25th Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony was held last night @ the HK Coliseum. Tony Leung Kar Fai of Election was named Best Actor, while Zhou Xun was named Best Actress with Perhaps Love. Best Film was awarded to Election, Best Director was Johnnie To of Election. Though Election managed to snatch only 4 awards out of 10 nominations, it swept Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor & Best Script 4 big awards, it was the big winner of the day. Perhaps Love had 11 nominations but won 6. Seven Swords which had 11 nods went home empty- handed. Sammi Cheng was present but failed to get Best Actress award.

Best Supporting Actor & Actress were Anthony Wong of Initial D & Teresa mo of 2 Young. Mo won her first award in 30 years, she had been nominated 9 times for the same category. Best New Actor went to Jay Chou of Initial D.

Andy & Carol Cheng gave out Best Actress award. When they talked about who was their winner in their hearts, they singled out Sammi & wife of Liu Kai Chi, Chen Mian Er, (thier 5 yr-old son died of leukemia just 2 days ago). Everyone knows their feelings, yet they came sitting there to show support. Uncle Chi was teary.

After some discord on the use of blue color for the Walk of Fame, this year the organizer used purple carpet. Most of the ladies came in sexy outfits, some couples came locked in hands, such as Karen Mok & Stephen Fung, Tony Leung & Carina Lau, Peter Chen & a heavily pregnant Sandra Ng. Anthony Wong came in Brokeback look caught the limelight. As for fans, Andy Lau & Aaron Kwok fans were the most supportive. Sammi left with Andy after the ceremony.

25th Hong Kong Film Awards is coming up tonight at the HK Coliseum! Chairman Wen Zhou told the reporters the turn out is strong as it is the 25th anniversary. Winner of the previous years Film Awards will walk the red carpet, including Zhang Ziyi, Hou Hsio Hsian, Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Korean actress Kim Ji Hyun, etc etc.....

SOURCE: MING PAO
TITLE: SURVEY PICKED ANDY & ZHOU XUN AS BEST ACTOR & ACTRESS

Ming Pao carried out a survey on 1,000 HK residents who were told to pick the Best Actor & Best Actress , Best Director & Best Film of their choice. The results show that Tony Leung Kar Fai who entered with Everlasting R & Election, Aaron Kwok Golden Horse Best Actor all lost to Andy Lau, who is the favorite of the residents.

Perhaps Love was picked as Best Film, while Zhou Xun was named the Best Actress. Johnnie To was the Best Director.

SOURCE: THE SUN
TITLE: NETIZENS PICKED ANDY & SAMMI TO BE THE BEST ACTOR & BEST ACTRESS

An online poll by the Sun on the HK Film Awards generated a hot response. Votes to the Best Actor attracted close to 100,000 people. Andy was picked to be the Best Actor with the movie WTYO. Aaron Kwok with 600 over votes was 2nd, while Sammi won the Best Actress by a wide margin. Initial D was picked to be the Best Film.

Michelle Yip Suen in Moonlight In Tokyo came strong, so was Jay Chou in Initial D, the former beat Jay by a narrow margin. Best Supporting Actor & Actress were won by Anthony Wong & Karen Lam.

SOURCE: APPLE DAILY
TITLE: ANDY WON HEARTS OF MAN ON THE STREET

Today is the awards ceremony of the 25th HKFA, it is a grand silver anniversary, the 4 most attention grabbing categories Best Film, Best Director Best Actor & Actress appear not to be too hotly contested, at a street survey, the response were mostly "Not sure about this movie,.." "Havent seen , not sure." But take it easy, the survey does not represent anything, & it wont affect the outcome tonight! Just pick anyone you like!

