Charlene Choi in Cat III film?

While promoting their current movie "Midas Touch", Charlene Choi and Chapman To let it slip that their next work together will be a Category III production directed by Chapman To in which she will have "revealing scenes but not nudity". Sounds like Choi may be following the well trod path of established actresses who add a pit of panache to their resumes by keeping their clothes on in a movie best know for those who do not. The subject of the film is child prostitution so there should be plenty of room for salacious content viewed from the high moral ground. Choi said that doing a role with some edgy content will increase her chances for best actress type awards, unlike the characters she has played in the past. Hard to imagine that the non-Edison Chenized half of The Twins would one day be grist for the mill for the guys at This Week in Sleaze.

HKSAR Top 10; Xinhua; Yahoo Singapore

Karen Mok promotes album

Karen Mok promoted her latest album (and first in English) "Somewhere I Belong" with a photoshoot in Hong Kong. She hit her all but patented looks that fall between insouciantly sexy and provocatively innocent while wrapped in a gold stage curtain. No reports yet of mass incidents by rioting fanboys (and girls) trying to get into the theater where the shoot took place.

She said that the style of the shoot reminded her of when she was headlining an Asian tour of "Rent" in 2005 and 2006. From a promo appearance from those days:

Karen Mok is a tireless and savvy promoter of her work. This is from an appearance and autograph session in Malaysia for the album a few months ago:

Xinhua; People's Daily; Daily Beast

A Zhang Ziyi weekend--more hype for "The Grandmaster"

"The Grandmaster" opens for next week in the post-apocalyptic industrial ruin of Detroit although we probably won't get an appearance by Zhang Ziyi. She was busy in Los Angeles hitting the red carpet and the a syndicated entertainment show.

Three looks that say "I am a movie star and can look interested in what you are yapping about all day if necessary":

Signing a few autographs:

Looking quite pleased with how things are going:

For accessory fans: Chanel handbag and scary looking heels:

Earlier Maria Menounos had her on "Extra" to show a few kung fu moves:

Exchanging air kisses with the glueteally blessed hostess:

CRI; Zimbio

Kitty Zhang Yuqi goes to Tibet

Kitty Zhang took her first trip to Tibet so that she could experience its mystery, wonder at the natural beauty of the area and make friends with a Tibetan child. She also used the child, the wide open spaces and endless sky, a yak and what might be a Buddhist shrine as props for some photos.

Kitty rides a yak:

She prays while riding a yak:

Yep, sure is a lot of space out here:

Either doing something devout at a Buddhist shrine/temple/holy place or picking up a memento of her trip at the souvenir shop:

Explaining the position of the Chinese Communist Party under Xi Jinping toward ethnic minorities:

Yahoo China

Rolling in it--richest actresses from PRC, Hong Kong and Taiwan

Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk and Gong Li are the wealthiest actresses in China according to a not very well sourced article in JayneStars that was based on a report from HunanTV. The artists' wealth comes from a combination of performance fees for movies and music and returns on property investments.

The list:

Zhang Ziyi, 120 million RMB
Maggie Cheung, 110 million RMB
Gong Li, 90 million RMB
Carina Lau, 90 million RMB
Cecilia Cheung, 75 million RMB
Vicki Zhao, 56 million RMB
Ruby Lin, 45 million RMB
Liu Xiaoqing, 32 million RMB
Shu Qi, 30 million RMB
Zhou Xun, 15 million RMB
  
One million RMB = $163,340.00 at current rates.

JayneStars; Bloomberg

Shu Qi heats up "Harpers"; Michelle Reis draws a crowd for a store opening

Two of our favorites popped up recently. Shu Qi remains effortlessly sensuous (although the shot of her sucking on a strawberry might be a bit over the top) while Michelle is as cool, elegant and beautiful as ever. Not much more to say about these two.

Shu Qi from Xinhua; Michelle Reis from Yahoo China.

Detective Dee prequel with Angelababy in jeweled headress

Director Tsui Hark and writer Chang Chia-Lu are bringing Detective Dee back with "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon", opening on September 28 in the PRC. Angelababy is a featured player; based on the posters and stills released so far she accessorizes with a complex and uncomfortable looking head covering:

Such headgear has been used in various media to show that a woman is particularly exotic, dangerous, powerful or may even have super powers. For example, depictions in comic books of science fiction heroines:

It may denote her as the arch femme-fatale seducing French officers made weak by her lethal charms into revealing military secrets:

Just the thing to pull together a look for a 17th century Spanish noblewoman:

And as featured as the premiere piece in the fall/winter 2013 collection for the house of Alexander McQueen:

John C. Wright's Journal; mata-hari.com (in German);Alexander McQueen; Chinese Movies; Sina

Zhang Ziyi and the gang in New York for "The Grandmaster"

Wong Kar-Wai, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Zhang Ziyi hit New York City for the premiere of "The Grandmaster" and stayed around for an afterparty. Zhang Ziyi was every inch a movie star and looked to be having a good time vamping it up for the photographers, particularly in a flame red dress for the festivities after the premiere.

For example:

She looked a bit peeved in this shot although the hand on hip stance was part of that look:

Everyone looked relaxed in the group shots:

Her smile looked a bit strained when between Cuba Gooding, Jr. (promoting "The Butler") and Harvey Weinstein whose Weinstein Company is doing domestic distribution.

Log on to any Chinese entertainment site in any language for stories and pictures including:CRI; Yahoo China; Xinhua; plus our old friend Zimbio