Cinema of Hong Kong

Cinema of Hong Kong Demographics of Hong Kong Demographics and Culture of Hong Kong Census Hongkongers Indigenous inhabitants Languages Hong Kong Cantonese Hong Kong English Public holidays Religion Places of worship Architecture Art Cinema Cuisine Music Literature Internet culture MTR culture of Hong Kong Other Hong Kong topics Economy - Education Geography - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal EAST ASIAN CINEMA * Cinema of China * Cinema of Hong Kong * Cinema of Japan * Cinema of Korea * Cinema of Taiwan The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of political and economic freedom than Mainland China and Taiwan, and developed into a filmmaking hub for the Chinese-speaking world (including its worldwide diaspora) and for East Asia in general. For decades, Hong Kong was the third largest motion picture industry in the world (after Bollywood and Hollywood) and the second largest exporter. Despite an industry crisis starting in the mid-'90s and Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty in July 1997, Hong Kong film has retained much of its distinctive identity and continues to play a prominent part on the world cinema stage. In the West, Hong Kong's vigorous pop cinema has long had a strong cult following, which has become large enough that it is now arguably a part of the cultural mainstream, widely available and imitated. This influence has been particularly heavy on recent Hollywood trends in the action genre. Contents * 1 The Hong Kong industry o 1.1 The star system o 1.2 Budgets o 1.3 Language and sound * 2 History o 2.1 1909 to World War II + 2.1.1 Pioneers from the stage + 2.1.2 The advent of sound + 2.1.3 The advent of war o 2.2 The 1940s-1960s + 2.2.1 Competing languages + 2.2.2 Cantonese movies + 2.2.3 Mandarin movies and the Shaws/Cathay rivalry o 2.3 Years of transformation (1970s) + 2.3.1 The Cantonese comeback + 2.3.2 Golden Harvest and the rise of the independents + 2.3.3 Other transformative trends o 2.4 1980s-early 1990s: the boom years + 2.4.1 The international market + 2.4.2 Leaders of the boom + 2.4.3 Category III films + 2.4.4 Alternative cinema o 2.5 Mid-1990s-Present: Post-boom + 2.5.1 The industry in crisis + 2.5.2 Recent trends * 3 Notable persons o 3.1 Directors o 3.2 Cinematographers o 3.3 Actors o 3.4 Actresses * 4 See also * 5 Film awards * 6 References * 7 External links The Hong Kong industry Unlike many film industries, Hong Kong's has enjoyed little to no direct government support, through either subsidies or import quotas. It is a thoroughly commercial cinema: highly corporate, concentrating on crowd-pleasing genres like comedy and action, and relying heavily on formulas, sequels and remakes. Hong Kong film derives a number of elements from Hollywood, such as certain genre parameters, an ingratiating "thrill-a-minute" philosophy and fast pacing and editing. But the borrowings are filtered through elements from traditional Chinese drama and art, particularly a penchant for stylization and a disregard for Western standards of realism. This, combined with a fast and loose approach to the filmmaking process, contributes to the energy and surreal imagination that foreign audiences note in Hong Kong cinema. The star system As is common in commercial cinemas, the industy's heart is a highly developed star system. In earlier days, beloved performers from the Chinese opera stage often brought their audiences with them to the screen. For the past three or four decades, television has been a major launching pad for movie stardom, through the acting courses and widely watched drama, comedy and variety series offered by the two major stations; Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Stephen Chow are two top names who began on the small screen. Possibly even more important is the overlap with the Cantonese pop music industry. Many, if not most, movie stars have recording sidelines, and vice versa; this has been a key marketing strategy in an entertainment industry where American-style, multimedia advertising campaigns have until recently been little used (Bordwell, 2000). In the current commercially troubled climate, the casting of young Cantopop idols (such as Ekin Cheng and the Twins) to attract the all-important y! outh audience is endemic. In the small and tightly knit industry, actors (as well as other personnel like directors) are kept very busy. During previous boom periods, the number of movies made by a successful figure in a single year could routinely reach into the double digits. Budgets Films are typically low-budget in comparison with American product. A major release with a big star, aimed at "hit" status, will typically cost around US$5 million (Yang et al., 1997). A low-budget feature can go well below US$1 million. Occasional blockbuster projects by the very biggest stars (Jackie Chan or Stephen Chow, for example) or international co-productions aimed at the global market, can go as high as US$20 million or more, but these are rare exceptions. Hong Kong productions can nevertheless achieve a level of gloss and lavishness greater than these numbers might suggest, given factors like lower wages, the efficient professionalism typical of behind-the-scenes personnel, and the general lack of the expensive frills that are typical on Hollywood sets. Language and sound Since the 1980s, films have been made mostly in the Cantonese language. For decades, films were typically shot silent, with dialogue and all other sound dubbed afterwards. In the hectic and low-budget industry, this method was faster and more cost-efficient than recording live sound, particularly when using performers from different dialect regions; it also helped facilitate dubbing into other languages for the vital export market. Many busy stars would not even record their own dialogue, but would be dubbed by a lesser-known performer. Shooting without sound also contributed to an improvisatory filmmaking approach. Movies often went into production without finished scripts, with scenes and dialogue concocted on the set; especially low-budget productions on tight schedules might even have actors mouth silently or simply count numbers, with actual dialogue created only in the editing process. A trend towards sync sound filming grew in the late '90s and this method is now the norm, partly because of a widespread public association with higher quality cinema. History 1909 to World War II During its early history, Hong Kong's cinema played second fiddle to that of the Mainland, particularly the city of Shanghai, which was then the movie capital of the Chinese-speaking world. Very little of this work is extant: one count finds only four films remaining out of over 500 produced in Hong Kong before World War II (Fonoroff, 1997). Detailed accounts of this period, especially those by non-Chinese speakers, therefore have inherent limitations and uncertainties. Pioneers from the stage As in most of China, the development of early films was tightly bound to Chinese opera, for centuries the dominant form of dramatic entertainment. Opera scenes were the source for what are generally credited as the first movies made in Hong Kong, two 1909 short comedies entitled Stealing a Roasted Duck and Right a Wrong with Earthenware Dish. The director was stage actor and director Liang Shaobo. The producer was an American, Benjamin Brodsky (sometimes transliterated 'Polaski'), one of a number of Westerners who helped jumpstart Chinese film through their efforts to crack China's vast potential market. Credit for the first Hong Kong feature film is usually given to Zhuangzi Tests His Wife (1913), which also took its story from the opera stage, was helmed by a stage director and featured Brodsky's involvement. Director Lai Man-Wai (Li Ming Wei or Li Minwei in Mandarin) was a theatrical colleague of Liang Shaobo's who would become known as the "Father of Hong Kong Cinema". In another borrowing from opera, Lai played the role of wife himself. His brother played the role of husband, and his wife a supporting role as a maid, making her the first Chinese woman to act in a Chinese film, a milestone delayed by longstanding taboos regarding female performers (Leyda, 1972). Zhuangzhi was the only film made by Chinese American Film, founded by Lai and Brodsky as the first movie studio in Hong Kong, and was never actually shown in the territory (Stokes and Hoover, 1999). The following year, the outbreak of World War I put a large crimp in the development of cinema in Hong Kong, as Germany was the source of the colony's film stock (Yang, 2003). It was not until 1923 that Lai, his brother and their cousin joined with Liang Shaobo to form Hong Kong's first entirely Chinese-owned-and-operated production company, the Minxin (or China Sun) Company. In 1924, they moved their operation to the Mainland after government red tape blocked their plans to build a studio. (Teo, 1997) The advent of sound With the popularity of talkies in the early 1930s, China's many, mutually unintelligible, spoken dialects had to be grappled with. Hong Kong was a major center for Cantonese, one of the most widely spoken, and political factors on the Mainland provided other opportunities. The government of the Kuomintang or Nationalist Party wanted to enforce a "Mandarin-only" policy and was hostile to Cantonese filmmaking in China. It also banned the wildly popular wuxia genre of martial arts swordplay and fantasy, accusing it of promoting superstition and violent anarchy. Cantonese film and wuxia film remained popular despite government hostility, and the British colony of Hong Kong became a place where both of these trends could be freely served. Filmed Cantonese operas proved even more successful than wuxia and constituted the leading genre of the 1930s. Major studios that thrived in this period were Grandview, Universal, Nanyue and Tianyi (the last an early incarnation of the Shaw family dynasty that would become the most enduring and influential in Chinese film). (Teo, 1997) The advent of war Another important factor in the '30s was the Sino-Japanese War. "National defense" films - patriotic war stories about Chinese resisting the Japanese invasion - became one of Hong Kong's major genres; notable titles included Kwan Man Ching's Lifeline (1935), Chiu Shu Sun's Hand to Hand Combat (1937) and Situ Huimin's March of the Partisans (1938). The genre and the film industry were further boosted by emigre film artists and companies when Shanghai was taken by the Japanese in 1937. This of course came to an end when Hong Kong itself fell to the Japanese in December 1941. But unlike on the Mainland, the occupiers were not able to put together a collaborationist film industry. They managed to complete just one propaganda movie, The Attack on Hong Kong (1942; aka The Day of England's Collapse) before the British returned in 1945 (Teo, 1997). A more important move by the Japanese may have been to melt down many of Hong Kong's pre-war films to extract their silver nitrate for military use (Fonoroff, 1997). The 1940s-1960s Postwar Hong Kong cinema, like postwar Hong Kong industries in general, was catalyzed by the continuing influx of capital and talents from Mainland China. This became a flood with the 1946 resumption of the Chinese Civil War (which had been on hold during the fight against Japan) and then the 1949 Communist victory. These