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After acting in roles like Xu Wen Qiang (许文强), Han Wu Di (汉武帝), and Wei Xiao Bao (韦小宝), Huang Xiaoming (黄晓明) is known as one of the niches in Mainland China. He was born as the eldest son and grandson. Ever since he was young, he has been extremely self-disciplined. The most rebellious thing he has done was when sneakily read martial arts novels in high school. He said: "Reading martial art novels was the most taboo thing I have ever done. That was the first time I was punished by my mother, and she made me stand outside my house for half an hour. That was also the greatest punishment I received. Though he is such a good boy, and also the idol of many, when it comes to love, he is one who is hurt easily. Recently when accepting an interview from the Taiwanese media, he revealed that till now, he has only had 2 relationships, each lasting for 3 to 4 years. He expressed that he would live together with his girlfriend, but when it ended, he was wounded badly.

His love story
After his car accident, his girlfriend left him

Time is turned back to the year when he was about to graduate from the Beijing Film Academy. Then, he rented an apartment with someone else, and the room was only big enough to store a sofa bed. His earnings were meagre and he would eat cup noodles for his meals. He said: "One day when I was driving, I was hit by a big truck, and another military truck hit me from the front. I had to have 6 stiches sewn on. I didn't dare to tell my parents. Till now, they still believe that the scar resulted from a shaving accident. He used the words 'particularly tragic' to describe this 'low tide' period. "When I was injured, I was alone in Beijing. Many unimportant people left me, and there was no one to look after me. The 'unimportant person' he was referring to was his first girlfriend. He didn't deny this: "I even believed that she would take care of me. I didn't know that she would leave me. Hence I was really tragic and hurt. It has been rumoured that the girl he was talking about was Liu Yi (刘懿), who was in the same school and class as him. To this, Huang Xiaoming said awkwardly: "I won't talk about this. I would like to leave some parts as a secret!"

After his car accident, he got popular when he acted in 'Han Emperor 大汉天子' in 2001, getting some of his luck from calamities. However he didn't expect that he would experience his second major car accident. "I wasn't speeding, but I was troubled when I was driving, and was deep in my thoughts. This time my car flippped over, and I had a major cervical spine fracture. Then, I had to rush and film a show, and even though I didn't even have a gypsum done, I insisted on going to work. The doctors thought I was crazy!" However, this life journey has taught him to be strong. "After experiencing so much, the troubles with filming didn't ever bother me anymore."

Huang Xiaoming's second relationship was ended by him. "I trust people very easily. Because of this, the thing I hate most to to be lied to. I cannot allow anyone to lie to me. That is the breaking point." How did the girl deceive him, that led to the ending of their relationship? Was she unfaithful? He said: "Deceiving doesn't always equate to being unfaithful. It includes her going out with her friends and telling me she didn't, that is also deceiving." He emphasized that he is an experienced actor, and he is very adept when it comes to people lying. There are rumours that the girl is Qin Lan 秦岚, whom he acted with in 'Liuzhou Votes 龙票'. However he still said: "I can't talk about this."

Because he was hurt deeply by these two relationships, he felt that true love is impossible, and he will count on fate. When he does meet someone he truly loves, he will ignore everything else to love. Even though he is an idol, he doesn't want to keep his relationship under wraps, and he wants to announce it to the whole world. This is something that he insists upon with his management company. He said: "Because she must be happy!"

His character
Self-disciplined: Has never seen a porn movie


When he was younger, he had a crush on his classmate, Zhao Wei (赵薇). The reason behind her rejection was that he was 'too innocent, just like a child'. He grew up in Qingdao, and even till he was 18 years old, he only knew the way to school and back. His life only reached a turning point when he was accepted into the Beijing Film Academy. This was when he had his first girlfriend, his first kiss, his first KTV visit, and his first pub visit. He said: "Last time, when I visited Japan, I was told that the girls there had their first relationship at a very young age. I didn't experience my first love till I was 18. I had my first girlfriend at 19. I matured at a very late age." He also revealed something surprising about himself: "I have never seen a porno before!" In high school, his classmates would bring them to school, but it didn't raise his curiousity at all. In fact, he asked, "Do you have to watch one to be considered as mature?"

