Date: 12 June 01
Source: Oriental Daily

In order to promote the movie, Shaoling Football, Stephen Chow had not only sang for the first time, the theme song of the movie, he has also invited Andy to sing a song. The movie now has 3 theme songs, the last one sung by Vicky Chow, who co-acted with Stephen in the movie. Stephen has tried heard at promoting the movie.

Andy's New Modoly will release the album of Shaoling Football next month. LOAD will open on 21 June, the second slot of summer holidays, whereas Shaoling F will open during the 3rd slot of holidays. Though the 2 movies do not face each other directly, Andy has helped to promote the movie a lot. Is he doing it for himself? Andy is always viewed as the main pillar of the mainstream movies, as long as there is anything good contributing to movies, he will render personal help. This 'benevolent ' spirit is worthy of praise & admiration by fellow colleagues.

Soiurce: Ta Kung Pao

Shanghai 5th International Film Festival kicked off yesterday. The first to be held HK Movie Week has added attraction to the event.

The 3-day show catches attention of locals & overseas movie dealers. 7 movies from HK are screened. Some HK actors & actresses attended.

AFB, Needing U, & 'Gun King' are acclaimed as representatives of HK. They portray HK multi-cultural speciality, esp Needing U & 'Tian Cang Ti Jiu'. The 2 movies received rave reviews.

Diary from al.com

10/6---Just finished work, rested for a short while. Attended LOAD promo activity. Maybe due to weather, Sammi asthma recurs, really hope she can take good care of herself, when the movie is premiered, she can attend with me. Now waiting to go for night shooting of FTK . Everyone good night......
9/6---Today is not woken up by family member, also not woken up by phone, but by the continuous thunder.
Because my house is under renovation, temporarily stay in my father's house. As it is the top floor of the building, the noise from thunder & rain is especially loud.It is a long time HK has heavy downpour continuously for a few days, hope the day can be better........because need to bring an umbrella whenver go out, is quite troublesome!

Andy was at Chiang Kuan Or yesterday for a promo activity of the movie LOAD. Sammi was absent due to the recurrence of asthma & her skin allergy which was advised from having further make-up. Another female actor in the movie attended.

Despite being alone, Andy attracted thousand over onlookers. The fans took up vantage spots hrs before the activity. With banners on hand, they cheered & were v excited with his presence. The square where the activity was held was packed to the brim. [see pic]

Andy played games with the audience. At first he wrapped the female fans with Glad wrap himself in a slimming game. Later in another game, where the participants wore giant-sized lumberjacks with balloons stuffed underneath. Andy had to grope to burst the balloons, he chose to play only with male fans. As he had realized that females were not suitable. He avoided the sensitive spots of the body too. A male fan had the pants dropped during skipping as too much balloons were stuffed into it. The activity drew lots of laughter.

Andy said he know abt Sammi's absence only when he arrived at the scene. He had seen her using the inhaler during filming in Japan. He said eh will only give her a call later & said good health is the most important.

There was rumour that Sammi had problem with co-actor Tony L during filming of another movie. Is there any problem with LOAD?

"No, I have no problem with her." Andy said maybe it is because he himself is more problematic than her, or he is too fierce, & he assumed a 'fierce' look!

Andy was asked on the rumour of Stanley Ho alleged love child. Andy replied that though he had filmed a movie on Ho before, he is not aware of their family history. Is there more trouble with woman when a man is rich?

"No comments' Andy said cheekily. He chooses to use his money to make more movies.

Source: Apple Daily

Ow Yang Miao Zhi, one of the 8 winners in the 2001 Most Charismatic, was asked whom she thinks has the most charisma in her heart. Answered, "Andy Lau. I think he is the most hardworking. Many artistes after gaining fame will put on airs, but he has not. I still remember 10 over years ago filming MTV with him, he is really v nice."

Source: Sin Pao

Despite the economy downturn, singers of heavenly status still come to TW for the promo, with a big entourage. To stay for one over week in TW, the expenditure comes up to millions of dollars easily. But there are exceptions, such as Andy & Jacky Cheung. Both need only an assistant. This saves lots of money for the company.