Results:

Eva: Best Actor Andy Lau, (I watched this movie & I cried)
Gary: Best Actor Andy Lau ( V touching, he acted well)
Candy: Best Actor Andy Lau, (The movie is v touching)
Mr Lam: Bast Actor Andy Lau ( Who can be better than him?)
Koji: Best Actor Leung Kar Fai ( Must be Eve-lasting Regret)
Phoebe: Best Actor Andy Lau ( I watched till I cried, v touching)
Ah Ru: Best Actor Andy Lau ( As long as it is not Aaron Kwok will do)
Lor Shen : best Actor Leung Kar Fai (better chance with 2 nominations)
Ping Ping : Best Actor Andy Lau (It is his turn this year)
Pinky : Best Actor Andy Lau (I dislike Aaron to win the most)

It is always rumored that Andy has a daughter, but going round for 10 over years, the rumor still said his daughter is 6 year-old! Since everyone is so keen to make him a daddy, here tarot cat helps Andy to read the geomancy, see if he can be one this year & at the same time predict those in the circle that bear the look of a daddy, such as sure daddies Haken, bf of Sandy Lam, Justin Lo, big kid Leo Ko. But at the end...... Think very soon someone in circle is going to give a treat soon!

The article below is contributed by winnie chan. Thank you very much, dear winnie!

SOURCE: 2006 HONG Kong INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 30TH ANNIVERSARY
FILMING HOWWWAY ---THE ICONS
TITLE: ANDY LAU--- "NO ONE COMPARES TO HIM"

Text by Bono Lee, Translated by Davina To and Diane To

He smashes great slabs of rock onto his chest, invests money to make films, gives independent directors the breaks they need, and reminds us that impolite customer service is no longer suitable in this day and age. Maybe it is because in his movies, he is the one everyone wants as the Chief Executive�|he is the litterbug who will do anything and everything for love. He doesn't need to play characters that are like his real person, and yet, no matter what, he still embodies his characters with our local Hong Kong ethos (especially when holding a bottle of green tea). In case you didn't realize it, these are all acts that Andy Lau has performed�|be they for advertisements, movies, charities or the love of it. Thing is, he just carries Hong Kong with him, no matter what.

The reason why Andy Lau is an icon, is simply because when we mention Andy Lau, we know in our hearts this name has a lot of meaning behind it. Saying someone is just like Andy Lau is equivalent to saying something specific about that person. Perhaps, say, that person is the hoodlum that never dies, who lives on through his own will and determination.

Or perhaps he is the romantic gangster, or the tragic hero�c.these two particular characters can almost define the roles that Andy Lau has made unique in Hong Kong cinema: the bad guy with a good heart. No matter what the occupation of these characters, the same traits are always present�|he will sacrifice everything for his friends and loved one. Whether Andy Lau plays the gangster or the hero, his image belongs to the Mongkok type�|he is part of the grassroots community, has a never-ending will to live and an almost arrogantly commanding air from the 80s, and is utterly irreplaceable. Trends from around the world come and go the Japanese, the English, the Korean�|but only that of Mongkok stays the same. It is the most local of the Hong Kong scene. He tells us how a hero should look suave and stylish. And yet he is not the unattainable hero. He is the one who was there as we were growing up: Andy

Andy & Leung Man Yee can be said to be like water from the sea & the well, they have nothing to do with one another. Yesterday they were however spotted chatting in a hotel for 2 hours. Leung appeared to be high spirited & was all smiles after the meeting !

At abt 1pm, Leung drove to Harbor Plaza Hotel in Wong Po by herself, she headed for the restaurant. Within 5 mins, Andy came in his nanny car. He was brought to the table where Leung was. There were some females accompanying Leung. Though they did not ask for VIP room, they were seated at one corner.

They chatted cordially & took 2 hrs to finish eating! Andy left first followed by Leung with her female friends.

When the reporter contacted her, she admitted, "Yes! I am his loyal fan, before entering Miss HK contest, I was a member since my school days! After I entered the circle I did not join the fan club, but Andy is v nice to his fans, he is very caring, there are gatherings & tea or dinner together, one of the fans got married last year, she brought along wedding photos to show him."

Did she asked pointers from Andy? Said, "We did not talk on work, but his attitude towards fans is something worth learning, such as having a meal with me he did not ask to sit in VIP room, he is so understanding."

Andy is a nominee at the HKFA. The pictorial book has come out, as Sammi & Johnnie To were busy, their pictures were absent in the group photo.

Best Actor is always the focus at the annual HKFA. All the 5 nominees this year each has his won supporters. Some movie persons favors Tony Leung Ka Fai in Ever Lasting Regret, but some feel his acting in Election is even more outstanding. Simon Yam comes strong in Election too. Aaron Kwok is a black horse with Divulgence. Andy in WTYO has distinctive role but still Leung Ka Fai is a hot fave.

