Vietnam first Cosmopolitan issue

Vietnamese beauty and former Miss Vietnam Nguyen Thuy Lam has the honour of gracing the first issue of Cosmopolitan Vietnam May issue.

The parent company Hearst Magazines announced that the popular international magazine will be released in the nation's capital cities Hanoi and HCM City. The first edition will be sold for VND 29,800 which is the equivalent of USD 1.55. The Vietnamese edition of Cosmo will supplement the editorial tone of the American version but there will be articles catered specifically to Vietnamese readers.

Hearst Magazines in association with Vietnam's Sun Flower Media and with the support of the Hanoi Media Association has enable the launch of the magazine in a country. The target audience are working urban females age between 20 and 35 years old.

Credit - MediaBistro & One Asian World

Bang Kieu attended Hong Nhung's birthday party in HCM City

On March 17, Bang Kieu attended one of his close friends from the Viet nam music industry birthday bash held at Cham Charm Restuarant in Phu My Hung, District 7 HCM City. In attendance were singers and actors such as Quang Dung, Ngo Thanh Van and Johnny Tri Nguyen.

Hong Nhung, Bang Kieu and Miss Viet Nam Ha Kieu Anh

Hong Nhung (a.k.a. Bong) and her foreign boyfriend

Ngo Thanh Van and Johnny Tri Nguyen

Singer Quang Dung

Hong Nhung and Quang Linh

Two of her besties preparing the birthday cake decorate it with fresh roses

VNExpress

"Paris by Night" to close down

To Van Lai owner of Thuy Nga holding a pirate copy of Thuy Nga Paris by Night

aside the original product.

Thuy Nga Paris by Night after many years providing entertainment to Vietnamese abroad and at home has spoken out about the problem with piracy and it is forcing Thu Nga to the close down. Regretably, Thuy Nga said that piracy is eating into the company's profit and they can no longer continue to operate with losses.

To prevent Thuy Nga from this predicament, I urge all Vietnamese who have enjoyed Thuy Nga productions in the last 25 years to support it by buying original DVD.

Credit: Vinashowbiz

"After 27 years as one of the top Viet entertainment companies, Thuy Nga Paris, the producer of the widely popular ‘Paris by Night’ variety show, may be closing down as soon as this summer, said the man who founded the company and whose daughter still runs it.

To Van Lai, 73, told Viet Bao Daily News here that video piracy is eating so badly into the Thuy Nga’s income, it can only try to reach the landmark 100th show, then go out of business. In fact, today, Thuy Nga had a rehearsal for its 99th show, so we’re talking about only one more show.

According to the paper, To revealed that while one Thuy Nga show – an elaborate music, dance, and comedy show, mostly featuring artists lip-synching to their own soundtracks – can cost $1.9 million to make, but ticket sales only add up to $700,000. Any shortfall must be made up by DVD sale, and piracy kills that.

Viet entertainment companies rely heavily on sale of videos of their shows for the majority of their revenue. With Viets dispersed throughout the country, with not single community with more than 300,000 people, live shows don’t have a large enough audience. (Think what happens if no town in the U.S. is larger than Boise, Idaho.)

DVD sales are a must, but if DVDs can be copied and ripped and posted online, sales suffer. The online piracies are not too discrete either – the Bolsavik found this site with just one Google search.

That’s true of all Viet entertainment companies. The more people want their DVDs, the more they hurt, and the shows people want the most are Thuy Nga’s.

To estimated that 30 million people worldwide, a huge chunk of whom are in Vietnam, watch Thuy Nga DVD’s but only 50,000 buy genuine copies.

The silver lining, though, is that Thuy Nga is practically guaranteed to sell out its last show, scheduled for July 4 in Las Vegas. Like a dead artist’s paintings to go up in value, nothing sells tickets like a farewell show. In fact, there are singers in Vietnam who went on farewell show after farewell show after farewell show, all heavily attended.

Ông Tô Văn Lai và DVD thúy nga thật và giả - Sau 27 năm làm một trong những công ty giải trí hàng đầu của người Việt, Thúy Nga Paris, nhà sản xuất chương trình giải trí “Paris by Night”, có thể sẽ phải đóng cửa vào mùa hè tới, người sáng lập ra công ty, và có con gái đang điều hành công ty này, cho biết.