Andy needs only one or two assistants, he takes care of his own hair & make up. The only other person he might need is a photographer. Andy only takes 1 meal a day, & he eats anything. He is recognized as the most easy-going Heavenly King.

Metta Charity Walk cum Family Carnival is on today at S'pore National Stadium. There is a Andy Lau & Metta Welfare Association Teddy Bear promotion. Spend S$50 to buy a cute Teddy Bear & stand a chance to win one of the 10 Teddy Bears to be picked & autographed by Andy. To be drawn on 23rd June 2001. All proceeds will go to Metta Welfare Association, which is the organiser. Main supporter of the event is Golden Pagoda Buddhist Temple. For enquries or booking for the bear, pls call Eileen Tel: 2406333 or 4442122.

Source: Apple Daily

During filming of LOAD in Japan lately, Andy went to the game stalls during his free time. As his likes gripping toys at the machine the most, he found one which grip live lobster. Without a second thought, he put in two 100 yen coins to try the luck. Though first time playing the game, he caught a live lobster with only one try.

As he was happily showing the lobster to the other members, the lobster which was v lively, struggled free from the grip, leaving him in a tight spot. A scene of 'catching live lobster' started at the game center.

Source: China Times

Multiple-development Andy Lau will release a series of reports during this summer holidays. His new Mandarin album will hit the store, his movie LOAD is highly expected. He will have his concert in August.

Despite the never-ending work, Andy is happy. He is coming to TW next week, this time with a new status, 'Weather Ambassador'

This is in response to the invitation by the Weather Dept. TW is entering typhoon period, the Dept hopes that with Andy's appeal, it helps to promote the preventive measures for typhoon. Andy's new album coincidentally was titled 'Opening Up Of The Sky'. He hopes that this is the turn of luck for TW.

Andy will be in TW for 4 days from 13 June. On the first day, he will hold a 'Tian Kai Le' 4-sided press con for HK & TW media at Yuan San Hotel. On the 14th he will appear as Ambassador of Weather. On the 15 & 16 he will have a thousand people gathering, 'Give Me Ten', to do the promo & charity fund raising.

Accordingly, the title of the album gave Andy a sleepless night, as no one in the office understood the meaning of the title at first. He quarried himself, 'Sky open up, isnt it good?" He held meetings with the staff, finally they came up with the theme relating to the sky for the promo, which suits Andy.

Andy will give 'fist beating' promise: right fist represents respect to the original album, left fist represents helping others. The activity will help to raise fund for Huang Quang Xhi Ren Center to build classrooms.

Diary from al.com

8/6---Today re-started work on filming of Full Time Killer. After being a fat guy for sometime, at work..........must wear specially made 80 over lb clothes, now be a handsome carefree killer is better.
These 2 days have heavy downpour in HK, see those coming from outside, all look just like being dropped into a pond, wet through.......
Hope everyone remember to bring an umbrella when u go out, take care! & drive carefully!

7/6---Actually today need to film Full Time Killer. But the notice was cancelled last minute, maybe because of the rain. So work today is only filming of MTV for the new song. As the theme for the MTV was decided only yesterday, & I only have free slot at night, filming was to be done at night, all comes very urgent......!
Luckily I have a gp of efficient assistants, they can arrange all big & small events within a day, filming proceeds smoothly.
Really 'fast, nice & perfect'!

In the movie L.O.A.D, Andy had to help a 260-lb Sammi slimmed down within 45 days. What methods did he use?

8 hell-training methods were employed. He forced Sammi to jog pulling an oil drum, used the old slim picture of herself to inspire her, non-stop dancing on the floor dance steps, cycling, playing Fitball, wore thick clothing to exercise, & even resorted to acupuncture & massage at a special center. The last method made Sammi cried.

The story goes that in order to earn money to help Sammi in slimming, Andy became a 'meat-ball' on the street for people to punch (anger-venting), at a fee of 1,000 yen per 5 minutes. He wore gear such as helmets & gloves. When he tried to learn from the real 'meat-ball', on how not to get hurt, the person looked at his fat body & commented that he was too fat to be taught!