Odds against Leung winning in Ever Lasting Regret 1.5, Aaron is 2.75, while Leung is 3.5 with Election, Simon Yam is 5 while Andy is 9.

Andy has put too much emphasis on the make-up in WTYO. He was overshadowed by the special make-up, his aged look was impressive, so much so that his acting has been neglected, trust it wont be easy for him to win with this movie.

Andy as the honorary ambassador attended the opening ceremony of the 30th Hong Kong International Film Festival held @ the Culture Center yesterday. Civil Administrative Affairs Office bureau chief He Zhi Ping was also present. From Japan were Chiaki Kuriyama & Kurada Hoshou.

Sequel of the movie Election, Peaceful Settlement, & Isabella were screened at the opening. Mr & Mrs Hueung, Johnnie To, Simon Yam, Louis Koo, Anthony Wong, Mr & Mrs Lau Qing Wan & Mirium were present.

Andy received the silk banner from the movie personals & was put in charge of giving out souvenirs, he said, "This Film Festival is very good, we should do it well. Step by step, hopefully one day we can reach the standard of Cannes Film Festival."

He wished to thank 3 types of friends, those who have bought tickets to the cinema & help to boost box office sale, the 200 volunteers who help him to support the event, & the movie companies who contributed movies to be screened, esp Election which was world's first premiere. He hopes the industry continues to grow. He pointed out previously FF seemed to stress on arthouse movies, now commercial movies are viewed with equal importance.

On the news report that Zhu Liqian is praying at home to have a son, he replied, "I will not answer anything, least the magazine sale increases further."

Sammi had written an open letter to her fans, asking them not to take to heart on Andy's choice of Karen Mok as Best Actress. Said Andy, "Tell Sammi not to care too much, she is one of my friends whom I care a lot, hope she is well" He had tea with her recently & is convinced she has a healthy lifestyle.

SOURCE: THE SUN/OD
TITLE: ANDY VOTED AS BEST ACTOR

Organized by sina.com HK, online poll on the upcoming HKFA has ended. The most eye catching categories, Best Actor & Best Actress went to Andy & Sammi respectively. Both of them won by more than half of the votes cast by the netizens. Best Film went to Perhaps Love.

At the opening ceremony of the HKIFF, Andy was v cheerful, despite some embarrassing incidences. As ambassador Andy was on the stage all the time to show full support. His fans however did not keep quiet, at the solemn opening ceremony, they continued to yell 'Handsome Hua', 'Love U 10,000 Years', & others. It was embarrassing. At the group photo taking, the nos of guests continue to increase, Andy was forced to give way, a total of 5 times, he was pushed to the back, but was later made to stand at the front row.

The news on a Lanzhou girl who has been besotted with Andy for 12 years has evoked strong public reactions. At the recorded interview, Andy expressed his thoughts. He did not reprimand the fan as an unfilial girl. Said, "Actually, I am v unhappy, if a girl is going to so much harm to her father just because of liking me, this is indeed regrettable, the act neglects what we call social responsibility, I hope the media can report the whole incidence. If you really wish to see me, you can go through my fan club, you can see me in the many different activities. If there is financial problem, in fact, there are many of this type of fans, we do not collect money from them, after some investigation, we get to know they really like me but have no money, we still welcome them.".....

SOURCE: CHONGQING NEWS

Chapman To together with the director of the art movie Isabella were in Shanghai yesterday. As the lead of the movie & executive producer, he predicted, "Isabella Leung will be the Best Actress next year with this movie." On the upcoming HKFA, he pins on Andy who is not a hot fave to win, he feels that Andy's acting in WTYO is terrific.

Andy always keeps mum on his love affair. He is rumored to have a long time gf Zhu Liqian. According to a report from Taiwan, recently other than work, in his free time Andy would rather go bowling with his old friends instead of going back to Malaysia to visit his old lover. Ms Zhu was thus v anxious, prayed hard to have a son to improve the relationship.

