Spicy Mother - News and Entertainment

If there is any Hong Kong action movie worth recommending in 2010, Ip Man 2 is the one.

Donnie Yen again reprises the role of the Wing Chun master, and he does it with poise and dignity, amid harsh economic conditions as a martial arts teacher in Hong Kong.

When Ip Man was released, it garnered many awards and a huge following, not because of special effects or fanciful animation, but it focuses on core principles of martial arts and a storyline which evokes strong emotions of patriotism and friendship.

Unfortunately, a lot of movies these days neglect the content. The only regret for Ip Man 2 is that the much anticipated relationship of Ip Man and his famous disciple, Bruce Lee, was not fleshed out due to disagreements with Lee's descendants.

By the way, this will be the last time you see Donnie Yen as Ip Man. He said: "This will be my final film (Ip Man 2) on the subject. Whenever something becomes a success, everyone would jump on the bandwagon, this is very frightening."

He is right about over saturation. Other Ip Man scheduled for release this year include Wong Kar-wai's The Grand Master and Herman Yau's The Legend is Born: Ip Man.

ESPN Star Sports presenter Jamie Yeo wrote in her blog recently that she had accepted boyfriend, Thorsten Nolte’s proposal on April 17 while on vacation in Tokyo.

Jamie Yeo slipped on a 1.5-carat diamond ring which was specially flown in from San Francisco at a Meiji-era shrine. The engagement coincided with her 33rd birthday.

“I said yes. Of course I did. I had found myself a man that most girls search for their entire lives… I would do anything for this guy,” Yeo wrote.

Jamie Yeo and 35-year-old Thorsten Nolte, chief executive officer of a digital communications agency, met in February last year.

Jamie had a high-profile separation in 2009 with MediaCorp deejay Glenn Ong after a 5 year marriage.

[Straits Times]

Ann Kok may have won the fashion stakes in Part 1 of the MediaCorp Star Awards 2010 but Joanne Peh was definitely the talk of town with her vampy look in Part 2.

Joanne Peh's black dress accentuated her slim waist and gave the audience a peek-a-boo of her side breast. I think Michelle Chia must have regretted standing next to her.

There was no major surprise for Joanne Peh last night as she got into the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste award.

On her celebration plans, the birthday girl revealed that she will be jetting off to Los Angeles to meet the parents of her boyfriend, Bobby Tonelli.


In preparation for the meeting, Joanne Peh has thoughtfully prepared a handmade 3D jigsaw puzzle globe. As Bobby Tonelli's parents have never been to Asia, she hopes to bring them a part of it in the form of Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

[Xin MSN]

Last week, Today mentioned that Marina Bay Sands has not received its casino licence, with three days to go before its soft opening.

According to the Building and Construction Authority, Marina Bay Sands has obtained the Temporary Occupation Permit for its hotel up to the 35th storey, its Sands Expo and Convention Centre and casino areas.

However, there is good news today as the Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore has issued a casino licence to Marina Bay Sands.

Marina Bay Sands is due to open its doors on this Tuesday, 27th April 2010. Staff at the integrated resort are working round the clock for the preview opening. It ran simulation exercises involving 2,000 guests recently.

The rest of Marina Bay Sands will open in phases. Meanwhile, the Sands Expo and Convention Center will be hosting its first event from May 2.

As part of his Asian tour, Jang Geun Suk has dropped by Singapore to meet up with fans. Jang Geun Suk shot to fame last year with his role as Hwang Taekyung in You’re Beautiful.

You can catch the cute Korean celebrity at the IMM Garden Plaza today where he has a fan signing event.

Jang Geun Suk will be at the Rock Auditorium, Suntec City, on April 24th where he will sing, dance and entertain his fans.

Check out Jang Geun Suk's video message for Singapore fans. Very cute ler...

Rui En doesn't care very much for awards. In an exclusive interview with xinmsn, the actress pleaded with fans to not shell out too much when they vote for her.

On her loss in the Favourite Female Character category last Sunday and being in the running (again) for Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes this weekend, the 29-year-old said, "I just feel for the fans who voted. I don't care much about awards.