With the head gear, Andy had only back of neck & arms left for ventilation. After every scene, his assistants fanned him & gave him plenty of water, to prevent him from getting heat stroke.

This scene of being boxed was filmed for 3 days. It attracted many onlookers. Once there was a tour gp from HK, some were his fans. They were willing to pay more to 'box' Andy, but the extras had alreday been called for the shooting. They couldn't have their wish fulfilled.

Due to his previous training during filming of AFB, Andy has acquired some skill & he was v good at dodging punches, despite his fatty make-up. He did not fall at all.

Source: Min Sen Pao

China Star will release a movie a month from June in TW, first to be opened is LOAD, on 23 June. On 19th June, directors & actors of the 3 movies will go to TW for a promo.

TW Long Siang boss wanted Andy & Sammi to appear as fat guys. But Mrs Heung was unable to get the make-up specialist. Andy said he has no problem with make-up for himself, but he does not know how to do for others. If he is the only one to appear as fat person, he would steal the show, the idea was thus dropped, he will appear as his usual self.

News dated 4 June
Source: Apple Daily/Show 8

China Star is releasing 3 movies this summer holidays. Boss Charles Heung, directors & actors involved in the 3 movies gathered at Tsim Sha Tsui Parklane Street on 2/6 Sunday morning for a promo activity. Sammi did not turn up due to asthma attack.

Many fans gathered at the scene. Andy fans out-numbered fans of all the other artistes. They gave Andy the loudest cheer & support.

Andy said has confidence with LOAD, his movie AFB was an example, it had won the battle during X'mas festive slot.

Johnnie To has good predictions for all the 3 movies.

China Star has set aside a sum of HK 3 mil for the promo activities. It includes putting up 32 giant posters along Parklane & buying the ad on 500 buses.

Andy was asked if he would wear 'suspender' like Andy Hui at his concert, he said it had been done so he would not do it.

The next movie for Andy is Storm Riders II. Andy has begun keeping long hair, so he could 'graft' his hair long, as he does not like to wear a wig.

On being tops in the survey as most popular, most handsome & most desired for a date artiste, Andy said he is v thankful to the many who support him, he had not been to TW for half a yr & they have not forgotten him. He is liked by many probably because he has been in the circle longer, the new borns take him as papa, the young ones take him as brother, the elder ones take him as son!

But Andy is so busy, how does he maintain his handsome look? Andy joked that to have self confidence in looking good, he will look at the mirror every morning & tell himself that he is v handsome. He said people voted him as most desired person for a date, but they only hope, they have never actually dated him. He has many dates, but all are meetings with the company staff.

'Re-kindle Life Charity Concert' was held on 2 June at HK Coliseum. It was put up by nmg, a campaign to promote donation of bone marrow. The show, led by Andy, included singers such as Dicky Cheung, his gf Chang Xi, Alex Su, Coco Li & guest Stephen Chow.

After the praying session before the concert, Andy was asked by the media to have a photo taken together with Dicky & his gf Chang Xi. Andy was rather reluctant at first, but he gave in finally. He was v mischievous, he locked arms with the couple & claimed himself to be the witness of their marriage!

When Andy introduced Alec on the stage to Dicky, he again pulled his leg. He said, "The next person is your good 'partner'" Dicky thought it was Chang Xi. Andy joked that that Chang is his partner in baby-making, this partner was his partner in movie! Dicky was v embarrassed & declared that he has not had baby-making with his gf!

Andy sang Silly Child with Alec & Dicky. He was the singer for curtain closing. He had a duet with Coco Li, I Don't Love U Enough. When he sang Love U 10,000 Yrs, there was fireworks to make the special effect. The fire accidentaly blazed one of the loud speakers. Luckily the fire was put out immediately by the crew. Police was however called to the scene by some worried audience, after some understanding the firemen left the scene.

When Andy was told abt this, he said that he was not aware of the fire, & joked that no wonder less & less speakers were left on the stage!

After the concert, Andy stayed for a while for the post concert celebration dinner, as he had to attend a radio interview which Sammi also attended.

[...mission accomplished! All news translated!!]

[Good news for M'sian fans!!]