According to friends close to Andy, previously whenever Andy has time he would fly to Malaysia to visit Zhu, now like a pair of old couples, he is not as passionate as before, even when he has time, he chooses to go bowling. Zhu cannot do anything, she prays hard.

Zhu who is locally bred in Malaysia, is well versed in the types of gods to pray, since she has become his woman she is yet to give him a son, & has not become legally Mrs Lau. In her house in KL, she has a three tier alter to house many types of gods.

A religious teacher said the gods such as Kuan Yin, Quan Ti, Ji Gong are good ones, Kuan Yin & Ji Gong can answer prayer on having children. The middle tier houses gods on love destiny of the man & woman, not commonly prayed in common households.

Impact Entertainment held a dinner to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Many artistes who were once under the company came to congratulate, including Qin Pei, Zhao Ya Zhi & husband, Bobo, Li Song Xian, Nat Chan & wife, Ti Long & wife, Andrew Lau, Ken Tong, Haken, Shawn Yee�c..

As Andy had work on hand, he was the last to come. When he was on the red carpet, the reporters teased that he was walking on the Walk of Stars, & called him Best Actor, this pleased him very much. Said, "I think I come every year, now I am still not sure what to wear, I have just experienced the support from you all, thank you thank you..."

The 25th Hong Kong Film Awards is coming up this Saturday Apr 8 @ the HK Coliseum. 1575 tickets were given out free yesterday from the 7,000 available. 929 tickets were given out at the Culture Center while 646 at the HK Big Hall for the citizens to attend. The Q was so long that it wound round 3/4 of the Culture Center, tickets were distributed at 830am,snapped up....

....Andy was the first star to be on the stage at the 10th anniversary of the Phoenix Station awards presentation, he was honored with Glorious Achievement Award. His presence helped to raise the atmosphere of the event to the highest at the beginning. He greeted warmly & smiled brilliantly to the audience.

Jacky Chan came specially with a Chinese musical instrument er hu, he was awarded Phoenix Charity Achievement award, while Chang Yimou was honored with Artistic Achievement award. �c

On the news that a girl from Lanzhou whose father wishes to sell his kidney to let her daughter see Andy, Andy urges him not to do so, otherwise the more he will not meet his girl.

On Impact Entertainment 20th anniversary memorable day, a celebration dinner of 80 tables was held on Mar 31 @ Kowloon Bay International Trade & Exhibition Hall. Artistes who had been under the label previously were invited, this included Andy Lau, Sumo Hung, Eric Tsang, Nat Chan, Wynners, Miu Kiu Wei, Ken Tong, Wong Hei etc . Artistes under the label at the present included Alan Tam, Haken Lee, Liang Yong Chong, Wen Bi Xia, Shawn Yee,.... it was a very busy sight.

Andy is one of the bosses, he feels that the company is like a big family, esp in the earlier days when Chen Bai Xiang was around. It was purely males, only Anita was a female. At that time Jacky Chan & Anita were the big brother & sister. Andy misses this part of the days the most. Did Impact hel him to make a lot of money? Andy said he has not calculated, but the main line for the co is in movies. He had been to Singapore before to shoot movie with Eric, Nat Chan, Alan Tam, etc he remembered at that time they did not have enough to book a 5 * hotel, so they reneted a house, & cooked their own food, it was v interesting.

Andy as a boss got hold of his good friends Miu Kiu Wai, Ken Tong, Nat Chan to sing Silly Child, Wynners too played some music. The party was high. Many guests danced. There was cash lucky draw, the big prize of 30k was won by Wen Bi Xia....

...can u see his name ? haha..

Eric Tsang, chairman of the Artiste Guild, clarified to the reporters when he attended an activity yesterday that the association has no intention to hold a parade to protest the secret filming of the artistes by the paparazzi. He said it is troublesome & he does not wish to inconvenience Hongkongers. The Guild held a meeting to discuss on the legislation to see if they are to support or not.....

Andy was invited by adidas to draw pictures on the new models of shoes. He was at its flagship @ Causeway Bay yesterday for the 'adidas adicolor 2006'. 4 exclusive designs drawn by him was exhibited, including Dragon, face mask, gongfu & art of calligraphy, drawn on the new White Series-W2 adicolor Hi boots. The pic most difficult to draw was the dragon, which he had to copy from a cut out paper. The designs will be put up for charity sale. Andy had taken 10 days to plan the design & draw. Not every pair was completed successfully, he had tried it on 5 to 6 old pairs of shoes. He is not sure how much they will fetch.