"I hope the fans know their limits. Please don't spend too much. I feel guilty."

[Xin MSN]

It is not often you find celebrities who have our interests at heart. Rui-En's call deserves a vote from me.

I think spending a lot of money voting for your favorite celebrities to get into the Top Ten is not very fair. Just one vote is enough and if they are really popular, others will cast the same votes too.

Taiwan pop star A-Mei (張惠妹) has split up with her boyfriend of four years, Chinese Super Basketball League player He Shou Zheng, after he was photographed with his former girlfriend at a motel.

The 37-year-old A-Mei met He Shou Zheng, who is 11 years her junior, in 2006 while working together on a beer commercial. They were introduced by Chen Jian Zhou and eventually started dating.



However, their relationship became rocky in March after He Shou Zheng did not turn up at A-mei's concert at the Taipei Arena.

Well, this could be a blessing in disguise for A-mei to find someone better. A-mei is actually a very down to earth artiste who has no airs. Unfortunately, He Shou Zheng never appear to be serious about the relationship and is more like capitalising on her fame.

[CNA]

Bogor police received Friday a report from a woman, who claims that people have published nude pictures of her on Facebook.

College student Jesika Danies, 22, demanded the police investigate the people she claimed had published pictures on an account believed to belong to Clara "Devi" Adheline Supit. "I feel humiliated," she said as quoted by Antara.


Jesika's case is the second handled by the Bogor police. Devi has reported the case before. The investigation is ongoing.

[AsiaOne]

Korean busty model Choi Eun Jung has expressed her wish to act in a drama with CNBlue’s Jung Yonghwa after watching him act in "You’re Beautiful."


Her agency expressed, “Choi Eun Jung is currently taking acting classes as she aspires to be an actress.” Her agency added that although she doesn’t watch much tv and hence is clueless about idols, Choi Eun Jung has taken a liking to Jung Yonghwa.


As you can see, most photos of Choi Eun Jung are very revealing but she will have to cover up her bust soon. You can't depend on a sexy figure for people to take you seriously as an actress.

[AllKpop]

There were surprises in Part 1 of the Mediacorp Star Awards 2010. Hot favorite Dai Yangtian was trumped by Nat Ho in the Favorite Male Character with his role in The Dream Catchers.

For the women’s categories, “Caldecott princess” Jeanette Aw won the Favorite Female Character Award. Housewives Holiday took home the award for Top Rated Drama Serial.

Several new awards were also introduced this year, including Favorite Male Character (Dai Yang Tian), Favorite Female Character (Joanne Peh) and Most Unforgettable TV Villain (Jerry Yeo).

If there is one celeb who stole the limelight, it must be the buxomly Ann Kok who is not shy to flaunt her 36-C assets in a bustier dress. Has too much cleavage been revealed?


By the way, the second part of the star-studded ceremony will be held at Resorts World Sentosa on April 25, and will be broadcast on Channel 8 from 7pm.

Just saw in Daniel Wu's blog that he married Lisa Selesner, a top Hongkong based model and a Channel V VJ, on 6 April 2010 in a beautiful forest in South Africa.

Though both were open about their relationship and have dated for 8 years, the marriage still came as a huge surprise. Even the Hongkong paparazzi was caught unaware by the secret wedding.

A lot of Daniel Wu's fans (girls) must be crying their hearts out now that their Prince Charming is no longer the most eligible bachelor in town.



Anyway, congrats to Daniel Wu 吴彦祖 who has a successful acting career in Hongkong with over 50 movies (Gen-X Cops, Love Undercover, New Police Story, etc.) under his belt and is finally settling down at the age of 35 with his sweetheart.

Let's wish the couple an everlasting marriage! You can check out Lisa Selesner modeling event below.

The MRT map has just been updated to include Circle Line Phase 2 opening. The Circle Line is a fully underground MRT line which provides additional linkages to the the city.


New stations include Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah, Esplanade, Promenade, Nicoll Highway, Stadium, Mounbatten, Dakota, Paya Lebar, Macpherson and Tai Seng.