His self-discipline has remained even after he entered the entertainment cirle. His body would bloat and shrink at times. When he was filming 'Return of the Condor Heroes 神雕侠侣', he once swelled up to 78kg. He restrained his appetite by not eating after 6pm. Now, he has slimmed down to a 68kg. "If I get drunk, I will be like a cat, hiding in a corner and sleeping. My alcohol tolerance is good."

The first time he lost his temper was in school. He said: "Then, I was good friends with a classmate. However, he lied to me and backstabbed me. I almost got into a physical fight with him, in front of all the teachers and students." However, his head told him to calm down, and he did not use his fists.
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The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan has posted a list of domestic movies that earned an estimated 1 billion yen (about US$11.1 million) or higher in box office gross receipts. Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull finished with 5.71 billion yen (US$61.5 million) as the top imported film.

1. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
2. Hana Yori Dango Final
3. Suspect X (Yōgisha X no Kenshin)
4. Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl: Giratina to Sora no Hanataba Shaymin
5. Partners: The Movie
6. 20th Century Boys -Chapter 1-
7. The Magic Hour
8. Doraemon: Nobita to Midori no Kyojin Den
9. A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies
10. L change the WorLd
11. Departures (Okuribito)
12. Detective Conan: Full Score of Fear
13. Paco and the Magical Book
14. Detroit Metal City
15. Kabei: Our Mother
16. Flowers in the Shadows
17. The Black Swindler (Kurosagi)
18. The Glorious Team Batista
19. 10 Promises to My Dog
20. Shaolin Girl
21. Kitaro and the Millennium Curse (Gegege no Kitaro: Sennen Noroi Uta)
22. Happy Flight
23. Crayon Shin-chan: Chō Arashi wo Yobu Kinpoko no Yūsha
24. Climber's High
25. Naruto Shippūden: Kizuna
26. Sanjuro
27. Season of Snow
28. Sand Chronicles
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The film "Antique" by Min Kyu-dong has been invited to this year's 59th Berlin International Film Festival.

Based on a bestselling manga of the same title, the film will be shown out of competition in a themed section named Culinary Cinema.

"My Dear Enemy" by Lee Yoon-ki, "Land of Scarecrows" by Roh Gyeong-tae, "Members of the Funeral" by Baek Seung-bin, "The Day After" by Lee Suk-gyung and "Treeless Mountain" by Kim So-yong have been invited to the festival’s Forum section.

"Antique," stars Ju Ji-hun, Kim Jae-wook, Andy Gillet, Yu Ain, and Choi Ji-ho.
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Veteran Taiwanese actress-director-singer Sylvia Chang knows how to make an entrance.

The 55-year-old arrived at a press conference at the Esplanade yesterday for her new play, Design For Living, sporting a sassy bob and clad in a striking ensemble of military jacket, silver ankle boots and, of course, the indispensable celebrity accessory: white Oakley wayfarer sunglasses.

The three-time Golden Horse Award-winning actress outclassed her co-stars, Taiwanese pretty boy actor Joe Cheng and actor-host David Wang, and Hong Kong director Edward Lam, who were all more casually dressed.

Chang, who directed films such as Tempting Heart (1999), also oozed old-school glamour and charisma.

She was unfailingly courteous, wishing the press a happy Chinese New Year and joking cheekily with her co-stars.

They are all in town for the play, which headlines the Esplanade's Chinese New Year arts festival, Huayi.

The three-hour production about the corporate rat race set against the financial meltdown plays at the Esplanade Theatre today and tomorrow.

Chang co-wrote the script and stars as a manipulative dragon lady boss.
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SHE found herself in the so-called 'TVB retrenchment list', alongside fellow A-list artistes Kevin Cheng and Ron Ng.