events definitively shifted the center of Chinese-language cinema to Hong Kong. The colony also did big business exporting films to Southeast Asian countries (especially but not exclusively their large Chinese expatriate communities) and to Chinatowns in Western countries (Bordwell, 2000). Competing languages The postwar era also cemented the bifurcation of the industry into two parallel cinemas, one in Mandarin, the dominant dialect of the Mainland emigres, and one in Cantonese, the dialect of most Hong Kong natives. Mandarin movies had much higher budgets and more lavish production. Reasons included their enormous export market; the expertise, capital and prestige of the Shanghai filmmakers; and the cultural prestige of Mandarin, the official language of China and the tongue of the Chinese cultural and political elite. For decades to come, Cantonese films, though sometimes more numerous, were relegated to second-tier status (Leyda, 1972). Another language-related milestone occurred in 1963: the British authorities passed a law requiring the subtitling of all films in English, supposedly to enable a watch on political content. Making a virtue of necessity, studios included Chinese subtitles as well, enabling easier access to their movies for speakers of other dialects. (Yang, 2003) Subtitling later had the unintended consequence of facilitating the movies' popularity in the West. Cantonese movies During this period, Cantonese opera on film dominated. The top stars were the female duo of Yam Kim Fai and Pak Suet Sin (Yam-Pak for short). Yam specialized in male scholar roles to Pak's female leads. They made over fifty films together, The Purple Hairpin (1959) being one of the most enduringly popular (Teo, 1997). Low-budget martial arts films were also popular. A series of roughly 100 kung fu movies starring Kwan Tak Hing as historical folk hero Wong Fei Hung were made, starting with The True Story of Wong Fei Hung (1949) and ending with Wong Fei Hung Bravely Crushing the Fire Formation (1970) (Logan, 1995). Fantasy wuxia (swordplay) serials with special effects drawn on the film by hand, such as The Six-Fingered Lord of the Lute (1965) starring teen idol Connie Chan Po-chu in the lead male role, were also popular (Chute and Lim, 2003, 3), as were contemporary melodramas of home and family life. Mandarin movies and the Shaws/Cathay rivalry In Mandarin production, Shaw Brothers and Motion Picture and General Investments Limited (MP&GI, later renamed Cathay) were the top studios by the 1960s, and bitter rivals. The Shaws gained the upper hand in 1964 after the death in a plane crash of MP&GI founder and head Loke Wan Tho. The renamed Cathay faltered, ceasing film production in 1970 (Yang, 2003). A musical genre called Hungmidio ("~'²) was derived from Chinese opera; the Shaws' record-breaking hit The Love Eterne (1963) remains the classic of the genre. Historical costume epics often overlapped with the Hungmidio, such as in The Kingdom and the Beauty (1959). (Both of the above examples were directed by Shaw's star director, Li Han Hsiang). Romantic melodramas such as Red Bloom in the Snow (1956), Love Without End (1961), The Blue and the Black (1964) and adaptations of novels by Chiung Yao were popular. So were Hollywood-style musicals, which were a particular specialty of MP&GI/Cathay in entries such as Mambo Girl (1957) and The Wild, Wild Rose (1960). In the second half of the '60s, the Shaws inaugurated a new generation of more intense, less fantastical wuxia films with glossier production values, acrobatic moves and stronger violence. The trend was inspired by the popularity of imported samurai movies from Japan (Chute and Lim, 2003, 8), as well as by the loss of movie audiences to television. This marked the crucial turn of the industry from a female-centric genre system to an action movie orientation (see also the Hong Kong action cinema article). Key trendsetters included Xu Zenghong's Temple of the Red Lotus (1965), King Hu's Come Drink with Me (1966) and Dragon Inn (1967, made in Taiwan; aka Dragon Gate Inn), and Chang Cheh's Tiger Boy (1966), The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and Golden Swallow (1968). Years of transformation (1970s) Mandarin-dialect film in general and the Shaw Brothers studio in particular began the 1970s in apparent positions of unassailable strength. Cantonese cinema virtually vanished in the face of Mandarin studios and Cantonese television, which became available to the general population in 1967; in 1972 no films in the local dialect were made (Bordwell, 2000). The Shaws saw their longtime rival Cathay ceasing film production, leaving themselves the only megastudio. The martial arts subgenre of the kung fu movie exploded into popularity internationally, with the Shaws driving and dominating the wave. But changes were beginning that would greatly alter the industry by the end of the decade. The Cantonese comeback Paradoxically, television would soon contribute to the revival of Cantonese in a movement towards more down-to-earth movies about modern Hong Kong life and average people. The first spark was the ensemble comedy The House of 72 Tenants, the only Cantonese film made in 1973, but a resounding hit. It was based on a well-known play and produced by the Shaws as a showcase for performers from their pioneering television station TVB (Yang, 2003). The return of Cantonese really took off with the comedies of former TVB stars the Hui Brothers (actor-director-screenwriter Michael Hui, actor-singer Sam Hui and actor Ricky Hui). The rationale behind the move to Cantonese was clear in the trailer for the brothers' Games Gamblers Play (1974): "Films by devoted young people with you in mind." This move back to the local audience for Hong Kong cinema paid off immediately. Games Gamblers Play initially made US$1.4 million at the Hong Kong box office, becoming the highest grossing film up to that point, even beating such favourites as the (Mandarin) films of worldwide kung fu deity Bruce Lee. The Hui movies also broke ground by satirizing the modern reality of an ascendant middle class, whose long work hours and dreams of material success were transforming the colony into a modern industrial and corporate giant (Teo, 1997). Cantonese comedy thrived and Cantonese production skyrocketed; Mandarin hung on into the early '80s, but h! as been relatively rare onscreen since. Golden Harvest and the rise of the independents In 1970, former Shaw Brothers executives Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho left to form their own studio, Golden Harvest. The upstart's more flexible and less tightfisted approach to the business outmaneuvered the Shaws' old-style studio. Chow and Ho landed contracts with rising young performers who had fresh ideas for the industry, like Bruce Lee and the Hui Brothers, and allowed them greater creative latitude than was traditional. By the end of the '70s, Golden Harvest was the top studio, signing up Jackie Chan, the kung fu comedy actor-filmmaker who would spend the next twenty years as Asia's biggest box office draw (Chan and Yang, 1998, pp. 164-165; Bordwell, 2000). Meanwhile, the explosions of Cantonese and kung fu and the example of Golden Harvest had created more space for independent producers and production companies. The era of the studio juggernauts was past. The Shaws nevertheless continued film production until 1985 before turning entirely to television (Teo, 1997). Other transformative trends The rapidly growing permissiveness in film content that was general in much of the world affected Hong Kong film as well. A genre of softcore erotica known as fengyue became a local staple (the name is a contraction of a Chinese phrase implying seductive decadence). Such material did not suffer as much of a stigma in Hong Kong as in most Western countries; it was more or less part of the mainstream, sometimes featuring contributions from major directors such as Chor Yuen and Li Han Hsiang and often crossbreeding with other popular genres like martial arts, the costume film and especially comedy (Teo, 1997; Yang, 2003). Violence also grew more intense and graphic, particularly at the instigation of martial arts filmmakers. Director Lung Kong blended these trends into the social-issue dramas which he had already made his specialty with late '60s Cantonese classics like The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (1967) and Teddy Girls (1969). In the '70s, he began directing in Mandarin and brought exploitation elements to serious films about subjects like prostitution (The Call Girls and Lina), the atomic bomb (Hiroshima 28) and the fragility of civilized society (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, which portrayed a plague-decimated, near-future Hong Kong). (Teo, 1997) The brief career of Tang Shu Shuen, the territory's first noted woman director, produced two films, The Arch (1970) and China Behind (1974), that were trailblazers for a local, socially critical art cinema. They are also widely considered forerunners of the last major milestone of the decade, the so-called Hong Kong New Wave that would come from outside the traditional studio hierarchy and point to new possibilities for the industry (Bordwell, 2000). 1980s-early 1990s: the boom years The 1980s and early '90s saw seeds planted in the '70s come to full flower: the triumph of Cantonese, the birth of a new and modern cinema, superpower status in the East Asian market, and the turning of the West's attention to Hong Kong film. A cinema of greater technical polish and more sophisticated visual style, including the first forays into up-to-date special effects technology, sprang up quickly. To this surface dazzle, the new cinema added an eclectic mixing and matching of genres, and a penchant for pushing the boundaries of sensationalistic content. Slapstick comedy, sex, the supernatural, and above all action (of both the martial arts and cops-and-criminals varieties) ruled, occasionally all in the same film. The international market During this period, the Hong Kong industry was one of the few in the world that thrived in the face of the increasing global dominance of Hollywood. Indeed, it came to exert a comparable dominance in its own region of the world. The regional audience had always been vital, but now more than ever Hong Kong product filled theaters and video shelves in places like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea. Taiwan became at least as important a market to Hong Kong film as the local one; in the early '90s the once-robust Taiwanese film industry came close to extinction under the onslaught of Hong Kong imports (Bordwell, 2000). They even found a lesser foothold in Japan, with its own highly developed and better-funded cinema and strong taste for American movies; Jackie Chan in particular became popular there. Almost accidentally, Hong Kong also reached further into the West, building upon the attention gained during the '70s kung fu craze. Availability in Chinatown theaters and video shops allowed the movies to be discovered by Western film cultists attracted by their "exotic" qualities and excesses. An emergence into the wider popular culture gradually followed over the coming years. Leaders of the boom The trailblazer was production company Cinema City, founded in 1980 by comedians Karl Maka, Raymond Wong and Dean Shek. It