Tô Văn Lai, 73 tuổi, nói với tờ Việt Báo rằng nạn sao chép video đã làm ảnh hưởng nghiêm trọng tới thu nhập của Thúy Nga, và nó chỉ có thể cố gắng thực hiện nốt show diễn lần thứ 100 của mình, trước khi đóng cửa. Trên thực tế, ngày hôm nay, Thúy Nga đang tiến hành tập dượt show diễn thứ 99, và chúng ta đang nói đến chỉ còn một show nữa mà thôi.

Theo tờ Việt Báo, ông Tô cho biết trong khi một show diễn của Thúy Nga – một chương trình âm nhạc, vũ đạo và hài kịch phức tạp, đa số trong đó các nghệ sĩ hát nhép theo những bài hát của chính họ – có thể cần tới 1,9 triệu USD để thực hiện, nhưng vé bán chỉ có thể thu về 700 ngàn USD. Phần còn thiếu chính là lấy từ doanh thu bán DVD, nhưng nạn sao chép lậu video đã giết chết nó.

Băng Paris By Night 98 thực hiện tại Las Vegas chi hết khoảng 1 triệu 900 ngàn Dollars, tiền bán vé thu được $700 ngàn Dollars còn lại $1 triệu 200 ngàn sau đó bán được một số DVD vừa phát hành thì DVD lậu đã bày bán khắp nơi với giá chỉ $ 5 dollars.

Mặt khác trên Internet cũng đã post lên tràn ngập để mọi người download chuyền tay nhau xem, như vậy cuối cùng một chương trình phải lỗ mất ít nhất $ 500 ngàn dollars.

Ông nói hiện tại có khoảng 30 triệu người trên khắp thế giới kể cả trong nước xem DVD Paris By Night mà tính số lượng chỉ có 50 ngàn gia đình là mua băng gốc, sau đó là DVD sao chép vi phạm tác quyền khắp nơi.

Trong dịp nầy ông cũng cho biết có những việc làm mà mình khó bỏ vì những đam mê lý tưởng do đó nên Thúy Nga Paris sẽ cố gắng thực hiện một chương trình cuối cùng để kỷ niệm Thúy Nga Paris 100, chương trình nầy sẽ được thực hiện tại Las Vegas vào July 4 năm 2010, đây sẽ là cuốn băng cuối cùng trước khi đóng cửa."

Maggie Q attends Middle East International Film Festival

Cast members Maggie Q (L), Joe Odagiri (R) and director Tian Zhuangzhuang (C) arrive for the screening of the film "The Warrior And The Wolf" directed by Chinese director Tian Zhuangzhuang during the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oct. 16, 2009. (Xinhua/An Jiang)

Chinese director Tian Zhuangzhuang arrives for the screening of his film "The Warrior And The Wolf" during the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oct. 16, 2009. (Xinhua/An Jiang)

Tian Zhuangzhuang, a renowned Chinese moviemaker, attended the premiere of his new movie in the 2009 Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) in Abu Dhabi on Oct 16, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Maggie Q, a Hawaiian-born actress and former fashion model, and Japanese actor Joe Odagiri also appeared in the premiere of the movie, the Warrior and the Wolf, in the Emirates Palace Hotel.

"I played a village woman in the film with Joe, who is on the red carpet now," said Maggie Q, who was born to an American father and a Vietnamese mother in 1979. "It's really an emotional story," she added.

Tian, one of the key figures of the so-called "Fifth Generation" moviemakers in China, said that in spite of the MEIFF's short history, the annual event was of great significance for the development of the region's movie industry.

"I think if it (the film festival) can really help the Middle East's movie industry develop well, it will be a very significant and valuable event, as the Middle East's movie production is comparatively small and has little influence on the world as a whole," he told Xinhua.

The director also said he hoped that more Chinese movies would be brought to the region so that local people could get a deeper understanding of China.

"In fact, movies are a kind of cultural exchange. I hope more people in the region will give attention to Chinese movies," he said.

Movie critics have said the Worrier and the Wolf, Tian's latest work, is a significant departure from the meditative movies he is best known for, such as the Horse Thief and the Springtime in a Small Town. The movie is a magic tale about a brave soldier and a mysterious widow, who has the power to take his mind to a place of legends in ancient China.