Thankfully, Myolie Wu still has her job - so do her colleagues.

'I really don't know why the paparazzi likes to make me the target of news like this,' said the exasperated 29-year old.

'But in a way, I'm used to it already. The day the media stops fabricating news, our entertainment industry will probably die.

'That's how things work in Hong Kong.'

In an interview with Singapore journalists, Myolie said there are two ways to keep your popularity intact in Hong Kong.

Either be hardworking and take on many projects, ensuring your productivity is high, or gain visibility by making the news.

A self-confessed workaholic, she says she definitely prefers the former.

She also brushed aside rumours of her and actor Bosco Wong dating , preferring to talk about her work instead.

Not happy with just acting, the spunky Myolie has branched out to singing.

She released a Cantonese EP titled 'Evolve' in November last year to rave reviews and a slew of awards, including the 2008 Metro Hits Award Female Newcomer and Jade Solid Gold Recommended Newcomer Outstanding Award.

'Unlike acting, where it's very much about teamwork, singing is a personal experience. The joy derived from it is more instantaneous as well,' said Myolie.

'After nine years in TV, I get to be a newcomer all over again, which is a wonderful feeling.

'Hopefully, my singing career can be a long-term one.'

While she is best remembered for putting on more than 18kg in To Grow With Love (she won the 2007 Asian Television Awards' Best Comedy Performance by an Actress for her chubby role in that series), these days, Myolie is losing weight faster than she can react.

Not that she can help it.

'In December, I lost 2kg because I was so busy, I didn't even have time to eat!' she said.

'I was doing a mini-concert in Macau and also working on the TVB Anniversary show at the same time.'
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HONG KONG actress Fala Chen has had her share of overzealous fans, but nothing beats a 'freaky' letter she once received.

'There was a Malaysian fan who sent me greeting cards very often,' she said. 'It will be a different message every time and the stuff he writes in it can get quite cryptic.

'Then, one day he sent me a wedding invitation card on which he had scribbled 'we are finally married!'.'

'The 'we' he was referring to was the two of us! I was taken aback for a while, but I just brushed it off and ignored his mail from then on.'

No wonder, the 26-year-old keeps cool under any circumstances.

After finishing runner-up in the 2005 Miss Chinese International beauty pageant, Fala joined Hong Kong's premier television station Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB).

In just three years, she became one of TVB's stellar female artistes (or 'fa dan' in Cantonese), her Best Supporting Actress win at the 40th TVB Awards in 2007 being a clear indication of that.

But it hasn't been an easy ride for her.

For a long time she was typecast in one too many bitchy, sexy, spoilt-brat roles.

Among her string of evil characters - a temptress who hits on a married man in The Family Link, a spiteful ballroom dancer in Steps, a materialistic woman in search of a rich husband in A Journey Called Life.

But Fala takes such roles in her stride.

'I'm not averse to playing evil women, as long as there is a reason for them being bad,' she told Singapore journalists in an interview at Conrad Centennial Hotel.

'I also believe there are no two roles that are exactly similar, so even though I am a bitch in this drama and a bitch in that drama, they are still different and it's always a new challenge.'

What about news of her diva attitude, or she becoming a third party in the relationship between fellow TVB artistes Myolie Wu and Bosco Wong?

'That piece of news (about her being a third party) probably came about while I was filming Family Link, and the media got confused between my on-screen and real persona,' she said with a sigh.

'Of course, it's not true, and I think this shows how hard it is to make friends within the entertainment industry, more so with guys.'

Last year's TVB grand production, the 40-episode Moonlight Resonance, was touted as the turning point for Fala, as she played a sweet, kind-hearted mute girl, a role different from what she has played so far.

While she said she appreciated viewers for adoring her role as the mute girl Ah Hing, she is, in fact, very different from Ah Hing.

'Our backgrounds are totally different,' said Fala.