specialized in contemporary comedy and action, slickly produced according to explicitly prescribed commercial formulas. The lavish, effects-filled spy spoof Aces Go Places (1982) and its numerous sequels epitomized the much-imitated "Cinema City style." (Yang, 2003) Directors and producers Tsui Hark and Wong Jing can be singled out as definitive figures of this era. Tsui was a notorious Hong Kong New Wave tyro who symbolized that movement's absorption into the mainstream, becoming the industry's central trendsetter and technical experimenter (Yang et al., 1997, p. 75). The even more prolific Wong is, by most accounts, the most commercially successful and critically reviled Hong Kong filmmaker of the last two decades, with his relentless output of aggressively crowd-pleasing and cannily marketed pulp films. Other hallmarks of this era included the gangster or "Triad" movie fad launched by director John Woo, producer and long-time actor Alan Tang Kwong-Wing and dominated by actor Chow Yun-Fat; romantic melodramas and martial arts fantasies starring Brigitte Lin; the comedies of stars like Cherie Chung and Stephen Chow; and contemporary, stunt-driven kung fu action epitomized by the work of Jackie Chan. Category III films The government's introduction of a film ratings system in 1988 had a certainly unintended effect on subsequent trends. The "Category III" (adults only) rating became an umbrella for the rapid growth of pornographic and generally outr films; however, while considered graphic by Chinese standards, these films would be more on par with movies rated "R" or "NC-17" in the United States, and not "XXX". By the height of the boom in the early '90s, roughly half of the theatrical features produced were Category III-rated softcore erotica descended from the fengyue movies of the '70s. (Yang, 2003) A definitive example of a mainstream Category III hit was Michael Mak's Sex and Zen (1991), a period comedy inspired by The Carnal Prayer Mat, the seventeenth century classic of comic-erotic literature by Li Yu (Dannen and Long, 1997). The rating also covered a fad for grisly, taboo-tweaking exploitation and horror films, often supposedly based on true crime stories, such as Dr. Lamb (1992), The Untold Story (1993) and Ebola Syndrome (1996). Since the mid-'90s, the trend has withered with the shrinking of the general Hong Kong film market and the wider availability of pornography in home video formats (Bordwell, 2000). Alternative cinema In this landscape of pulp, there remained some ground for an alternative cinema or art cinema, due at least in part to the influence of the New Wave. Some New Wave filmmakers such as Ann Hui and Yim Ho continued to earn acclaim with personal and political films made at the edges of the mainstream. The second half of the '80s also saw the emergence of what is sometimes called a "Second Wave." These younger directors included names like Stanley Kwan, Clara Law and her partner Eddie Fong, Mabel Cheung, Lawrence Ah Mon and Wong Kar-wai. Like the New Wavers, they tended to be graduates of overseas film schools and local television apprenticeships, and to be interested in going beyond the usual, commercial subject matters and styles (Teo, 1997). These artists began to earn Hong Kong unprecedented attention and respect in international critical circles and the global film festival circuit. In particular, Wong Kar-wai's work in the 1990s has made him the most internationally acclaimed and award-winning filmmaker yet to come out of Hong Kong. Mid-1990s-Present: Post-boom The industry in crisis During the 1990s, the Hong Kong film industry underwent a drastic decline from which it has not recovered. Domestic ticket sales had already started to drop in the late '80s, but the regional audience kept the industry booming into the early years of the next decade (Teo, 1997). But by the mid-'90s, it went into freefall. Revenues were cut in half. By the decade's end, the number of films produced in a typical year dropped from an early '90s high of well over 200 to somewhere around 100 (it should be noted, however, that a large part of this reduction was in the "Category III" softcore pornography area [Bordwell, 2000].) American blockbuster imports began to regularly top the box office for the first time in decades. Ironically, this was the same period during which Hong Kong cinema emerged into something like mainstream visibility in the U.S. and began exporting popular figures to Hollywood. Numerous, converging factors have been blamed for the downturn: * The Asian financial crisis, which dried up traditional sources of film finance as well as regional audiences' leisure spending money. * Overproduction, attended by a drop in quality control and an exhaustion of overused formulas (Yang, 2003). * A costly early '90s boom in building of modern multiplexes and an attendant rise in ticket prices (Teo, 1997). * An increasingly cosmopolitan, upwardly mobile Hong Kong middle class, that often looks down upon local films as cheap and tawdry. * Rampant video piracy throughout East Asia. * A newly aggressive push by Hollywood studios into the Asian market. The greater access to the Mainland that came with the July '97 handover to China was not as much of a boon as hoped, and presented its own problems, particularly with regard to censorship. The industry had one of its darkest years in 2003. In addition to the continuing slump, a SARS virus outbreak kept many theaters virtually empty for a time and shut down film production for four months; only fifty-four movies were made (Li, 2004). The unrelated deaths of two of Hong Kong's most enduringly popular singer/actors, Leslie Cheung, 46, and Anita Mui, 40, rounded out the bad news. The Hong Kong Government in April 2003 introduced a Film Guarantee Fund as an incentive to local banks to become involved in the motion picture industry. The guarantee operates to secure a percentage of monies loaned by banks to film production companies. The Fund has received a mixed reception from industry participants, and less than enthusiastic reception from financial institutions who perceive investment in local films as high risk ventures with little collateral. Film guarantee legal documents commissioned by the Hong Kong Government in late April 2003 are based on Canadian documents, which have limited relevance to the local industry. Recent trends Efforts by local filmmakers to retool their product have had middling results overall. These include technically glossier visuals, including much digital imagery; greater use of Hollywood-style mass marketing techniques; and heavy reliance on casting teen-friendly Cantopop music stars. Successful genre cycles in the late '90s and early 2000s have included: American-styled, high-tech action pictures such as Downtown Torpedoes (1997), Gen-X Cops and Purple Storm (both '99); the "Triad kids" subgenre launched by Young and Dangerous (1996); yuppie-centric romantic comedies like The Truth About Jane and Sam (1999), When I Fall in Love...With Both (2000) and Love on a Diet (2001); and supernatural chillers like Horror Hotline: Big-Head Monster (2001) and The Eye (2002), often modeled on the Japanese horror films then making an international splash. In the 2000s, there have been some bright spots. Milkyway Image Productions, founded by filmmakers Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai in the mid-'90s, has had considerable critical and commercial success, especially with offbeat and character-driven crime films like The Mission (2000) and Running on Karma (2003). An even more successful example of the genre was the blockbuster Infernal Affairs trilogy (2002-2003) of police thrillers co-directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. Comedian Stephen Chow, the most consistently popular screen star of the '90s, directed and starred in Shaolin Soccer (2001) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004); these used digital special effects to push his distinctive humor into new realms of the surreal and became the territory's two highest-grossing films to date, garnering numerous awards locally and internationally. Still, some observers believe that, given the depressed state of the industry and the rapidly strengthening economic and political ties among Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, the distinctive entity of Hong Kong cinema that emerged after World War II may have a limited lifespan. The lines between the mainland and Hong Kong industries are ever more blurred, especially now that China is producing increasing numbers of slick, mass-appeal popular films. Predictions are notoriously difficult in this rapidly changing part of the world, but the trend may be towards a more pan-Chinese cinema, as existed in the first half of the twentieth century. Notable persons Directors * Fruit Chan * Samson Chiu * King Hu * Ann Hui * Michael Hui * Wong Jing * Yuen Woo-ping * John Woo * Wong Kar-wai * Tsui Hark * Stanley Tong * Johnnie To * Patrick Tam * Stanley Kwan * Ringo Lam Cinematographers * Christopher Doyle * Peter Pau Actors * Alan Tang * Jackie Chan * Leslie Cheung * David Chiang * Stephen Chow * Chow Yun-Fat * Ekin Cheng * Sammo Hung * Yuen Biao * Eric Tsang * Leon Lai * Andy Lau * Anthony Wong * Bruce Lee * Tony Leung Chiu Wai * Tony Leung Ka Fai Actresses * Zhi-Gong Chen * Sammi Cheng * Maggie Cheung * Ivy Ling Po * Linda Lin Dai * Fung Bo Bo * Xia Meng * Michelle Yeoh * Sally Yeh * Betty Loh Ti * Anita Mui * Michelle Reis See also * World cinema * Asian cinema * East Asian cinema * Hong Kong action cinema * Hong Kong in films * Hong Kong Movie Database * Heroic bloodshed * Mo Lei tau comedies * Emperor Entertainment Group * List of Hong Kong films * List of cinemas in Hong Kong * Chinese Animation Film awards * Hong Kong Film Awards References * Bordwell, David. Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-674-00214-8 * Chan, Jackie, with Jeff Yang. I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action. New York: Ballantine, 1998. ISBN 0-345-41503-5 * Chute, David, and Cheng-Sim Lim, eds. Heroic Grace: The Chinese Martial Arts Film. Los Angeles: UCLA Film and Television Archive, 2003. (Film series catalog; no ISBN.) * Dannen, Fredric, and Barry Long. Hong Kong Babylon: The Insider's Guide to the Hollywood of the East. New York: Miramax, 1997. ISBN 0-7868-6267-X * Fonoroff, Paul. Silver Light: A Pictorial History of Hong Kong Cinema, 1920-1970. Hong Kong: Joint Publishing, 1997. ISBN 962-04-1304-0 * Leyda, Jay. Dianying/Electric Shadows: An Account of Films and the Film Audience in China. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1972. * Li Cheuk-to. "Journal: Hong Kong." Film Comment September-October 2004: pp. 10-12. * Logan, Bey. Hong Kong Action Cinema. Woodstock, NY: The Overlook Press, 1995. ISBN 0-87951-663-1 * Stokes, Lisa Odham, and Michael Hoover. City on Fire: Hong Kong Cinema. London: Verso, 1999. ISBN 1-85984-203-8 * Teo, Stephen. Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimensions. London: British Film Institute, 1997. ISBN 0-85170-514-6 * Yang, Jeff. Once Upon a Time in China: A Guide to Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema. New York: Atria, 2003. ISBN 0-7434-4817-0 * Yang, Jeff, and Dina Gan, Terry Hong and the staff of A. magazine. Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. ISBN 039576341X Cinema of Hong Kong,Hong Kong