Of late paparazzi had photographed private lives of the artistes secretly. Artiste Guild intends to hold a street protest, will Andy take part in the parade? Said, "Parade.... but I feel strength from the artistes is limited, if the real healthy media can take part will be better." He feels that settling the matter legally is the best method, violence will not solve the problem. But there is grey area if it is legislated. Said, "For eg if the curtain is not drawn & was photographed is not a crime, what if it was photographed mid way when the curtain was drawn, how is it going to be? "

For years he has always been v careful, seldom he was photographed. Any rumor he pretended not to know & change the topic. He thought of a way of making money. He suggested to launch a type of porous face mask for the artistes to wear at home.

HKFA is coming near, on praising Karen Mok he has angered Sammi's fans. He said mnay have asked about his choice, he has not specially answered, as he is a nominee & does not wish to affect the result. At the recent radio interview he uttered only a few words. He feels that Sammi's acting is well recognized by all, he picked Karen cos they belong to the same movie & Karen was suggested by him. He jested he might as well give one vote to both to pacify the matter.

News of a Lanzhou girl Lin Jian who chases after Andy after continuous media report has resulted in a strong repercussions from different sectors of the society. Media from around the country paid visits to the family. After being informed of the news, Andy through his manager told HK media that he was shocked, & expressed his disapproval of fans using incorrect, abnormal & unhealthy methods to meet him, he stresses he will not heed the request & he 'hates' unfilial fans the most.

Yesterday afternoon the staff informed Lin Jian the reaction of Andy. Lin appeared to be very downcast, & tears dropped uncontrollably. She remained silent, after more than an hr of thinking, she composed herself. Andy's criticism might have touched her deeply, she told her parents & the news reporters who were present, suddenly she felt she has been really v selfish, all these years she has given so much worries & troubles to her parents, as the only child in the family from now on she will take care of her parents & be filial. When asked how she felt, Lin expressed that Andy has mistaken her, but his criticism is right, she will join the fan club & through the correct means find a chance to meet him.....

Andy attended Baleno 10t anniversary, an apparel line he has endorsed for 7 years, The shopping mall was packed with his fans. 6 female models accompanied him to the stage. On the spot he impersonated as an image consultant to style a male, so as to make like him, white tee & jeans. At photo taking, he quipped, "Do we look like Borkeback?" Why did he say so? "As both of us are in cowboy look!" he mused.

Andy had endorsed Baleno in the 80s, when the co changed hands the new boss invited him to be the spokesman again. This is his 7th year, he admitted his fee increases every year! Will he get involve with the designing ? He said the products are mainly for the young, he may add in an oriental flavor & may not be appropriate. He has discussed with the boss regarding launching an underwear products, as these wears are not too flowery, but is he not worried people will know his size? He was quick to reply, "Not afraid, I am of the small size! But if they decide to launch the products I am worried they will call me to be the model, then I am afraid, as I cannot accept this type of pictures, small size how to take picture?"

Earlier on the legislative council suggested to make infringement of private life by the media a crime. Andy feels that the reporters shd be registered, take an exam & have the license. The artistes always take doggie pack like bad guys, they feel as if their life is in danger, & their daily life is being threatened. The artiste of course have to shoulder the pressure, the life of the artistes lie in the hands of the media, but if it is under the normal circumstances the artistes always feel stressed, then they shd reflect on themselves.

SOURCE: THE SUN
TITLE: SAMMI FANS UNHAPPY WITH ANDY'S CHOICE OF BEST ACTRESS

HKFA is just around the corner, the fight among the Best Actor & Actress is heating up. Andy who is nominated in the Best Actor category in an earlier interview said he picked Karen Mok instead of Sammi as Best Actress, this has provoked Sammi's fans who feel it is unfair to Sammi!