Smart girl

'Plus, I am not like any of the characters I've portrayed. Off screen, I have, and will always be myself. But it always feels great when fans recognise you on the street and call you by your character's name.'

Who, then, is the real Fala Chen?

Perhaps, a smart young lady who is mature for her age and wise with numbers?

The New Paper caught glimpses of that side of her, when the US-born Fala shared with reporters some of her investments.

She recently bought a four-storey, 10,000 sq ft house in the US for her parents. She didn't want to reveal the amount, only saying that it cost a six-figure sum.

Also, she escaped the blood bath in the stock market as she sold all her shares before the credit crisis, she said with a smile.
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"Boys Over Flowers" Lee Min Ho and Kim Bum are already gaining popularity in their own right, but it has been said they will take over the empty spots left by Jo In Sung and Jo Seung Woo.

Jo Seung Woo secretly enlisted in the army on December 15th of last year, sent news from his training center on January 23rd. And the actor that shows his exceptional acting skills in "Ssanghwa Store", Jo In Sung, will also be enlisting in the army this coming March. The two men, who lit up the screen with each of their performances, have left two large spots to fill.

And the two up-and-coming boys that will be the ones to fill these spots are none other than Lee Min Ho and Kim Bum. The two are currently filming "Boys Over Flowers" and there have been talks of the two starring in a movie together.
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This is another heads-up for the TVXQ/DBSK/THSK fans. It will be released on March 25 (?).

●Beautiful You
●どうして君を好きになってしまったんだろう?(Doushite Kimi wo suki ni natte shimatandarou/Why Did I Fall in Love With You)
●呪文 -MIROTIC-
●Bolero
●Survivor
●FORCE
●Nobody Knows
●ウィーアー
●TAXI
●9095
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Singer Byul’s minihompy and ‘7-Eleven’ stores revealed jacket images and teaser video from her upcoming album, ‘Primary.’

Byul’s 5th album ‘Primary’ jacket images in poster formats were advertised in 2,200 Korean 7-Eleven stores and are revealed online on the 29th.

Working on the album for about a year now, the album finally releases on February 5th.
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Fala Chen and Johnson Lee is quite predestined (if you may). In Fala's first TV series, "Forensic Heroes" Fala and Johnson played a pair. Later, they were both in "Catch Me Now," "Chow Heung Angers Tong Bak Fu," and they will play a pair in "Nutritional House Wives." They are also under the same manager and their relationship is like brother and sister. For Chinese New Year, they are partnered to wish everybody to have a prosperous year and "Golden Ox" (money) filling the house.

Once Fala and Johnson saw each other, they mutually shower each other with blessings. "I wish Fala to "Keep" everything, keep the fitness, keep being pretty, and keep up the good work!" says Johnson. Fala laughs, "Wah! That is a lot of pressure! I also wish you to "Keep" filming good series." Johnson's "Citizen King" movie, which he wrote, directed, and acted in, was entered in "Asia's Independant Film Festival" earlier. Now, his movie will also be a participating film in "Hong Kong's International Movie Festival." Johnson says this is the best present for the Year of the Ox and he hopes for more. Johnson jokingly says, "If I film part two, I will find Fala to be...... my assistant (for the film)! Ha ha! Just kidding! Actually, Fala is very difficult to book."

Wants to attempt to be a singer to release a music album

They are very satisfied with their results from the Year of the Rat, Fala says, "I am most satisfied that I played Ah Hing (Wing) in "Moonlight Resonance." Many people liked it and it was able to "wash away" the past characters and (bad) image. It also allowed the audience to see a pure side of Fala. I am very happy!" Johnson says, "Other than movies, I am very happy that a lot more people know that I can sing and I have gained more jobs because of it. I would like to release an album, but it needs various aspects to coordinate." Fala agrees, "With today's market, releasing an album will be difficult to make a profit, so you have to think it through first. But if given the chance, I would like to try because I have always been learning to sing."