List of gangster films

List of gangster films This is a list of films about organized crime. * 10th & Wolf * The 51st State * American Me * Analyze This o Analyze That * Angels with Dirty Faces * As Tears Go By * Bella Mafia * Belly * A Better Tomorrow * A Better Tomorrow II * Billy Bathgate * Blood In Blood Out * Bob Le Flambeur * Bonnano: A Godfather's Story * Bonnie and Clyde * Boss of Bosses * Branded to Kill * A Bronx Tale * Bugsy Malone * Bullet in the Head * Bullets Over Broadway * The Business * Carlito's Way * Casino * City of God * City on Fire * The Client * Collateral * Corky Romano * Crazy Joe * Criss Cross * The Departed * Le Deuxime Souffle * Deuces Wild * Dick Tracy * Doorway To Hell * Donnie Brasco * 8 Heads In A Duffel Bag * Election * The Enforcer * Excellent Cadavers * Fallen Angels * The Firm * The Freshman * Full Contact * The Funeral * Fury * The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight * G-Men * Gangster No. 1 * Gangster Wars * Get Carter * Get Rich Or Die Tryin' * Get Shorty * Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai * The Girl Who Knew Too Much * Gloria * The Godfather o The Godfather Part II o The Godfather Part III * The Godson * Gone In 60 Seconds * Gonin * Gotti * Goodfellas * Hard Boiled * Heat * The Hebrew Hammer * Heist * Helpless * A History of Violence * Hoffa * Hoodlum * I, Mobster * Infernal Affairs o Infernal Affairs II o Infernal Affairs III * Jackie Brown * Johnny Dangerously * Juice * Key Largo * The Killer * The Killing * King of New York * Knockaround Guys * The Krays * La Scorta * The Last Gangster * Lansky * The Last Don 1 o The Last Don 2 * The Last Shot * The Mob * Last Man Standing * Layer Cake * Leon: The Professional * Little Caesar * Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels * The Lost Capone * Love and a Bullet * Lucky Number Slevin * Mad Dog Time o Mad Dog and Glory * Mafia! * Mafia Princess * El Mariachi * Married to the Mob * Mean Streets * The Mechanic * Menace II Society * The Mexican * Mickey Blue Eyes * Miller's Crossing * Mobsters * Mob Story * Mob War * Monument Ave * My Blue Heaven * Once Upon a Time in America * On the Waterfront * Oscar * The Outfit * Paleflower * Payback * Pigs and Battleships * Pointblank * Poolhall Junkies * Prime Cut * Prizzy's Honor * Pulp Fiction * The Public Enemy * The Purple Gang * Resevoir Dogs * Rififi * Road to Perdition * The Roaring Twenties * Le Samoura• * Scarface (1932) * Scarface (1983) * Serpico * Sexy Beast * Shaft * Smart Money * Snatch * Sontanine * Southie * The Squeeze * St. Valentine's Day Massacre * State of Grace * The Sting o The Sting II * Suicide Kings * Thief * Tokyo Drifter * Underworld * The Untouchables * The Usual Suspects * The Valachi Papers * Young and Dangerous * Youth of the Beast * White Heat * Who's Quentin? * Witness to the Mob gangster films,organized crime