HKFA takes place next Sat Apr 8. Andy had the opportunity to take part in the first round of voting, at TVA interview when he was asked which of the 5 nominees he picked, he indicated he picked Karen Mok, as he was the one who invited her to act in WTYO, instead of choosing Sammi who was his screen partner.

Just a few words from him had irked Sammi's fans, quite a nos emaled to voice unhappiness, & doubted credibility of HKFA, pointed out that the organizer allowed Andy to pick one not based on acting skill but for personal reason. This unprofessional judgment is unfair to Sammi, they are worried if Andy becomes one of the 50 the judge of 2nd round, it may affect the choice of the other judges.

The Sun contacted HKFA chairman Wen Chou, he clarified Andy will not be one of the 5 in the 2nd round, as he is contesting in the Best Actor category, he could only take part in the first round as a member of the Movie Critic Society. His vote has v little effect, there will be no unfairness. Andy is not responding to the protest voiced by Sammis fans.

Lin Jian, a 28 year-old lady in Gansu province Lanzhou city has been so besotted with Andy that her family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Her father is even willing to sell kidney to fulfill her dreams of meeting Andy.

When Andy heard about this news, through his manager he criticized her behavior as incorrect, abnormal, unhealthy & not filial. He indicates he will not be bothered with her request, & warns her to stop the extreme behavior.

He publicly indicated that he has not received the pleading letter from Lin's father, as such he is unable to ascertain if such a thing is real. But he said if his fans use incorrect, abnormal, unhealthy method to meet him, he will definitely not entertain them. He further stresses that he hates fans who are unfilial. Parents of his fans should not condone any extreme behavior. He urges Lin Jian to stop such an unreasonable behavior at once, & other fans please do not imitate. The dr in Lanzhou had told Lin's father that selling kidney privately is illegal. The old man has dropped the idea. As Lin's family is unable to raise enough money, Lin Jian has to dropped the idea of going to HK .

International Federation of Phonographic Industry HK or IFPI HK is formed by many record companies in HK, but not all the companies take part. Every year the organization holds a ceremony to honor top sale singers & songs.

As the chairman is nominated from participating record companies, it has thus raised question of credibility as the chairman may be biased. BMG had previously pulled out due to this. Andy who was with BMG then did not have his sale figure submitted, years ago, his record co Catchy had a court case with him, again his figure was not submitted. He has thus missed IFPI awards twice.

Also, some record co picked figures to hand to IFPI, such as in 04 Mirium & Leo Ku had good sale, but the co felt the albums were out in the 2nd half of the year & did not submit the figures.

(Sing Tao)The result this year was unexpected, as Mirium, Ronald Cheng & Andy's albums Say I Love You Once More were not in any award category. IFPI CEO indicated the record co has its own choice to participate or not, to submit for all the singers or selected few of the sale record in the middle of the year. Andy did not submit his figure to IFPI, he voluntarily forgoes his chance.

SOURCE: MING PAO

Taiwanese host-singer Small S Xu Xi Ti was married yesterday in Taizhong. When the media asked her mother about Big S, elder sister of Xi Ti, Barbie Xu's bf Vic Chou, a member of F4, she praised that Vic Chou has changed from a small boy to a man, he is the future Andy Lau, but if Vic were to be her son-in-law, she will only give him 70 marks, there is still room for improvement.

Alan Tam had finally admitted he has a 11 year-old son & the love triangle between his wife Sally & his mistress Wendy. His good friends Nat Chan, Andy Lau, Haken Lee & others all voiced their support! Andy said he respects Alan's decision, & he believes everything is predestined by the Heaven, everybody has his own timetable!

He who is never willing to talk on love matter, is always rumored to have a lady called Zhu Liqian Carol, & rumored to have kids, now after Alan unveiled his family background, he is an obvious target of the media. At the 25th HKFA press con yesterday, he said he accepted Alan's decision, said, "In life we may plan everything well, but sometimes it is not decided by you, it is the Heaven who plans for you. Actually for as long as those involved are happy, of course I'll accept! Such as Haken is going to get married, Alan admitting to have a son, all this are due to right timing. They think the time is right, I believe it not prearranged, it is nature taking its own course!"