A total of 129 movies from 49 countries or regions were screened during the 10-day festival, an annual event established in 2007.

source: sina/ xinhua

Ho Ngoc Ha shines at Asia Song Festival in Seoul

At this year Asia Song Festival held in Seoul, South Korea, Vietnam representative Ho Ngoc Ha outshined previous reps such as singer My Tam and Ho Quynh Huong. During her rehersal performance, the show director has praised HGH and said that she is beautiful and has a great body.

For those of you who don't know her, HGH was a model before she became a prefessional singer. She is now one of the most popular pop singer in Vietnam. For her to be representing Vietnam at an international event such as this shows her status in the entertainment industry.

Check out Ho Ngoc Ha's speech at ASF on the 19th Sept. She can speak english....wow!

Her performance at ASF 2009

She does have a killer body!!


Check out the video below for the highlights at ASF 2009

source: vnmedia

video source: youtube

Raymond Lam at Ho Chi Minh City press conference

L-R: Funehouse’s GM Daniel Chui – Luong Bich Huu – Raymond – Ho Ngoc Ha – Bao Thy, posing together at the press conference on July 20 (Photo: Truong Son)

Hong Kong star Raymond Lam hosted a press conference on July 20 at Caravelle Hotel before his live concert on July 22.

Interview between SGGP and Raymond.

SGGP: Being a star in both acting and singing, you probably do not have not much free time.

RL: I can manage my time schedule quite well. I also receive a lot of encouragement from my family. My family works in business and they don’t have much time for each other. But we all understand that, and we still encourage and take care of each other in other ways.

SGGP: People believe that a good appearance helps an actor or singer a lot in their career. What do you think?

RL: Generally, I think to be either an actor or a singer, the most important thing is performance. You need to study a lot from each other and keep training yourself. That would be a very helpful factor to help you gain success.

But, I also agree that good appearance somehow will help you. Thanks to a good appearance, more people will notice you and you will have more opportunities to work.

SGGP: When deciding to join both the acting and singing fields, did you ever worry that you could not finish all your work perfectly?

RL: At first, I thought people can do a lot more than they can think. A few years ago, I tried my best in acting. This year, I focus on singing. I’m so thankful to TVB [Hong Kong-based TV channel] for their understanding and arranging the time schedule for me to be able to visit and perform in Vietnam. So, I think what you need is support and good teamwork.

SGGP: Three days is quite short for all the preparations of a live concert.

RL: As I said, I had a live concert in Hong Kong in June and learnt a lot of experiences from that. In Vietnam, some of my songs from TVB’s series became popular and, probably, I will perform them in the upcoming concert. I always tell myself that I have to do my best for the concert on July 22. Please keep encouraging and supporting me. Thanks.

SGGP: A personal question: there is rumor that you’re in love with Linda Chung.

RL: It’s very common that there are some rumors that love appears between the actor and actress in a series or movie. I had an opportunity to work with Linda in two series, "Heart of Greed" in 2007 and "Moonlight Resonance" in 2008. But, I cannot understand why, as the series finished long ago, but the rumors still keep spreading more and more. Maybe our characters from two series really impressed the viewers. However, rumors are only rumors. On behalf of myself, I really expect another chance to work with Linda in the coming time.

SGGP: Your discography noted that besides many TV series, you have only been in one movie, "Stolen Love". Why? Will you consider more movies in the future?

RL: I have received lots of invitations from various movie directors, but, due to a current busy schedule, I barely find free time for those. At present, I’m joining a new series by TVB. After the concert in Vietnam, I will go back to Hong Kong on July 24 to continue shooting the film. Possibly I will reconsider the invitations, but not until at least October.

[source]

My Tam Host New Fashion from Designer Hien Le, Minh Quang, Nhat Huy

After returning from touring in America, Singer My Tam appear on stage on the night July 9, 2009 in a simple black dress as host for the new fashion collection from famous designers Hien Lê, Minh Quang, Nhat Huy to name a few.

Singer and Host of the night My Tam

Singer Quang Dung

Singer Kasim Hoang Vu

Supermodel turns singer Ho Ngoc Ha a vibrant blue dress designed by Công Trí

Miss runner up Huong Giang, Model Hoàng Phi, Phùng Ngoc Yen.