Vicki Zhao



Zhao Wei (Simplified Chinese: Traditional Chinese: pinyin: Zhào WÄ"i; born 12 March 1976 in Wuhu, Anhui, China) is a Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao. After being chosen to work as an extra on a filming set, Zhao developed a passion for acting. While studying at Beijing Film Academy, Zhao participated in various film projects. Zhao's breakout role as a leading actress was in Princess Pearl, a television series. In 1999, after Princess Pearl was broadcast, Zhao also began a singing career with her first album, Swallow. After her breakthrough, Zhao has been involved in numerous controversies about her personal and professional lives, including posing in a dress resembling Japanese war flag. Throughout her career, Zhao has engaged herself in more varied roles, such as Lu Yiping in Romance in the Rain, a policewoman named An Xin in Jade Goddess of Mercy, the playful Qu Ran in A Time to Love, and the gentle, intelligent Yao Mulan Moment in Peking. She has also remained active in her music, recording several albums since 1999. Anhui Province, China, Zhao was the second child of Zhao Jiahai and Wei Qiying . Her father, Zhao Jiahai, was an appliance designer. Zhao had one older brother, named Zhao Jian. She graduated from Teachers’ College Elementary School (Shi Fan Fu Xiao) and Teachers’ College High School (17th Secondary School Shi Fan). Originally, Zhao was working towards a career in teaching, like her mother. At the time, Zhao claimed to have never considered the prospect of an acting career. "I thought actresses had to be beautiful, and I thought I was ordinary", Zhao commented on occasion.[1] However, in 1993, a filming crew arrived in Wuhu looking for extras for the film Hua Hun, starring Gong Li. Afterwards, Zhao decided to pursue an acting career. Looking for ways to leave town, Zhao looked for opportunities to enroll in a film school. She later discovered a new film arts school in Shanghai, opened by the renowed director Xie Jin. In 1996, Zhao received first class results in her entr! ance exam to Beijing Film Academy's Performance Institute. She graduated from there in 2000. Early work, 1993-1997 Zhao received her first experience behind the camera in 1993 when she was chosen to act as an extra in Hua Hua, a film starring Gong Li. In 1995, after completing her high school exams, Zhao decided to star in her first television series, Yu Tian You Gu Shi. The same year, she was hired by Xie Jin, the director that opened Xie Jin's Star Academy, to star in one of his movies, Penitentiary Angel. This was the first time Zhao had a substantial role in any work. Zhao herself did not find her performance fulfilling, but treated it as a valuable experience. "My performance was pretty terrible." says Zhao, "but if you've been in a film by a famous director, no matter how well you did, then other less-famous directors will want to use you." Rise to prominence, 1998-2002 After playing minor roles in various series and films, Zhao received her first leading role in a series called Sisters in Beijing. There, she was spotted by famous Taiwanese romance writer Chiung Yao, who was looking for actors. At the time, Chiung Yao commented that Zhao was a little chubby but talented. In 1997, Zhao had lost some weight and was offered one of the leading roles in Chiung Yao's television series Princess Pearl. Filming the television series Princess Pearl was an arduous task for Zhao and her co-stars. Zhao herself acknowledged the intensity of filming: “We shot 18 to 20 hours a day. There were two groups of actors. One shot during the day, one at night. Frequently I'd have to do both. A few times I worked so hard that I actually threw up from the exertion. But I was young then. I didn't get tired easily. And I never complained about the working conditions. I thought that's just how it was supposed to be. Now I know that's wrong. But at the time I had no clue. Whatever they'd give me, I'd do. And as soon as I was done working I could just fall asleep. They'd say, 'Go to sleep,' and I'd go right to sleep.” The hard work of the cast yieled unexpected results. After Princess Pearl was broadcast, it enjoyed the highest ratings in China. Zhao quickly rose to prominence. In 1999, she became the youngest actress to win the Golden Eagle Awards (Mainland China's version of the Emmy award) for "Best Actress." Zhao's performance received critical acclaim in Taiwan as well; Zhao was named as one of Taiwan's "Top Ten Most Outstanding Individuals in Television Industry." In 2000, she was once again received this award. Following this, she continually to star in a number of successful television series and movies and released a number of well-sold albums. Following her role Princess Pearl, Zhao became a prominent actress in China. Feeling that she had achieved all she could in television, she went on to star in a few movies in Hong Kong. In 2001, she guest starred in the box office hit Shaolin Soccer alongside Hong Kong actor, director, and producer Stephen Chow. In there, Zhao played an unattractive bun maker, turning away from the cute image she had earned from her role in Princess Pearl. The actress herself expressed disgust at her image in the movie, commenting: "Have you seen it? I looked disgusting in it." However, Zhao feels her role in Shaolin Soccer was also a learning experience for her. "I wanted a challenge", Zhao commented in an interview. "And he really gave it to me. In China people think I'm cute; he didn't let me look cute. People say I have big eyes; he taped them down. My old characters were all kind of wild; here I was very subdued. Everything I did before, he reversed." Also in 2001, she filmed another series written by Chiung Yao titled Romance in the Rain. Zhao participated on a romantic comedy produced by Wong Kar Wai under director Jeff Lau as "Princess Phoenix" in Chinese Odyssey 2002 together with Tony Leung Chin Wai, Faye Wong, and Chang Chen. Zhao was nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" at 39th Golden Horse Awards. In 2002, Zhao worked with actresses Shu Qi and Karen Mok in So Close. The film, directed by Corey Yuen, was relatively successful, mostly because of its three female leads. Stardom, 2003-present After filming Romance in the Rain, Zhao began focusing on filming movies. In 2003, Zhao starred in four films - My Dream Girl, Warriors of Heaven and Earth, Green Tea, and Jade Goddess of Mercy. Each film was critically acclaimed and presented Zhao in a different role. One of these four films, Jade Goddess of Mercy, was directed by Ann Hui, a well-known director in Asia. It co-starred Nicholas Tse, a popular singer-actor from Taiwan. After much speculation over who would receive the female lead in Hui's new film, Jade Goddess of Mercy, the lead role (An Xin) was finally offered to Zhao. Starring in the film elevated Zhao's stardom even more. Zhao received critical acclaim for her role. In 2004, the 10th Movie Academic Society presented her the "Golden Phoenix Award" for her role in Jade Goddess of Mercy. Reviews were generally positive. In TIME Asia magazine's review of Jade Goddess of Mercy, reviewer Bryan Walsh commented: "Despite plot twists that strain credulity, the fil! m works, thanks mostly to Zhao's soulful performance as a cop torn between love, duty and motherhood. With her elfin stature, Zhao couldn't intimidate a jaywalker, but her convincing portrayal confirms her status as one of China's best actresses."[8] On numerous occasions, Zhao has told reporters about the respect she has for Ann Hui, the director of the film. In an article by Time Asia, Zhao recalled: "In the morning, when I'd come to the set, Ann would scrutinize my face and eyes to see if they were bright or dull. And she'd say, 'I can see you slept well last night.' She really understood the actors she was working with, as if we were precision instruments."[1] In 2004, Zhao was cast to dub the character Princess Fiona when Shrek 2 was released in China. Further, she won the "Most Popular Actress" award (the equivalent of a Best Actress award) at the 11th Beijing Student Film Festival for her performance in Warriors of Heaven and Earth[10], even though she only had 25 lines of dialogue in the entire movie. 2005 proved to be a successful year for Zhao after she won the Best Actress award at the Shanghai International Film Festival and tied with Zhang Ziyi for the Huabiao Award, the highest governmental award towards the film industry.[10] Both were for her performance in A Time to Love. Zhao once again won "Best Actress" for her performance in A Time To Love at The 8th Changchun China Film Festival in 2006. Finally, after a four year break from television series, Zhao starred as Yao Mulan in a remake of Lin Yutang's Moment in Peking. When audiences compared Zhao's Yao Mulan with the previous actress who portrayed Yao Mulan, 80% of audiences preferred Zhao's performance. In conjunction, she was ranked No. 4 on Forbes' 2006 List of Top Chinese Celebrities. In June 2006, Zhao was selected by voters as the "Most Popular Mainland Actress" at the 2nd Top Chinese TV Drama Awards Critics and magazines regularly rate Zhao as one of the most successful actresses in the contemporary Chinese acting industry. Following her performance in Moment in Peking, Zhao went on to star in two films in 2006. The first of these two films, The Postmodern Life of My Aunt, premiered at film festivals around the world, including the Toronto International Film Festival. Her guest starring role in the film resulted in Zhao's second Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Golden Horse Awards. Meanwhile, Zhao portrayed a taxi driver in her other film, The Longest Night in Shanghai. In this rare Sino-Japanese collaboration, Zhao starred alongside Japanese actor Masahiro Motoki and Taiwanese actor Dylan Kuo. The film is expected to be released in May 2007. In 2006, Zhao took an exam for a Masters' class in directing at her alma mater, Beijing Film Academy. After passing with flying colors, Zhao returned to Beijing Film Academy in September of 2006 as a graduate student in the Directing Department. Currently, she is studying under the instruction of the famed director Tian Zhuangzhuang. Zhao's newest television series is titled Thank You for Having Loved Me. For her role in the series, Zhao received a salary of 100,000 RMB per episode.[17] After three months of filming during the summer in Shanghai, the series was completed in September 2006. It is scheduled to be broadcast possibly by the end of 2006. In 1999, Zhao also entered the music industry and released her first album, Swallow. It included several tunes from the series Princess Pearl. The album was relatively successful and received several awards; critics commented on Zhao's potential in the music industry. In 1999, China's Pop Songs Chart Committee presented Zhao the "Best Potential Award" for her debut album. The same year in Hong Kong, Radio Hong Kong awarded Zhao the "Best Progress Award." Moreover, Radio Hong Kong presented Zhao an "Outstanding Mandarin Song Bronze Award" for her single "There is a Girl". Originally, "There is a Girl" was a theme in Zhao's breakthrough series, Princess Returning Pearl. Following Zhao's debut in the music industry, she has released several other albums. The same year, Magic of Love was released. In 2001, Zhao released the album The Last Separation, based on her recent breakup with her boyfriend. Zhao's first three albums sold well in China, selling over 3 million copies, but received a lukewarm response from critics. As part of the soundtrack for Romance in the Rain, Zhao performed several songs written by Chiung Yao. In the actual television series, Zhao's character, Lu Yiping, also performed many songs. After taking a three-year break from singing to focus on her acting work, in 2004 Zhao released the album Piao, meaning "moving as time goes by." Zhao recorded this album in hopes of coping with the rumours about her. Fans and critics alike feel Zhao's new album shows a more mature and expressive singing technique. Included in the album were hits such as "Jian Jian" and "Continuous Rainy Sunday." Following the release of Piao, Zhao's music career flourished. At the 12th East Music Awards, Zhao won the Best Stage Performance Award. Furthermore, at the 5th Pepsi Music Chart Awards, Zhao was selected as Mainland's Most Popular Female Singer Following the success of Piao, Zhao released another album titled Double . This album included the popular hits "One Tiny Part" and "Shangguan Yan and I". It also included "Fa Xian" (literally "Realize"), based on the theme song of Moment in Peking. The success of Double resulted in Zhao winning "Most Popular Female Artist" at the 13th East Music Awards. Her music career is highlighted by her wins in the Channel V's 12th Chinese Music Billboard Event in 2006. Zhao won awards for Most Popular Female Artist and Most Popular Music Video for her music video "Shangguan Yan and I." Zhao was also awarded MTV Asia's Favourite Artist from Mainland China. As a result of her fame, Zhao Wei has been a regular subject of tabloids. In 2001, a woman named Zou Xue published a picture of Zhao wearing a dress with a Japanese military flag on the cover of Bazaar Magazine.[24] The Chinese saw it as a sign of disrespecting government policy, as well as the sensibilities of Chinese. The Chinese, still angry over the war with Japan, responded furiously. Zhao's relations with mainland audiences were strained. At a concert, she was tackled by Fu Shenghua, a construction worker who said his grandparents had been killed during the war. He smeared her face with feces. Reflecting upon his actions, Fu told a Chinese magazine: "I know what I did wasn't right. But I believe my cause was just... As a famous Chinese person, she should have been aware of such an important event in Chinese history." In 2004, Zhao was involved in further controversy when a pregnant woman named Zou Xue accused Zhao Wei of beating her. Zou was also the woman who published the picture of Zhao wearing the Japanese dress. Zhao and Zou worked as business partners to open the bar Z1 in Beijing.[24] Zou claimed that Zhao had instructed her chauffeur to hit Zou after a business dispute between the two in July. At the time, Zou was eight months pregnant. In response, Zou filed a lawsuit and asked for a compensation of 2,246.6 yuan, as well as a public apology. Zhao denied hitting Zou and avoided involvement in legal matters, continuing to film her television series Moment in Peking. After filing a lawsuit against Zhao, Zou welcomed journalists, while Zhao ignored them. Zou also claimed that Zhao often used drugs with her friends at their bar, Z1. In addition, she told the press that Zhao was often vulgar and abusive towards her staff. In response, Zhao's brother, Zhao Jian, is protesting that Zou purposely published the picture of Zhao Wei in the "Military Flag" dress as an attack against her. Throughout the past years, a few of Zhao's movies, such as Green Tea, Jade Goddess of Mercy, and A Time to Love did not receive high box office earnings. Because of this, the media criticized Zhao as the "bane of the box office", or "box office poison." When reporters confronted Zhao about this, she has expressed discomfort and frustration. In response to this label, Zhao commented: "I don't mind people saying I'm not good. I know my own weakness and limits, but I've always tried my best in what I do. To label me as 'bane of box office' just because the earnings of a couple of movies are not ideal is not fair. Besides, a movie's success does not depend on a single person. Hence, such talk is very biased and subjective. Anyway, this is not the first time, so I feel there's no need to respond to such baseless remarks."” After winning the Best Actress Award at the 2005 Shanghai International Film Festival, Zhao became the subject of controversy. Several reporters felt she did not deserve the award.In 2006, Zhao became involved in more tabloid speculation. Rumours spread that she was fighting with actresses Sun Li and Li Bingbing over a role as a "salon girl" in Falling Leaves. Zhao cleared up these rumours by stating she would not be acting as a "salon girl." After rising to prominence, Zhao became actively involved in commercial work. In 2001, she was selected as one of China's Top Ten Most Popular Commercial Models. Her nomination was a result of her commerical work for Red Earth and Amoisonic Mobile Phone.The same year, Zhao was ranked second on "China's Top 10 Artiste for Advertisement" list. On several occasions, Zhao has also been praised by the media for her sense of style. At the Lycra Channel Young Award, Zhao was chosen as the "Most Trendy Female Actress" in Mainland China. The same year, MTV China also selected Zhao as the "Most Stylish Asian Actress." Zhao also garnered another fashion award at the 2004 Pierre Cardin Awards. Zhao was awarded the "Stylish Female Singer and Stylish Actress" at the China Fashion Award (CFA) in 2005. Throughout her career, the media has made many speculations about Zhao's personal life, including relationships with several of her co-stars. However, Zhao has attempted to keep her relationships private. In 2001, Zhao broke up with her long-term boyfriend. As a result, Chiung Yao wrote her the song "Zuihou Yici Fenshou", directly translated as "The Last Separation." In 2004, Zhao ended her relationship with Wang Yu. After Zhao's refusal to star in Princess Pearl 3, actress Huang Yi was selected to replace Zhao in her famed role as "Xiao Yan Zi." When Zhao's past boyfriend, Wang Yu, began dating Huang Yi in 2005, it became a popular subject in the media. The media often depicted a feud between the two actresses. Zhao herself has not expressed any regret regarding her relationship with Wang Yu. "After becoming an artiste, I've obtained a lot, but I also lost many things. I got a job that I like; I had many opportunities, and I also got many kinds of love." On occasion, Zhao has discussed her love life with reporters. "I'm not anxious. I have several friends who are over thirty years old, and they are also unmarried. So there's really no hurry. Right now, career comes first..." Zhao Wei stressed that she will not give up her acting career even after she gets married, as acting is her passion. "If I stop acting, I will not have anything to focus on. Life will be so empty, and I definitely can't endue such emptiness. So, my would-be husband must understand me on this issue." After rising to prominence, Zhao has been actively involved in projects for various causes. In 2002, Zhao set up a scholarship fund in Wuhu, her hometown. In 2006, Zhao, along with her former classmate Chen Kun, was chosen to represent YALU, a fashion company. YALU had set up a fund of 5 million RMB to help the construction of new villages in China. Recently, Zhao attended a charity banquet in December 2006. The banquet, held in Beijing, raised money for the Yanran Angel Foundation, an organization established by Zhao's friend Faye Wong.