LTA and SMRT have done a good job promoting the Circle Line in newspapers and organizing events such as inviting S.H.E to open the award winning Stadium station.

With the Circle Line extension, we can reduce traveling time and also enjoy additional amenities like shopping, dining, fine arts and performances in the inter-suburban areas.

Marina Bay Sands is gearing up for its opening on April 27 2010 by roping in external vendors to ensure the Integrated Resort (IR) run with clockwork precision.

When fully opened, the Marina Bay Sands will become Singapore's national icon with three 50-story hotel towers crowned by a two acre Sky Garden bridging across the towers, offering 360-degree views of the city and the sea.

There will also be a Arts and Sciences Museum, waterside promenade, convention center, theater, shopping arcade; and the casino.


The contractors are now working round the clock but with less than two weeks before the soft opening ceremony, the cladding is still not finished yet. Will they make empty promises and miss the deadline again?

By the way, completing the work is only the first step. Battlestar Galactica, a key attraction of Universal Studios Singapore, is now undergoing inspections and could be closed for weeks.

I hope Marina Bay Sands will pass stringent tests from our authorities. As an iconic structure, it must be something which Singaporeans are proud of instead of becoming a laughing stock.

Stay tuned for updates...

Vicki Zhao Wei 赵薇 is now a mother after giving birth to a baby girl last Sunday at Singapore's Gleneagles Hospital. The 34-year-old was accompanied by her Chinese property tycoon husband, Huang Youlong (黄有龙), all night.

Both Zhao Wei and her husband, Huang, are believed to be Singapore permanent residents and registered their marriage in 2008.

News of her pregnancy leaked in November last year and the Chinese actress was photographed heavily-pregnant last month while grocery shopping in Singapore.

Vicki Zhao's tight-lipped manager, Chen Rong, broke the news yesterday, "Everything is well, blissful and happy! Zhao Wei and her family members thank everyone for their blessings."

Congratulations to Vicki Zhao for the safe delivery of her baby girl. However, Huang Youlong, who made his wealth in Beijing's real estate despite humble beginnings, is recently embroiled in a corruption case. That may spell troube for his business.

Fortunately, Zhao Wei is financially independent and will make a comeback in June with four advertisements and a Stephen Chow movie, Hail The Judge.

[Xin MSN]

Taiwan's famous girl group S.H.E, comprising Selina, Hebe and Ella, will grace the opening of the Circle Line's Stadium Station this Saturday (17 April) at 1 pm. Eleven other MRT stations will open this weekend too.

The Stadium Station is a short distance from the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the venue for the "S.H.E is the One" concert.

S.H.E's tenth studio album SHERO has topped most song charts here since its release. Tickets to their concert have also all been snapped up.

To thank fans, the girls will also hold a "Thank You" party on Sunday 18 Apr, 5pm at Plaza Singapura. Those who bring the SHERO album can get autographs from the group.

[Yahoo]

Jay Chou is holding a concert in Singapore in July 2010! This is really good news for Jay Chou fans.

The last few years, Jay Chou diversified from being a singer cum producer to focus on his movie career (as an actor and director) but his recent movies did not fare well at the box office.

There is nothing wrong with being an all-rounded artiste but I will like him to return to what he does best which is his music.

By the way, Jay Chou's new album is coming out in May 2010 and that has forced other male singers to postpone their release dates. The album will see Jay experimenting with Lady Gaga-inspired electronic genre, with trademark soft rock and zhong guo feng.

Hopefully the success of this album and concert will help Jay Chou shake off the bad press and lacklustre movies. Will you guys be supporting Jay Chou?

Vanness Wu who recently admitted he is dating Singaporean Arissa Cheo, has dismissed rumours that she dumped her boyfriend to be with him and vowed to stand by her.

Last month, the Hong Kong media photographed Arissa Cheo with a man (believed to be her boyfriend) at a club. This led to speculation that Cheo left him to reunite with Vanness Wu.