Actress and Super model Vu Thu Phuong

Super model Ha Anh in a white gown designed by Hien Le


Model Duc Vinh

[source]

Cathy Viet Thi turns Director of YanTV

Singer Viet Thi which we know from Van Son Entertainment, real name is Vũ Lynn Cathy. After the scandal that exploded on-screen between her ex-husband Actor Johnny Tri Nguyen and Actress Ngo Thanh Van, we hear little about her private life. Now a new Cathy emerged.

Endured the cheating and scandal that her husband denies and later confessed, Cathy delivers the divorced papers. After their divorce, Lynn Cathy spends time with her children and rebuilds her life. Now happy and moving with other opportunities in her life, she is currently the Director of YanTV , a music production company similar to MTV.

Cathy shared that being a mother of two, she will be busy with balancing work and family. However, her passion in music and the opportunity to resume this in a different role is intriguing and challenging, something she will tackle wholeheartedly. A new woman and a new life without the drama from Johnny.

Ngo Thanh Van (a.k.a Virus) and Johnny Tri Nguyen

[source]

Australian Idol Thanh Bui performs for Paris by Night 96

[youtube video credit to vincentboy99]

If you are a follower of a popular franchise talent show Australian Idol then you would not not known of an Australian born Vietnamese guy Thanh Bui who was in the top 9 in the 2008 Australian Idol show.

Thuy Nga Production obviously recognised this singing and song writing talent have invited him to perform on Paris by Night 96. His performance on the show have impressed a lot of PBN viewers. His song Mirror Mirror was meaningful and to me it addressed an issue that most teenage girls today suffer from that is from low self esteem due to the pressure from TV and beauty magazines where these girls see the need to look beautiful on the exterior. Thanh Bui's messsage in his lyrics encourage our family, friends and lovers to tell our children that beauty is more than skin deep.

I hope you will enjoy this song as much as I did.

Would you wear this.....?

I am not too sure if you can call this lingerie (picture above) but this is the outfit that won second place in the "Vietnam Lingerie Designing" competition.

This is not something I would wear but I have to say that there are two very interesting pieces of design, creative is the word. Something that you would see on Project Runway?

Maggie Q visits Viet nam

Maggie Q attended an inauguration ceremony of the Tam Dao Bear Protection Centre on May 14th, Vinh Phuc, Vietnam . The half Vietnamese actress has attracted a lot of media attention because of her close tie to the Vietnamese people.

Maggie Q's full name is Maggie Denise Quigley, and her Vietnamese name Lý My Kỳ born on the 22 May 1979 Honolulu, Hawaii . Her father is a mixed Poland, Ireland and American and her mother is Vietnamese. Maggie is the youngest of 5 children.

Her first break in acting was in 1998 where she had a small part in a Hong Kong TV drama. She take on Hollywood when she was offered a role in Mission Impossible III with Tom Cruise. Maggie Q now have in her resume the list of highly popular movies where she had participated in the most recent is Die Hard 4 along side with Bruce Willi, Balls of Fury, House of Harmony and so on...

Johnny Tri Nguyen and Ngo Thanh Van immerse on the dance floor

Johnny Tri and Ngo Thanh Van in a scene of their new action movie "Clash"

NTV is so hot in that dress!

"Johnny, look at the camera not my chest... umm"

This is the second time Johnny Tri and NTV collabate in a movie, this one is titled "Clash", the Vietnamese title is "Bay rong". To prepare for their dancing scene, the crew hired the entire 23rd floor of the Sheraton Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Johnny Tri disclosed that he and NTV had spent a lot of time practicing the routine. He praises NTV saying that she dances like a professional tango dancer.

The pair was rumoured to be a couple and NTV was the reason Johnny Tri left his wife (of course both parties denied this rumour).

NTV looks a little tense in the pics. Was she nervious about dancing in front of all those people? I guess not, NTV was a singer and she often performs in front of a large live audience.

Source: dantri

Interview with Ngo Thanh Van

Ngo Thanh Van cropped her hair for new movie

Interviewer: Hello Ngo Thanh Van. Can I call you " a gang robber"?

NTV: Hello! (laugh). That's my character in a new movie. In this film I am a gangster and follow orders from a big gangster boss. I have to complete 7 tasks for the boss to free myself from the life of a gangster. There is also another reason but I willl not disclose it now. You will have to wait and see the film to find out.

Interviewer: How is this film progressing?