Esther Zimmering

Date of birth 6 January 1977, Potsdam, German Democratic Republic [now Brandenburg, Federal Republic of Germany] Actress: * In Production * 2000s * 1990s 1. Hochzeit um jeden Preis (2007) (TV) (post-production) .... Franka 2. Vivere (2007) (completed) .... Franceska Conchiglia 3. "Sperling" .... Fatima (1 episode, 2007) - Sperling und die kalte Angst (2007) TV Episode .... Fatima 4. "Donna Roma" (2007) TV Series .... Maria (unknown episodes) 5. Blaue Affe, Der (2006) .... Marie 6. Lulu (2006) (TV) .... GrŠfin Geschwitz 7. Blindes Vertrauen (2005) (TV) .... Paula 8. Im Schwitzkasten (2005) .... Flugbegleiterin 9. "Polizeiruf 110" .... Aschberg (1 episode, 2005) - Die PrŸfung (2005) TV Episode .... Aschberg 10. Gisela (2005) .... Bettina 11. "Tatort" .... Manu (1 episode, 2005) - Scheherazade (2005) TV Episode .... Manu 12. "Blond: Eva Blond!" .... Laura (1 episode, 2004) - Wie das Leben so spielt (2004) TV Episode .... Laura 13. Kleine Schwester (2004) (TV) .... Romy 14. Fu§fesselmšrder, Der (2003) (TV) .... Kathrin Bahro ... aka Unforgiven (International: English title) 15. Berlin Beshert (2002) .... Barbara, Leah's 1st date ... aka Kosher Love in Berlin? (Germany) 16. Liebe entgegen, Der (2002) (TV) .... Lisa 17. Nachtrausch (2002) ... aka Elated by Night (International: English title) 18. Strelitz (2001) .... Tina 19. "Letzte Zeuge, Der" (1 episode, 1998) - Wenn sich zwei Monde kreuzen (1998) TV Episode Self: 1. "DAS!" .... Herself (1 episode, 2003) - Episode dated 11 February 2003 (2003) TV Episode .... Herself

Patrycia Ziolkowska

Date of birth 1979, Poland Sometimes Credited As Patrycja Ziolkowska / Patryzia Ziolkowska Actress: * In Production * 2000s 1. Yasamin kiyisinda (2007) (post-production) .... Lotte Staub 2. "Stubbe - Von Fall zu Fall" .... Jutta (2 episodes, 2006-2007) ... aka Von Fall zu Fall (Germany) - Schmutzige GeschŠfte (2007) TV Episode .... Jutta - VerhŠngnisvolle Freundschaft (2006) TV Episode .... Jutta 3. "Nikola" .... Natasha (1 episode, 2005) - Die Russenbraut (2005) TV Episode .... Natasha 4. "Wolffs Revier" .... Ina Blessing (1 episode, 2005) ... aka Wolff's Turf (International: English title) - Wege zum Ruhm (2005) TV Episode .... Ina Blessing 5. "Rettungsflieger, Die" .... Insa Sartorius (1 episode, 2004) - Der Ersatzmann (2004) TV Episode .... Insa Sartorius 6. Rien ne va plus (2004) .... Frau Kah 7. HŸhnchen rupfen (2003) 8. "Tatort" .... Mila Moosbach / ... (3 episodes, 2002-2003) - Im Visier (2003) TV Episode (as Patryzia Ziolkowska) .... Mila Moosbach - Schatten (2002) TV Episode .... Silke Wulf - Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf (2002) TV Episode (as Patrycja Ziolkowska) .... Monika Wlodarczyka 9. "Starkes Team, Ein" (1 episode, 2003) - Das gro§e Schweigen (2003) TV Episode 10. "Ermittler, Der" .... Tanja (1 episode, 2003) - Der Traum vom GlŸck (2003) TV Episode .... Tanja 11. Morgen (2002/I) .... Tramperin 12. Solino (2002) .... Jo 13. Vorspiel mit Nachspiel (2001) (TV) .... Katrin 14. Anam (2001) .... Mandy ... aka My Mother (USA)

Zhang Ziyi

Zhang Ziyi (born February 9, 1979 in Beijing, China) is one of the most well-known Chinese film actresses working today, with a string of Chinese and international hits to her name. She has worked with renowned directors such as Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee, Wong Kar-Wai, and Rob Marshall. Born in Beijing, China, Zhang joined the Beijing Dance Academy at the age of 11, and at 15 she entered China's prestigious Central Academy of Drama (regarded as the top acting college in China). At the age of 19, she was offered her first role in world renowned director Zhang Yimou's The Road Home, which won the Silver Bear award in the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. Zhang further rose to fame due to her role in the phenomenally successful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which she won the Independent Spirit's Best Supporting Actress Award and the Toronto Film Critics' Best Supporting Actress Award. Her first appearance in an American movie was in Rush Hour 2, but as she didn't speak English, Jackie Chan had to translate everything the director said to her. In that movie, her character's name, "Hu Li" translated from Mandarin Chinese is "Fox". After this she went on to make Hero which was a huge success in the English-speaking world and an Oscar and a Golden Globe contender. Her next film was the avant-garde drama Purple Butterfly which competed at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. She went back to the martial arts genre with House of Flying Daggers, which earned her a Best Actress nomination from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. For her next drama 2046, directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring many of the best-known Chinese actresses (from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland), Zhang won the Hong Kong Film Critics' Best Actress Award and the Hong Kong Film Academy's Best Actress Award. Showing her whimsical musical tap-dancing side, Zhang starred in Princess Raccoon directed by 82-year-old Japanese legend Seijun Suzuki who was honored at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. She plays the leading role of Sayuri in the adaptation of the international bestseller Memoirs of a Geisha, with her Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon co-star Michelle Yeoh, as well as Gong Li and Ken Watanabe. The movie was produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by Rob Marshall, and released in December 2005. Zhang has received a Best Actress - Drama Golden Globe nomination for her role. Zhang has also been known to sing, and was featured on the House Of Flying Daggers Soundtrack with her own musical rendition of the ancient Chinese poem Jia RŽn Qu (The Beauty Song). The song was also featured in a scene in the film. On 27 June, 2005 it was announced that Zhang had accepted an invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), placing her among the ranks of those able to vote on the Academy Awards. In May 2006, Zhang became the youngest member to sit on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. In the fall of 2006, Zhang' most recent film was released, a new drama set in the Tang Dynasty of China called The Banquet. Zhang Ziyi can be seen endorsing Maybelline, GARNIER, and Asience (Japanese shampoo brand). She is also a Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics. Most recently she will provide the voice of Karai in the upcoming TMNT movie in March. She is now currently filming a movie called The Horsemen with Dennis Quaid. Her current boyfriend is said to be Vivi Nevo, a TimeWarner shareholder. Awards nominated Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA * 2001 - Best Supporting Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon * 2005 - Best Actress for House of Flying Daggers BAFTA Awards * 2001 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon * 2005 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for House of Flying Daggers * 2006 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Memoirs of a Geisha Chicago Film Critics Association Awards * 2001 - Best Supporting Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Golden Globes * 2006 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for Memoirs of a Geisha Golden Horse Film Festival * 2000 - Best Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon * 2004 - Best Actress for 2046 Hong Kong Film Awards * 2001 - Best Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon * 2003 - Best Supporting Actress for Hero Image Awards * 2006 - Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for Memoirs of a Geisha Kids' Choice Awards * 2002 - Favorite Female Action Hero for Rush Hour 2 MTV Movie Awards * 2001 - Breakthrough Female Performance for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon * 2002 - Best Villain for Rush Hour 2 * 2005 - Best Fight for House of Flying Daggers *(For Zhang Ziyi vs. The Emperor's guards) * 2006 - Sexiest Performance for Memoirs of a Geisha Online Film Critics Society Awards * 2001 - Best Supporting Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Satellite Awards * 2005 - Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama for Memoirs of a Geisha Screen Actors Guild Awards * 2006 - Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Memoirs of a Geisha Teen Choice Awards * 2001 - Film - Choice Breakout Performance Movies: Actress: * In Production * 2000s * 1990s 1. The Horsemen (2007) (filming) .... Kristen 2. TMNT (2007) (voice) .... Karai ... aka T.M.N.T. (USA: promotional abbreviation) 3. Ye yan (2006) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Empress Wan ... aka The Banquet (International: English title) 4. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) .... Chiyo/Sayuri 5. Operetta tanuki goten (2005) .... Tanukihime ... aka Princess Raccoon (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title) (UK) 6. Mo li hua kai (2004) .... Young Mo/young Li/young Hua ... aka Blossoming Jasmine (literal English title) ... aka Jasmine Flower (International: English title) ... aka Jasmine Women (International: English title) 7. 2046 (2004) .... Bai Ling 8. Shi mian mai fu (2004) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Mei ... aka House of Flying Daggers (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title) (Singapore: English title) (USA) ... aka Attack from Ten Directions (International: English title: literal title) 9. Jopog manura 2: Dolaon jeonseol (2003) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Triad Boss ... aka My Wife Is a Gangster 2 (International: English title) 10. Zi hudie (2003) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Cynthia/Ding Hui ... aka Purple Butterfly (International: English title) 11. Ying xiong (2002) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Moon ... aka Hero (USA) ... aka Jet Li's Hero (USA) ... aka Quentin Tarantino Presents Hero (USA: promotional title) 12. Musa (2001) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Princess Bu-yong ... aka Musa the Warrior (Canada: English title) ... aka The Warriors (informal English title) ... aka Wu shi (China: Mandarin title) 13. Shu shan zheng zhuan (2001) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Joy ... aka The Legend of Zu (Hong Kong: English title) ... aka Zu Warriors (USA) 14. Rush Hour 2 (2001) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Hu Li 15. Wo hu cang long (2000) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Jen Yu (Mandarin version)/Jiao Long (English dubbed version) ... aka Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (International: English title) (UK) (USA) ... aka Ngo foo chong lung (Hong Kong: Cantonese title) ... aka Wo hu cang long (China: Mandarin title) 16. Wo de fu qin mu qin (1999) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Zhao Di, Young ... aka The Road Home (International: English title) (USA: DVD title) ... aka My Father and Mother (literal English title) 17. Xing xing dian deng (1996) (TV) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Chen Wei Miscellaneous Crew: 1. Shi mian mai fu (2004) (singer) ... aka House of Flying Daggers (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title) (Singapore: English title) (USA) ... aka Attack from Ten Directions (International: English title: literal title) 2. Making Magic Out of Mire (2001) (V) (special thanks) Self: 1. The 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006) (TV) .... Herself - Presenter 2. 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006) (TV) .... Herself 3. The Orange British Academy Film Awards (2006) (TV) .... Herself 4. 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2006) (TV) .... Herself 5. Live from the Red Carpet: The 2006 Golden Globe Awards (2006) (TV) .... Herself 6. "The Film Programme" .... Herself (1 episode, 2005) ... aka Film '72 (UK) ... aka Film '73 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '74 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '75 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '76 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '77 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '78 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '79 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '80 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '81 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '82 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '83 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '84 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '85 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '86 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '87 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '88 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '89 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '90 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '91 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '92 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '93 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '94 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '95 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '96 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '97 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '98 (UK: new title) ... aka Film '99 (UK: new title) ... aka Film 2000 (UK: new title) ... aka Film 2001 (UK: new title) ... aka Film 2002 (UK: new title) ... aka Film 2003 (UK: new title) ... aka Film 2004 (UK: new title) ... aka Film 2005 (UK: new title) ... aka Film 2006 (UK: new title) ... aka Film 2007 (UK: new title) - Episode dated 29 December 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Herself 7. MovieReal: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) (TV) .... Herself 8. "Today" .... Herself (1 episode, 2005) ... aka NBC News Today (USA: promotional title) ... aka The Today Show (USA) - Episode dated 8 December 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Herself 9. "The View" .... Herself (1 episode, 2005) - Episode dated 7 December 2005 (2005) TV Episode .... Herself 10. The 11th China Movie Awards (2005) (TV) .... Herself-Winner:Best Actress 11. 2005 MTV Movie Awards (2005) (TV) .... Herself - Presenter 12. The 77th Annual Academy Awards (2005) (TV) .... Herself - Co-presenter: Best Visual Effects 13. Making Magic Out of Mire (2001) (V) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Herself 14. The 2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2001) (TV) (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Herself 15. Kung Fu Choreography (2001) (V) .... Herself 16. Attaining International Stardom (2001) (V) .... Herself Archive Footage: 1. Fashion Police Academy Awards 2006 (2006) (TV) .... Herself 2. Alberto Iglesias, el mœsico fiel (2006) (TV) (uncredited) .... Chiyo/Sayuri 3. "Rank" - 25 Toughest Stars (2002) TV Episode (as Zhang Ziyi) .... Herself 4. Ultimate Fights from the Movies (2002) (V) .... Jen Yu (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)

