Latest blog posts by HelloHollywood

Brave Review

08 08 2012 13:25:29 +0000

Brave is the latest entry from the critically acclaimed film studio Pixar. For years they’ve been the only studio to be able to consistently provide quality entertainment. This unfortunately changed somewhat last year when they released Cars 2. It received a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, less than half of Pixar’s usual score. It was however a big hit with the kids and made an incredible amount of money from a merchandising perspective. While I think that Cars 2 is not as bad as some people make it out to be, it was still a very clear misstep for the animation giant.

Fortunately, Brave is not such a disappointment. It makes some missteps to be sure, and it isn’t a masterpiece in the same manner that Up! and Wall-E were, but its still a very enjoyable film with lots of heart and clear effort put behind it. It feels more like a great Disney film than a great Pixar film, however, which I think has led to many of the issues some of the critics had with this film. All agree however that the film is a visual delight and is certainly Pixar’s most beautiful film yet.

For me this film is The Little Mermaid done correctly; blasphemous I know that I should denounce the film that started the Disney Renaissance, but let me explain. To me Ariel was just too idiotic of a protagonist for me to care for her significantly. She sells her soul for a man she has never even met, and sells it to someone who very clearly doesn’t play fair at all (not to mention her lair looks like its pulled straight from the 5^th circle of hell). In the end she gets what she wants and has seemingly learned basically nothing from her mistake, which led to putting the entire kingdom at stake. The only character who seemingly grows from this is Ariel’s father, and he does learn from his mistakes, but this is largely not followed upon throughout the film.

Brave does this aspect perfectly though. It knew within that same formula that the more interesting aspect of the film is the relationship between the daughter and their overbearing parent. Merida is basically forced by her mother into marrying one of three men, who could best be described as an incoherent ox, a brainless sheep, and a cocky goat respectively. Merida seeks to change her fate, and thus she forces an actual friendly witch into giving her a spell that can change her mother’s mind. Unlike Ariel, Merida sees that she’s made a big mistake almost immediately, and seeks to right the wrongs she is responsible for. Both Merida and her mother grow greatly as characters until in the end they finally have common ground.

This film would be most emotionally resonating with mothers and daughters, especially if they have had a tumultuous relationship in the past. It doesn’t say whether the mother or daughter is right, since their both wrong in many ways and are both too stubborn to see it, at least until the curse sets in. I think mothers and daughters will like that point in particular. Generally it’s a great film for the whole family to enjoy. Skip the 3-D though since its distracting from the visuals.

3 out of 4 stars

Ted Review

08 08 2012 13:17:59 +0000

Ted is the new and first film from Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. This film is loud, obnoxious, rude, ridiculous, borderline incoherent, and incredibly filthy. It’s one of the most ridiculous concepts I’ve ever seen for a live action film. The film however knows how ridiculous it is and exactly what it is. It knows it’s not highbrow comedy, and it never even attempts it. It’s just funny puns and ridiculous situation after ridiculous situation, and it completely works.

The story focuses on a man-child named John (played by Mark Wahlberg), who in his youth wished for his teddy bear to come to life and miraculously did. Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) becomes a national sensation, but his 15 minutes of fame eventually go away, and after 30 years becomes a perverted, lazy stoner. John now has a girlfriend named Laurie (played by Mila Kunis), who is sick of Ted’s antics, the breaking point being a series of prostitutes soiling their house. Ted must move out and support himself, but John continues on his downward spiral in life with Ted leading him.

The film is more or less an extended episode of Family Guy, and good Family Guy at that which has become increasingly rare these days. There are a ridiculous number of pop culture references squeezed in any and every part of the film that they can make room for. There are also similar throwaway gags like there are in Family Guy, but like early Family Guy, they tend to have something to do directly with the plot.

With all this said, the movie does have true heart. The third act pretty much goes in the same direction as most Judd Apatow films do, in that it’s not as funny as the rest of the film. It’s still good, especially when it goes into the territory of Ted having a stalker, but its necessary for us to actually care about the characters and not just their ridiculous gags and situations.

This film is not comedy gold, but it is certainly great for a few laughs. Films this ridiculous and self-aware don’t come across very often. Fantastic film just to help you escape for the afternoon.

3 out of 4 stars

June Film Preview

31 05 2012 19:37:04 +0000

June 1^st

Snow White and the Huntsman- I am very divided about this film. I’m against turning Snow White into an armored warrior, because that’s certainly not the character she was intended to be. The film however looks very competent and well put together, and actually very exciting. As much as I am against Snow White being turned into a bad ass, I am very much looking forward to seeing where they take this. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemmsworth

Piranha 3DD- Well, this is going to be painful. If you’re into these horrible monster movies, definitely go see it, but if not, I’d stay as far as possible from this film.