In a post dated April 9 on Twitter, the former F4 member said:

"Does the media have no dignity? To write things with no truth. I'm very disappointed in man's nature... I laugh at them [the media]. It's me and you [Cheo] against the world baby... We fight this war together."


Arissa Cheo also broke her silence and responded to these media reports via Twitter. She wanted to "set the record straight" as they "[reflected] badly on [her] family".

"The other guy that I was supposedly with in some club a month back was my cousin. We were... together for a holiday," said Arissa Cheo on April 10.

Thumbs up to Vanness Wu for speaking up against the media and supporting his girlfriend rather than letting Arissa Cheo clarify the situation on her own.

[CNA]

Tracy Tan is no stranger to English speaking roles, having starred in Growing Up, Heartlanders, Red Thread, and local movies like Leap Years and Love Story.

In the upcoming "New Beginnings" where she plays Jeanette Aw's wilful sister, Tracy Tan tries to tackle Mandarin lines but that did not become her most nerve-wrecking experience.

Instead, the budding actress got butterflies in her stomach from doing kissing scenes with her co-star, Zhang Zhen Huan.

"We had three kissing scenes, that's quite a lot right?" she said in between giggles during an interview with xinmsn.

"On the second day after filming began, we had to immediately film kissing scenes and it felt more awkward in the beginning."

You can catch her "awkward" kissing scenes on New Beginnings which debuts 14 April, 9pm on Ch 8.

[Xin MSN]

Singapore singer 黄义达 made his mark in Taiwan entertainment scene but in recent years, his career and love life went downhill.

Last year, after his contract with Sony ended, 黄义达 went with a friend to Thailand and became a monk for 2 weeks.

As a monk, 黄义达 has to wake up at 4 am, clean the temple's premises, followed by hours of meditation, and then walking two kilometers to a village to beg for alms later in the day.

Nevertheless, he did not grumble and felt that the two weeks of spiritual cleansing in Chiang Mai has been very beneficial.

Now, 黄义达 has become more patient, appreciative and forgiving. Even his mother has noticed his change.

[Zaobao]

The Taiwanese police was recently embroiled in an excessive force incident after a policeman wrestled a 槟榔西施 (betelnut girl) 颜如忆 to the ground.

After the media started reporting the case, the policeman ended up being transferred and was also placed under investigation. Upset that he was punished for carrying out his duty, he has released a conversation which transpired that day.

员警：“你骂我？”
颜如忆：“骂你刚好！”
颜如忆：“你哭爸(台语：靠北)！”
员警：“你骂我什么？”
颜如忆：“有种你打我，快一点。”
员警：“你妨碍公务了。”
颜如忆：“XXXXX(五字经)！”
员警：“你手不要碰我喔！怎样啦！”
颜如忆：“我就妨碍你不行？”


It is clear 颜如忆 provoked the police which resulted in an aggressive retailiation. She was wrestled to the ground, pinned under the 80kg of the policeman, dragged around and finally handcuffed.

I don't know if 颜如忆 was picked upon because she graced the April version of the men's magazine 《尤物》.

In any case, 颜如忆 may have been dressed indecently (which by Taiwan's betelnut industry standard, is actually quite common) and verbally abused the police but does she deserve such rough treatment?


[Fjsen]

A few days ago, Apple Daily spotted Van Ness Wu’s with his new girlfriend Arissa Cheo 姚之寧 (Arissa Luna) in Taipei. Well, the "new" girlfriend turns out to be not so new. According to close friends, the couple have been dating back in 2006.

However, they split up after a one-year relationship as Arissa Cheo was in the US while Van Ness was filming and touring in Asia.

Arissa Cheo comes from a rich family in Singapore, with 2 brothers studying in California. She has appeared in Van Ness Wu's music video for his song “My Kingdom”.


The 27 year-old Arissa was reportedly very popular in her school days. There are many online photos of her, especially in nightclubs, including some with Van Ness. The couple share several common friends like Stanley Huang, Jaycee Chan and Melody Yeung.