Crowd has a blast with Billy Joel

Crowd has a blast with Billy Joel Billy Joel - Exclusive Track + $7.99 Catalog Album Sale - Download Now on iTunes RALEIGH - On Dec. 31, 1999, as a millennium drew to its close, Billy Joel likewise seemed set on bringing his touring career to an end, playing a four-hour show at Madison Square Garden that he declared would be his last. He stuck to his word, aside from a few stray performances and odd forays into classical music. Then last year, Joel returned to the touring circuit. He had no new product to push; it wasn't until last month that a solitary new single, "All My Life," his first pop composition in nearly 14 years, came down the pipeline (and was overshadowed by his turn at singing the national anthem before the Super Bowl). Why the change of heart? Billy Joel - Exclusive Track + $7.99 Catalog Album Sale - Download Now on iTunes Judging from his performance Saturday night at the RBC Center, the most logical explanation might simply be that he missed the thrill of delivering his classics to thousands of screaming fans and hamming it up to everyone's unconditional delight. Every song Joel trotted out was released before the O.J. Simpson trial, but it didn't feel at all like we were witnessing a star going through the motions. The six-time Grammy winner tore into his back catalog with vigor, leaving few of his most beloved stones unturned in a 2 1/2-hour retrospective. Joel's set list has been fairly rigid on this year-plus tour, though he did throw a few curves by dusting off "The Downeaster Alexa" and singing a tantalizing bit of "Carolina in My Mind." Otherwise, it was mostly still-scintillating regulars such as "New York State of Mind," "You May Be Right" and "Only the Good Die Young," all of which were enthusiastically received by the widely age-divergent crowd (who knew Billy was so popular with teenage girls?). Billy Joel - Exclusive Track + $7.99 Catalog Album Sale - Download Now on iTunes To say Joel seemed to enjoy himself would be an understatement. Never one of rock's deathly cool customers, the ivories-tickler seems to have reconciled that he's destined to be seen as a shlub by disdainful hipsters while being absolutely adored by millions of others. It's hard to imagine Mick Jagger or Steven Tyler goofily striking b-boy poses or conducting a series of prop gags with their mic stands, but that's exactly what Joel did throughout "Big Shot," at one point pretending the mic had hit him in the groin and then cheesily breaking into falsetto for a few lines afterward (trust me -- it was just as dorky as it sounds). Ever the showman, Joel has even taken to bringing out one of his roadies to howl through a roaring take on AC/DC's "Highway to Hell." The energetic crew member turned in a hilariously passable imitation of Bon Scott's ravaged vocals. Billy Joel - Exclusive Track + $7.99 Catalog Album Sale - Download Now on iTunes With the entire building having such a blast, it's quite possible that Joel was thinking the same thing as almost every one of his fans: What took you so long to come back? Billy Joel-Twyla Tharp Musical 'Movin' Out' Won't Dance on PBS' "Great Performances" Billy Joel - Exclusive Track + $7.99 Catalog Album Sale - Download Now on iTunes "Despite much effort, Movin' Out will not air on 'Great Performances.' While we have a long association with both Billy and Twyla and remain dazzled by their dynamic collaboration on Movin' Out, bringing a Broadway show to public television requires formidable financial resources beyond our usual fare," a PBS spokesperson told Playbill.com. "Alas, we were unable to raise the necessary foreign and commercial investment before the tour ended." The planned broadcast was announced in the "Great Performances" 2006-2007 season brochure and slated to air some time in winter/spring 2007. Billy Joel - Exclusive Track + $7.99 Catalog Album Sale - Download Now on iTunes Following a tryout at Chicago's Shubert Theatre, Movin' Out officially opened on The Great White Way Oct. 24, 2002, closing Dec. 11, 2005. The production took home Tony Awards for Best Choreography (Tharp) and Orchestrations (Joel and Stuart Malina). Launched in Detroit on Jan. 27, 2004, the dance-heavy musical's national tour ended its run in Birmingham, AL, Jan. 21, 2007, having played 1, 111 performances. Billy Joel - Exclusive Track + $7.99 Catalog Album Sale - Download Now on iTunes The bookless show uses Joel's song lyrics and Tharp's choreography to craft a story of five friends and lovers across three decades through love, war and loss. There is no dialogue, and all songs are performed by the pianist-singer, who sings non-stop and heads an onstage band during the show. Movin' Out's Cavanaugh Plays Feinstein's at the Regency March 4 and 5 Billy Joel - Exclusive Track + $7.99 Catalog Album Sale - Download Now on iTunes Michael Cavanaugh, who received a Tony nomination for his performance in Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's Movin' Out, goes it solo at Feinstein's at the Regency March 4 and 5. Cavanaugh is scheduled to offer an evening of tunes by Billy Joel, Elton John and The Beatles. Show time each night is 8:30 PM. Michael Cavanaugh made his Broadway debut in MovinÕ Out, where he played and sang the music of Billy Joel. He was also heard as the voice of Razz on the Emmy-winning children's show "The Reppies." Cavanaugh has also recently performed at the U.S. Open, The Indy 500 and the Mohegan Sun Casino. Billy Joel - Exclusive Track + $7.99 Catalog Album Sale - Download Now on iTunes

