the show is considered too sexy for Malaysians and would promote the wrong values as Malaysia’s independence day is looming near.

The spokesman for the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry Ministry said that the concert promoter can request a new date for the concert… but it is becoming apparent that Galaxy has managed to appeal to hold the concert as scheduled instead.

It’s deja vu for Malaysians… the authority had barred Indonesian singer Inul Daratista from performing in late July 2008 following similar protest that her performance was ‘too erotic’.

Do mind that Malaysians in general are not that conservative; in fact lots of the Muslims are quite liberal in these kind of matters. Unfortunately the men that make the initial decision were not quite as open minded… glad that the final decision makers are showing more sense.

Was checking some info on Dragonball (the movie)… as it was originally scheduled to release this summer; didn’t realise that it was postponed to April 2009.

Scanned image of Shōnen Jump, the Japanese magazine that published the original manga… featuring some introduction about the cast and characters (via Dbthemovie)

Dragonball movie is starring Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, Jamie Chung, Emmy Rossum, Chow Yun Fat, Joon Park and Eriko Tamura etc.

The movie created some hype when it was announced last year that Hong Kong star Stephen Chow, a renowned DB fan, would be working with Twentieth Century Fox to produce a live movie adapted from the popular Japanese anime and manga.

The initial buzz was not all positive though, as lots of the Dragon Ball fans are worried that the movie would spoil the original work. Judging from some recent developments, it seems that their worry are not entirely baseless.

I won’t say that I am a huge fan of Dragon Ball, but it was one of the first Japanese manga that I read… and I do like it. Hope that the movie will at least be watchable.

Canadian pop-rocker Avril Lavigne is coming to Kuala Lumpur for a live concert on August 29 at Merdeka Stadium as part of her Best Damn Tour.

I used to like Avril a lot; if she was to have a concert here a couple of years ago I won’t hesitate to get a VIP ticket for the show… but now, I am not sure. Hmmm got to think fast, considering her popularity here (and some neighbouring countries), the nice seats could be sold out pretty soon.

Avril’s Malaysia concert promotional poster (via Galaxy)

Avril’s world tour will kick start on August 1 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; the KL concert will be first stop in Asia. Other Asian countries that are part of the tour include Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and China. [Check schedule]

There are 11 concerts in Japan, more than USA and Canada combined (10)… never knew that she is that popular in Japan.

Update - the KL concert is NOT cancelled… enjoy the show.

Hong Kong artist Gillian Chung is trying her luck in Hollywood to make her career comeback after the infamous nude photos scandal.

Gillian back from Hollywood

The 27-year-old actress and pop singer was in US to audition for a role in movie “Pinkville”, directed by Oliver Stone and starring Bruce Willis. The movie is based on My Lai Massacre, a real event in which several hundred Vietnamese civilians were killed by US soldiers during the Vietnam War in 1972.

It’s reported that Oliver Stone invited Gillian to the audition for a supporting role in the movie.

The Edison sex photos scandal

The scandal started in early 2008 when hundreds of nude (and semi-nude) photos of Chinese-Canadian star Edison Chen and other female artists were posted online; Gillian was among them.

It’s believed that the photos were stolen from Edison’s personal computer when he sent it for repair. Although Edison and Gillian (and other girls) are basically victims of the incident, their public reputation is heavily dented.

Gillian in particular has been heavily hit. She was previously seen as a role model for her healthy image, but it vanished completely after the saga; and she finds it difficult to make her career comeback in Hong Kong since then.

MTV Asia Awards (MAA) 2008 is coming to Malaysia.

MAA, one of the most popular pop events in Asia, is making its debut in Malaysia. The show will be held at the Arena of Stars in Genting City of Entertainment, Malaysia, on August 2, and will be hosted by Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars.

There will be nine regional favourite artist awards and seven international awards to be presented. Among the nominees are Avril Lavigne & Justin Timberlake & Leona Lewis (International), Chris Li (China), Andy Lau & Eason Chan & Joey Yung (Hong Kong), Big Bang & Suju & Wondergirls (Korea), Nic Teo & Siti Nurhaliza (Malaysia), Stefanie Sun (Singapore), Jolin Tsai & S.H.E (Taiwan) etc.

As far as I know, none of the celebrities have confirmed their attendance yet, but judging from the past experiences, most of the winners were pretty supportive of the show… it’s one of the largest of its kind in Asia after all.

It’s not easy to get a ticket though; it’s something that money can’t buy. The fans have to get the tickets via contests by voting for their favourite artists [details]… the fans need some luck obviously.

Karen Mok is going to co-host the event with Jared Leto. Electrico, Jabbawockeez, Leona Lewis, Li Yuchun, OneRepublic, Panic at the Disco, Pussycat Dolls, Super Junior, Stefanie Sun, The Click Five and The Script have confirmed their appearances.

Update - the winners.