Andy will come to M'sia on the 22nd, 23rd June & 4th July!

Andy who is always doing charity, will come to M'sia for a charity show on the 7th July! He was invited to perform in 'Andy Lau & Friends Charity Show', to raise fund for the building of New Century School (literal translation).

The show will be held at 7:30pm at a hotel, Xuang Wei Holiday resort [?]. The show has 2 parts. The first part will be performed by local singers, the second all by Andy.

200 tables are available for booking. The public will donate voluntarily when buying tickets.

Accordingly, the lowest donation for a ticket is M$300, followed by M$500, 1,000 & 2,000. The highest is a table of M$20,000

Andy will arrived on the 22nd June, for a press con on the charity dinner. The targeted fund raised is a minimun of M$1 million.

The show will last 2 hrs, other than using own name to purchase ticket as donation, philanthropists are requested to book a whole table, starting at price of M$3,000, $5,000, 10,000 & 20,000.

Those interested can go to Fong Rong Building 8th floor to purchase tickets or call 03-2164-6868, 016-3765-390 for the booking.

News dated 1st & 2nd June 01
Source: Apple Daily/ Ming Pao/Sing Tao

After intensive coaching from Andy, in the movie LOAD, Sammi achieved some loss in weight. In order to meet her old bf, she wanted Andy to act as her lover so she could practise on how to meet the bf. Andy, decked out in black jacket & bow-tie, hugged & kissed Sammi uncontrollably, as both had alreday developed feelings for one another.

Though both carried pot bellies, they were v mobile. Even in kissing they dont feel clumsy at all. Fatty Andy hugged Sammi tightly, the 2 meat balls entangled together.

During filming, because extra fat had been added to their face, if the kiss was too wide, the make up on the face would smudge, so they had to be extra careful & accurate.

In the first take, Andy missed & kissed Sammi on the forehead, his mouth was coverd with powder! Is there any difference kissing as fatty guys? Andy said the lump of 'fat' are soft & bouncy, there is no difference, as it is on the lips.

The crew praised that fat Andy is handsome with suits, Andy thanked them for the compliment, no matter how, he would never act as a fat guy again!

Source: Apple Daily/ Ming Pao Andy had returned from Japan on the 1st of June, arriving in HK at the same time as Westlife. His fans were not less than the band gp, abt 30 over fans were there to receive him, some with kids on tow.

Andy said 2 more days & filming will be over. He too had developed some rashes due to the allergic reaction.

Source: China Times/ United Daily News

A latest public survey on the most popular artiste 2001 in Asia done in TW reveals that Andy Lau is the artiste most loved by the Taiwanese.

In a row, Andy scores tops in 4 categories. He is the most popular artiste, the most handsome male artiste, artiste most favoured for dating, & 4th in the most sexy artiste, (first among the males), putting all the others far behind.

The other most popular male artistes after Andy are Jacky Chan, Chow Yin Fat, Aniki Takashi, Nanako Matshushima,, Jacky Cheung, Coco Li Alba, A Korean artiste [?? Veronica, I dont know who, his name in Chinese Zhi Ren Biao ] & Jacky Wu.

......

Central Daily News/ Ming Sen Pao

Andy's new album titled Tian Kai Le will be released on the 15th in TW. He will be in TW from the 13th for the promo. Nmg has come up with a series of Activities, involving astronomical figures!

The album is for sale at a price of NT$10,000!

This album comes wrapped in a delicate wooden box, has a ticket to Andy's concert in Coliseum, return ticket to HK from TW, inclusive of lodging in a 4* hotel.The cost actually adds up to more than NT$10,000.

If the album is booked before hand from the 5th to the 14th, a vcd titled 'Sunny Cannes' will be given. This vcd is the documentary on Andy's visit to Cannes in May.