doing all right

No. 1 album has Chris Daughtry forgetting 'American Idol' Daughtry - Exclusive Live EP - AOL Sessions - Download Now on iTunes Chris Daughtry wishes we would forget his shocking elimination from last year's "American Idol," a contest he was widely favored to win. It's kind of a touchy subject. "You hear one of two things: 'You were robbed' or 'You shoulda won,' " he says about attention from sympathetic fans, who continue to offer unsolicited condolences and pep talks about his controversial departure (Taylor Hicks eventually took home the title). "I'm just gonna be real: I hate hearing it," he says. "It makes you feel like they're stuck in that moment from where you were on the show. You want them to kinda break out of that and follow you where you're at now, and see that things are fantastic and there's nothing to be upset about. Get over it, you know, because I'm doing all right." He's doing more than all right. Daughtry, who was voted off "American Idol" a few weeks before its finale, is having another moment in the spotlight -- one he hopes will last long after the Fox talent contest crowns its final winner. His band, called Daughtry, had their self-titled debut album, released in November on Sony BMG's RCA label, jump to No. 1 recently, on the shoulders of its single, "It's Not Over." On Wednesday, he will play a sold-out show at Chicago's Double Door. The 27-year-old father of two was a musician based in McLeansville, N.C., when he decided to heed his wife's advice and audition for "Idol," which has turned out hitmakers such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. He needed the exposure to "get to that next level," he says. Along came "Idol," overnight celebrity and a "massive amount of rabid fans." He made Paula Abdul blush -- OK, all you need is to be young and male to do that -- and won over viewers with impassioned, rock-infused covers of songs ranging from Elvis Presley numbers to pop ballads. Unlike stars such as Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, who signed record deals before they were boldfaced names, Daughtry was discovered first by "Idol" judges and then by voting viewers. They "feel responsible" for his success, he says. That's why they stop him on the street to say "You were robbed!!" "It's the power of TV," he says. "They feel like they know you. ... And then once you REALLY get to know me, you probably wouldn't like me," he says, laughing heartily. He wouldn't trade places with the gray-haired Hicks, who is a tougher sell to younger listeners. His album, released in December, has sold less than half of Daughtry's CD. "I don't feel like I would have been able to do what I wanted to do with my career. ... I would have been a solo artist. It would have been an album that I probably would have regretted," says Daughtry, who longed to front his own band. His "biggest" fear was that he'd wind up on rock radio's blacklist. "I think it would have stomped on my credibility a little bit," he says. Daughtry - Exclusive Live EP - AOL Sessions - Download Now on iTunes Well, the show certainly boosted his career. Following his fourth-place finish, Daughtry found himself in demand: He turned down an offer to be lead singer for the band Fuel, and later signed a record deal with music mogul Clive Davis in conjunction with 19 Recordings Unlimited, the label managed by "Idol" creator Simon Fuller. The deal allowed him to form his own band. He hired four new bandmates, who did not record on the album. They will, however, perform songs on this tour and contribute to a follow-up disc. Drummer Joey Barnes, who has known Daughtry since their days "playing the same circuit," boasts that the band's next album will be "really, really good." But he's also crossing his fingers that they "don't go through the sophomore slump." For all his talk about preferring to be among bandmates, Daughtry was out there all alone performing the national anthem at January's NFC championship game between the Bears and the New Orleans Saints. He shed a tear as he sang. "It's perfect timing," he says. "I mean, it comes out right at the right moment. ... There's all kinds of emotions going on." In the course of this interview, Daughtry, who appeared stoic at times on "Idol," reveals himself to be an easygoing guy. He gets especially animated when discussing the first mini-scandal of his career, perpetuated by none other than actress Melissa Joan Hart, of TV's defunct "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch." In a recent post on her MySpace.com page, an angry Hart claimed that Daughtry and his good friend, "Idol" also-ran Ace Young, were taking all the credit for writing "It's Not Over." Her husband, musician Mark Wilkerson, wrote an early draft of the song with producer Greg Wattenberg, who later asked Daughtry and Young to add a chorus. "I've never met Melissa Joan Hart," says Daughtry, who phoned Wilkerson, who was not aware of Hart's rant, to smooth things over. "I don't know her from Adam. If she's mad at me for something that I don't know about, that's pretty funny actually! ... I was like, Sabrina's mad at me? For WHAT?" Hart since has removed the post, yet Daughtry remains bemused. Stuff such as this comes with the territory -- especially for a rock star on the make. He turns serious when discussing his goals, which include replicating the successes of arena-packing bands such as U2 and Bon Jovi. "I wanna look back 20 years from now and still be in the game in a big way," he says. "I wanna be ... a very important part of the music industry, whether it be playing or developing other bands. I would still honestly like to be performing every night and doing what I love to do." Daughtry - Exclusive Live EP - AOL Sessions - Download Now on iTunes

xbox

Xbox special limited editions The Microsoft Xbox was released in many editions other than its famous green and black color. * 1 Clear Black Limited Edition * 2 Panzer Dragoon Orta Special Edition * 3 Green Limited Edition * 4 Pure White Limited Edition * 5 Crystal Limited Edition * 6 Halo Special Edition * 7 Halo 2 Limited Edition (Blue) * 8 Kasumi-chan Blue Edition * 9 Mountain Dew Limited Edition * 10 Hulk/Pepsi Limited Edition * 11 Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Special Edition * 12 Hello Kitty Crystal Edition Clear Black Limited Edition In 2001, a Clear Black Limited Edition Xbox was released in Japan to commemorate the Xbox's Japanese release. The system had a limited manufacturing run of 50,000 units, and originally retailed for Â¥35,800 yen (296$). Included with the Clear Black console was a matching Clear Black Controller S, an Xbox Component AV pack, and a key chain that had Bill Gates' signature and the console's serial number engraved in it. Panzer Dragoon Orta Special Edition On December 19, 2002, a Panzer Dragoon Orta Special Edition Xbox was released in Japan to commemorate the release of Panzer Dragoon Orta on the Xbox. This quickly became the most sought-after Xbox to date. This special edition had a limited production of 999 units. The console's special features included a white case with the Panzer Dragoon Orta logo on the top in the lower left hand corner, as well as some artwork from Orta surrounding the Xbox jewel. The Panzer Dragoon Orta Special Edition was priced at Â¥35,800 ($358) and could only be pre-ordered on November 1, 2002 through Sega Direct. Included with the Special Edition console was a matching white Controller S, an Xbox Component A/V cable, an Xbox Component AV pack, a copy of Panzer Dragoon Orta with its soundtrack CD, and a dragon head necklace. Green Limited Edition On May 2, 2003 a Translucent Green Limited Edition Xbox was released in Europe to celebrate Xbox's one-year European birthday. The console came with two matching Controller S and retailed for €229/£149. The styling of the Translucent Green Xbox is identical to Debug Units used in game development; of course, the retail versions lacked the words "Debug Kit" on the front of the case. The green Controller S was also sold separately. The Translucent Green Limited Edition Xbox was also released in Canada and came with one matching Controller S and two games, Crimson Skies and Project Gotham Racing 2. Pure White Limited Edition On March 14, 2004, the Crystal Limited Edition Xbox was released in Europe to celebrate the Xbox's European birthday. With a price tag of €199/£139, the Crystal Limited Edition came with a transparent console and two matching Crystal Controller S. It is unknown how many Crystal Limited Editions were produced, however; later bundles were released pairing a re-released Crystal Xbox with different Xbox games and Xbox Live subscriptions. The Crystal console was re-released on October 8, 2004 in a new bundle (but with only one controller) at the normal Xbox price of €149/£99. A Crystal Controller S was also available separately. During summer of 2004 a special Crystal bundle was released to Zellers stores in Canada. The bundle included a crystal S Controller, and 2 games: Fable and Crimson Skies. There was a limit of 4 consoles per Zellers store. Halo Special Edition On March 14, 2004, Microsoft released a special version of the Xbox in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. This version was translucent green and came with a copy of Halo: Combat Evolved and a matching translucent green Controller S. The console case featured the Halo logo and the words "Special Edition"; the controller had a jewel that had the Halo logo in place of the normal Xbox logo. The version of Halo that came with this bundle was identical to other versions of Halo, with the exception of a "NOT FOR RESALE" notice placed on the front of the game case. 200,000 of these Xboxes were produced. Halo 2 Limited Edition (Blue) On March 18, 2005, an Ice Blue Halo 2 Limited Edition Xbox was released in Canada and Asia. The console was translucent blue and retailed for approximately $249. Included with the Ice Blue console was a matching Controller S, a special Halo green headset and a copy of Halo 2. Kasumi-chan Blue Edition On March 25, 2004, a Kasumi-chan Blue Xbox console was released in Japan. The system had a limited manufacturing run of 5,000 units, and was released simultaneously with Tecmo's fighting game, Dead or Alive Ultimate. The translucent blue case was based on the costume of Dead or Alives main character, Kasumi, and had "Dead or Alive Ultimate" written in white lettering in the lower left corner of the top of the case. The original retail price was Â¥22'800 yen ($215), and included the translucent blue console with a matching Controller S, a DVD Playback Kit, an Xbox Live Starter Kit with a free one-year membership, a copy of Dead or Alive Ultimate, and a five-foot-long Kasumi body pillow. Mountain Dew Limited Edition The Mountain Dew Limited Edition Xbox was only available through a Mountain Dew sweepstakes requiring loyal Dew-drinking Xbox fans to amass 550 points in order to "buy" the Limited Edition Xbox. The sweepstakes spanned 5 months â€" from April to August â€" in 2004. Production numbers seems 5000. The Mountain Dew Limited Edition Xbox was neon-green colored and had a special jewel atop the Xbox that had the words "Limited Edition" and the Mt. Dew logo under the Xbox name. Included with the neon green console was one of two games: Project Gotham Racing 2 or Amped 2. Hulk/Pepsi Limited Edition Identical in colour to the Mountain Dew Edition, the Hulk Xbox was a special promotional Xbox made to commemorate the release of the Universal Picture Movie "Hulk" in 2003 for the UK release. The console Featured a jewel on top with the promotional image of the Incredible Hulk's Eye and the Pepsi Logo. These Special editions were only available by having a winning Scratchcard when you Purchased a Popcorn and Pepsi meal in participating UK UCI multiplex cinemas. This is most likely the rarest and least known of the limited edition xbox; as few as 35 of these consoles may have existed. No other information about packaging is known. Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Special Edition The Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Special Edition Xbox was issued in October 2004 in conjunction with Activision and online skater magazine caughtinthecrossfire in the United Kingdom. This special edition console was only available as a winner's prize at skateboarding and gameplay competitions to commemorate and promote the release of Tony Hawk's Underground 2 on the Xbox. The artwork was airbrush painted by hand in an urban graffiti style with translucent matt lacquer finish. The artwork covered the top of the case and followed the X shape downwards on the corners of the Xbox. A very limited production run of 10 graffiti style units was commissioned and was issued "Not For Resale". Included with the THUG2 Special Edition console was a matching Crystal Controller S and a Tony Hawk autographed copy of Tony Hawk's Underground 2. Hello Kitty Crystal Edition The Hello Kitty Crystal Xbox was released with Sanrio in Singapore, to commemorate the release of Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue on the Xbox. The special edition console was translucent with a pink and orange Hello Kitty picture covering the X on top of the case. A limited production run of 550 units was sold at a retail price of S$99 (US$61), if you purchase selected Samsung LCD TVs during a promotion. Included with the Hello Kitty Crystal console was a matching Crystal Controller S and a copy of Hello Kitty Mission Rescue. The Game is On! Get one Now at Shockwave.com! How's Your Game? Get it Now and Find out at Shockwave.com! 200+ Action and Puzzle Games -- Free Downloads at Shockwave.com Download over 200+ puzzle and action games at Shockwave.com. Shockwave.comâ„¢ UNLIMITED is the best way to play! Get all of your favorite action, puzzle, word games and more at an incredible value. For $5 to $10 a month, you and your family can get full access to Shockwave.comâ„¢ UNLIMITED. That's countless hours of the web's best games.Only Shockwave.comâ„¢ UNLIMITED gives you over 300+ top online and download games; unlimited access to all the games; and no ads!Try it FREE for 10 Days! 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