When the reporters asked when he will be open with his timetable, he put both his hands close to his ears, as if listening to what the Heaven is saying to him. Then he pretended, "I know u are sure to ask me, but I listen to Heaven's arrangement, I do not know when!"

When the reporters pressed him further, he laughed, "Heaven is like mapping out a script, when it is time to come it will come! ( You shd be open with happy things!) Me? ( All included!) Such thing has to be arranged by Heaven, actually happy or not, together or separated, it is predestined, happening all the time, I do not how to arrange, don't need me to waste my time, why not talk to me on my work time table!"

Haken has invited him to be the best man, Andy said he has not received Haken's invitation yet, now every piece of work he accepts he inform Haken.

Andy is nominated in HKFA with WTYO, he said he has confidence at first, but later he quipped, "No confidence! I am just leading at the start! (Leung Ka Fai said he is full of confidence!) I feel he is too, so I have to try to be brave. ( Ka Fai has 2 nominations, is he worried about votes being divided?) If it is so, all the 5 movies by one person will be better! ( You work harder & shoot more movies?) When I was cheaper before I can, but now I am expensive!"

At 1 pm today, Andy, Chapman To, Yumiko, Yue Xuan et al attended the press release of the 25th Hong Kong Film Awards Special issue @ Tsim Sha Tsui. The organizer had appointed Gillian Chung, Yumiko & Stephy Teng as the ambassadors of HKFA, while Eric Tsang, Teresa Mo & Chapman will be the event hosts.

Pic 2: Yue Xuan, Stephy Teng, Liu Xin You, Jay Chou, Isabella Leong

SOURCE: THE STRAITS TIMES SINGAPORE
TITLE: LOCAL DIRECTORS WIN FUND

For the first time, Singaporean film-makers have clinched two out of six awards at the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF).

Kelin Tong, 33 won US$13,000 while Royston Tan, 28, splits his US$13,000 award with Taiwan's Su chio-pin. The money will fund thier next projects.

[NB: Kelvin Tong was hand-picked by Andy as one of the 6 directors for Focus First Cuts.]

They were competing against 23 other Asian directors, including such established names as Japan's Mike Takashi & Taiwan's Tsai Ming-liang.

The HAF are open to Asian film-makers seeking funding for new work.The prizes were given out at HK's annual industry convention, HK Filmart, which ended yesterday.....

A survey showed that those in the movie & entertainment circle agreed that HK Filmart ( Entertainment Expo) & HK-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) which was held concurrently are the most important events. The survey was made by an independent body called Oracle Added Value, which had interviewed 340 participants & buyers.

The Investment Exop had 616 participants, an increase of 25% from last year, the organizer arranged more than 630 activities, to meet the 25 movie projects directors. On the Entertainment expo, 400 companies were attracted, close to 4,000 buyers viewed. On the nos of exhibit & the nos of viewers, this is the highest in 10 years.

The survey shows that the most sellable HK movies, in order of merit are action, comedy, horror & melodrama.

The survey, made from the insiders, on HK top 5 selling stars & directors, are as follows: (in alphabetical order)

Best Selling actors: Andy Lau, Chow Yun Fat, Jacky Chan, Stephen Chow & Tony Leung

Best Selling actresses: Cecilia Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, Angelica Lee, Michelle Yeoh.

Best Selling Directors: Jacky Chan, Stephen Chow, Andrew Lau, Johnnie To & John Woo.

Wu Jia Le wedded Chou Hui Hui last Sunday. Chou who is always shy with the media had to oblige & follow her husband with a smiling face. When Wu wanted to take her for a photo with Andy, she protested softly, "Not so nice! He is having an interview." but her protest was not granted, she obediently followed her husband. But when talking on dogs, she was all delighted, "I can't bring a dog today, but I have a crystal one to hold the skirt for me!....

But talking on stealing the limelight, he is not as good as Jiang Hua. Though Jiang Hua had gotten a Best Newcomer award before, it was all reasonable that he be on the stage. But with a pickpocket hat complete with a birch colored suit he was obviously imitating Andy Lau. Not embarrassed, he even snatched a center spot to stand, next to the two Tonys, so much so that Maggie Cheung, Anita yuan had to stand by the side. A few streets away in terms of status, but who is afraid, not Jiang Hua!.....