Hmm, I think Arissa Cheo and Van Ness Wu complement each other and make for a lovely couple. They should stay together... at least our entertainment scene will benefit from some glam and gossip.

[Zaobao]

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After an outstanding rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" on the talent show Super Star Avenue (超級星光大道), Lin Yu Chun (林育群) has been labelled Taiwan's version of Susan Boyle.

林育群 has participated in various singing competitions without much success. Before his appearance on Super Star Avenue, he joined another TV talent show Super Idol but was eliminated.

"I will always Love You" is the song which catapulted Lin Yu Chun (林育群) to fame although his attempt of "Amazing Grace" the week before wasn't too bad.

Upon learning that his performance was aired on major media outlets in the US, Lin Yu Chun wrote on his blog, "Am I dreaming?" He was utterly flattered and thanked everyone for the support.

Check out the video of 林育群 performance below.

Singapore actor and radio deejay Marcus Chin made headlines last year when he left his wife of 23 years for 'greener pastures'.

The 56-year-old was dating his 24-year-old personal assistant, Eileen Cheah. On Monday, Chin confirmed that his girlfriend is four months pregnant with a girl. This is the couple's first child.

The father-to-be is "extremely happy" to have finally fulfilled his ailing mother's wish to see him have a kid of his own.

Source: CNA

I sympathise with Marcus Chin rather than Jack Neo who has a happy family but still indulge in old-cow-eat-tender-grass affair with Wendy Chong.

By the way, congrats to Marcus Chin who is expecting his first child at the age of 56. He may be an old cow but still going strong leh.

Taiwan celeb Yao Yao (瑤瑤) who shot to fame with her 32E bust and the catchy 'Sha Hen Da' game advertisement was spotted recently with her boyfriend Liu Jianzhong.

Liu was photographed picking 瑤瑤 up from the airport and the pair was also spotted sharing a passionate kiss in a fastfood chain.

Despite their cosy appearance, Yao Yao's relationship with Liu Jianzhong has been stressful. Last year, Yao Yao made headlines when she was identified as a "third party" in her relationship with Liu.

Liu Jianzhong created confusion after he explained in an MSN conversation that he got together with 瑤瑤 because of his desire to "become famous." Given the constant media glare, it is a wonder how the couple managed to stay together for long.

I think 瑤瑤 should focus on her career now as Taiwan entertainment scene is very competitive with pretty and younger celebs coming up quickly.

Falling in love can take a backseat when fickle fans forget about you...

Anger against a beauty chain which went bust last month is escalating.

Some 20 customers of the now-defunct Wax In The City banded together on Friday to seek compensation.

They gathered outside another spa, Silky Temptation, in Circular Road, suspecting that it is linked to the company which owns Wax In the City.

About 20 women, upset and furious, tried to ambush a woman who they suspect is connected with the general manager of the Wax in the City chain, Alexis Zhuo.

Source: CNA

Consumers really have to beware of unscrupulous operators. These days, there are plenty of spas which are fly by night, and have no qualms about cheating women's hard earned money.

The closures also throw up a problem where the banks pay for packages first and then deduct your money through installments. Not surprisingly, the banks are not keen to waive outstanding payments even though you did not receive the product/service.

Our government should formulate more regulation to protect consumers since more of such scams are surfacing. Until then, it is better to "pay as you use" rather than making advance payments.

Authorities in China said Friday they were investigating a woman's claims that she was raped 30 times by her boss and posted her story online after police refused to help her.

Wu Hongjuan, 26, posted a detailed description, along with photos and videos, of her alleged two-year ordeal on three popular online forums.

"We are investigating what the victim has said," a prosecution official in the eastern city of Wenzhou, where the woman works, told AFP.

Source: AsiaOne

The internet may have many ills but it does provide an avenue for sex abuse victims to seek redress, even in heavily regulated China.

In the past, victims will have to suffer in silence if the police refuses to act. But now that the case is out in the open and has sparked public fury, the police are under pressure to investigate and bring the rapist to justice.

I guess so long as online discussions are carried out in a level-headed manner, it should be encouraged rather than suppressed...