NTV: At present the produser is casting for two characters to play my younger brother and Tri's (co-star) sister via the internet. I was impressed with the acting ability of the two young actors.

NTV and co-star Johnny Tri Nguyen

Interviewer: Well, this is your second film co-starring with Johnny Tri Nguyen?

NTV: Yes, indeed. After the first film, The Rebel I have received a lot of offers but none of the roles suit me. There were not many good roles and the scripts were ordinary. I like to do something different and I want to bring new ideas to the audiences.

Interviewer: Although you have not commenced filming but fans are very interested in the 'hot' images of you and Johnny Tri Nguyen together?

NTV: The images were shot for publication purposes. It will be a while until the film is officially released we thought that we would give the audience a glimpse of the new film to shortern their waiting time. Since we have not commence shooting I cannot tell you much about it.

NTV has to do her own fighting scenes without the help of a body double,

she has to practice martial art which result in her bruising

NTV was a model then she became a singer and now

she embark on a new challenge as an actress

Interviwer: I notice you have a lot of purple bruises on your arms, are you traning very hard?

NTV: Yes, I have to train very hard. Johnny Tri insists that I do my own fighting scenes therefore I have to learn to fight like a real martial artist. The fighting techniques of this film is very complex and harder to learn.

Since the new year, I have been training very hard but because my body muscles are not used to so much training I was getting a lot of bruises. As the training progresses I don't get as much bruises.

Interviewer: As a friend, what do you think of Johnny Tri Nguyen?

NTV: He is a very professional actor and director, I trust him completely in his directions. He knows how to make the opposite person feel confortable with themselve and confortable working with him. He has a good foundation in his acting and directing, he has learned his skill from Hollywood. When I work with him, I feel like a pupil and he's the teacher. He taught me a lot. (laugh). I feel very comfortable working with him.

Interviewer: When I watched The Rebel you seem awkward in the fighting scenes.

NTV: Yes, you are right. I am not a prefessional martial artist so my fighting scenes were not real. But I am impressed with my fightings in the film and I think Johnny Tri has done a good job bringing the fights to live. Some people have commented on my fighting scenes saying that they admire my techniques and asked me how long did it take me to learn to fight so well.

Interviewer: I looks like you're in love with making films. Will you ever return to the stage to continue your music career?

NTV: At present I am too busy with my filming schedule I don't have time to pursue my music career. Besides, the Vietnamese music industry is saturated with new comers, the audiences are confused with the music style of these new comers. Many singers have small success but they think they are stars that makes me bored of the of the music business now. I am not sure if i will return to music.

Interviwer: Thank you Ngo Thanh Van for an interesting chat.

Source: http://www.thegioidienanh.vn/20090425073256574p134c146/ngo-thanh-van-toi-tin-tuong-ohnny-tri-nguyen-tuyet-doi.htm
Translate by: starsbuz

Vietnam to remake Hit Korean TV series "Full House"

Actress Minh Hang, star of the blockbuster film Giai Cuu Than Chet (Saving the Angel of Death), and heartthrob Luong Manh Hai will co-star for the first time in the television series Full House, recreating the roles of Song Hye-kyo and pop star Rain in the South Korean series.

"The Korean series was a big hit on the small screen in Viet Nam in 2005," said a representative of Viet Studio. "So we decided to buy the rights from KBS."The Vietnamese version of the series will be scripted and directed by Vu Ngoc Dang, who is coming off the recent hit series "Tropical Snow" and "Suddenly Want to Cry".

The script will adhere to the storyline of the original but add nine more episodes, according to Dang. Hang was chosen to play the lead based on her work in "Saving the Angel of Death". She is also known as the singer of the song Walking Around the World."I like this role very much and agreed to take it despite the pressure of being under the enormous shadow of Song Hye-kyo," said Hang. She said she was confident she could stamp the role with her own creativity.

Singers Lam Truong and Thuy Tien will also appear in Full House in supporting roles. Truong will be doing his first acting after receiving mixed reviews five years ago for his work in director Le Hoang’s Thief of Hearts. In addition to appearing in the series, singer Thuy Tien will write music for the show. Her most recent songs were for the movie "Beautiful to the Last Centimetre", also directed by Dang. Production on the series begins next month, with its broadcast to begin on Viet Nam Television in July.