Diary from al.com

6/6---Nothing special today, just like the usual day going to the office, settle some daily documents, discuss with the concerned staff on deatlis of the concert. Realise the staff around me seem to be fatter, not sure if it is because always see my fatty look, & thus have a misconception.
The most special is this morning, woken up by a friend, had morning tea, had not experienced such thing on a non-working day for a long time!
5/6---There is nothing else today, only one thing......meetings. Went to the meeting room at noon, groups & groups of staff turned round & round, almost have no time to go to the toilet, really.........busy!
One of the staff was late by 10 min, the time was used up by other people, finally he had to wait for almost 2 hrs before he could start his meeting with me, really quite sorry! But tell everyone a fact, if u book me dont be late!

In the movie L.O.A.D, Andy had to change a 300 lb-Sammi to a beautiful slim lady in 45 days. To do so he had to force Sammi to do v strenuous exercises. Sammi with lumps of fat was all miserable in doing the bunny jump.

Lately both of them had a shooting done at an amusement park in Yokohama. Donning 30 lb fatty costumes, shooting was done under light drizzle. The scene being shot was Andy forcing Sammi to do bunny jump. Though their costume weighs the same, Andy appeared to be much more agile than Sammi. Clumsy Sammi almost fell because of slippery road surface.

Other than putting on specially made raincoat, Andy tied a head scarf, & hanged an extra large whistle around his neck. The look was v comical.

When praised to be agile, Andy said, "Actually it is real hard to jump. I had to take a deep breath, use all my force to jump so high, dont think it is so easy for me."

Andy said this is the toughest movie for him in all his years of filming, he has put in the most. He has high expectations & hopes box office will be good.

He added that though this is comical movie, it is not stressing on weight loss. The aim of the movie is to take weight loss as a way to encourage people. With determination, all difficulties can be overcome, & there is success. He said, "Not all fat people must lose weight, the most important thing is to be healthy, our fatty looks are actually quite cute."

News dated 5 June from Sin Pao

Andy is going to TW on the 13 June for 4 days to promote his new album Tian Kai Le.

Before the album is even released, his new song My Heart Can Only Have U have become the com song of Tao Di green tea in HK & 7-11 Tour series ad in TW. Andy lends only his voice. Though he does not receive a fee, the free promotion of song saves the company few thousands of promo fee...

[Missing news of the past few days coming up in stages]

Diary from al.com

4/6---Today is the last day filming Love On A Diet, also the last day dressed up as fat guy, really heave a big sigh of relief!
Because whenever after filming, because of long hours of glue on the face, it has caused some allergic reactions & develop some red dots. Also need to wear the special inner wear, it is troublesome to put on & take down, so every time wore from beginning to end of shooting, so couldnt even go to relieve myself, also the weather is getting hotter these few days. It is a real test of my endurance!
3/6---had a few important meetings, afternoon attended an activity to promote the movie Love On A Diet. Heard that many are interested with the movie, also they prised highly of my fatty make-up, felt that the hard work I had put in is worthwhile. 2/6---The whole day busy with the preparations for the concert tonight. Had only 2 hours to go back home for a change of clothes in between, hurried back to the site, really v rush!
Actually sang only a few songs only in Coliseum tonite, really dont feel enough, not sure if those who aere there feel the same? Tonight take it as a warming up for my next concert, not sure if all will take part?
1/6---Return from Japan this afternoon, the assistant told me a friend on the net was hurt in an accident, really unhappy on hearing this! Everyone has taken herself as a member of this family & set up fund raising to help this friend, I am really touched! Other than the enthusiasm from all, it is the love & concern. On the other hand I am also worried! Because of the enthusiasm from all, some bad elements may make use of our web, use the same method to cheat the fans. So other than reminding all to be careful, I had asked my assistant to contact this fan, to understand more & see the outcome, everyone please rest assured! Andy
31/5---Today is the last day shooting Love On A Diet in Japan. The part being filmed are all fighting scenes, clumsy fat tiger will only be hit, but I think the after effect is quite interesting.
Will take early flight back to HK tomorrow, time to rest, see all in HK!
30/5---Today still at Yokohama street filming continue with yesterday's scene. But it rained suddenly, the crew became wet, so had to knock off earlier can have another good rest.....
29/5---Today still in Japan filming, there was a fist fighting scene, had Ah Hu 'feel', to me other than 'clumsy', it is simple, but to you all audience, it is funnier than watching Ah Hu.