June 8^th

Madagascar 3: Africa’s Most Wanted- When people point to Pixar being better than Dreamworks in basically every regard, look no further than this film. The trailer looks really weak, the jokes are stale, and it doesn’t look exciting. The problem with Dreamworks is not that they don’t make great films (How to Train Your Dragon is a wonderful film for instance), but for each wonderful film they make, they have to tarnish its legacy by making as many sequels as possible until you start to wonder why you feel in love with the material in the first place.

Prometheus- This may be the most anticipated Sci-fi film since the Matrix sequels. The film is an unofficial prequel to the Alien series and it will hopefully be a glorious return of Ridley Scott to the sci-fi genre. I’m trying to stay as spoiler free from this film as possible and go into it completely blind. I’ve only seen the first trailer and I hope to keep it that way.

June 15^th

Rock of Ages- This film follows waitress Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough) and busboy Drew Boley (Diego Boneta) who fall in love during the glam metal era of the 1980s. This looks to be a fun musical with great music. The film features an all-star cast with Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, and Alec Baldwin

That’s My Boy- Well, Adam Sandler’s filmography has been on a complete downward spiral since the 1990s, and it finally crash-landed into Jack and Jill, winner of the most Razzie Awards in history. So the good news is Sandler can’t sink any lower than that, so by default it seems that That’s My Boy will in the very least be better than his previous film. Andy Samburg stars as Adam Sandler’s son who is about to get married. Sandler, who is not invited to the wedding, comes in and causes tons of problems for Samburg and his new family.

June 22^nd

Brave- It’s been two years since we’ve had a real Pixar film (that toy commercial from last year doesn’t really count) and it looks like they’ll return magnificently with Brave. Pixar’s first fairy tale, the story focuses on a rebellious princess who is a wonderful archer and extremely rebellious. She is forced by her parents to wed another, but she runs away seeking to change her fate. The plot is shrouded in secrecy for the time being, and I am greatly looking forward to the twists and turns this film will bring us.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter- On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve got this film. America’s greatest president is on a nationwide rampage to destroy every vampire in America. It’s an idea so stupid and insane that it just has to work. The non-red band trailers weren’t getting me excited for this, but after seeing the red band trailer, I’m completely on board for this. It’s sure to be the guilty pleasure of the summer.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World- Ending off what may be the best week for film of the summer, we’ve got this film, starring Steve Carell and Kiera Knightley. It’s a fun concept in that everyone on earth knows that they’re living out the last 3 weeks of their lives due to a giant asteroid being on its way to collide with Earth. Carell and Knightley use their remaining days to go cross country so Knightley can see her family one last time before the end of the world. Like most of Carell’s comedies, its sure to be very dry and witty.

June 29^th

Madea’s Witness Protection Program- The annual garbage franchise that Tyler Perry spits out every single year upon the populace, its just something we’ve learned to accept and mostly ignore. I’m guessing it will be something like the last 5 Madea films, although it does have Eugene Levy, so he may be able to make the film remotely tolerable.

Magic Mike- The chick flick of the month, the film focuses on a male stripper and his quest to find love. I can see why this would appeal to women, put personally I’ll just pass.

People Like Us- This tells the story of a struggling man (Chris Pine) who discovers that the will of his late father stipulates that he must deliver $150,000 in cash to his alcoholic sister (Elizabeth Banks) he never knew existed, and her troubled 12-year-old son. This film, while still a chick flick, does seem to be much more accessible to the male audience than Magic Mike is.

Ted- Ted is the film debut of Family Guy creator Seth Macfarlane. Although Family Guy has long sense gotten stale, I still think Macfarlane hasn’t run out of ideas and is a very gifted comedic writer and performer. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, a man who in his youth wished his teddy bear could come to life, and magically it does. The problem is 30 years later the Teddy Bear is still around and has become a pot smoking, lazy, womanizing, and foul mouth animal named Ted. Whalberg’s character has finally found love in Mila Kunis, who wants Ted to move out of their life. As ridiculous of a premise this film is, I’m greatly anticipating it for its potential.

Ross Parks

Cannes 2012 Line-up

30 05 2012 20:49:32 +0000

I and many other film lovers think that 2012 may be the best year for film in over a decade, especially compared to 2011. However I must admit that 2011 was a great year in the independent film industry, with films like Into the Abyss, The Artist, and Another Earth. Judging from the Cannes Lineup this year (which I am very much jealous of anyone able to attend it this year), it looks like we’re in for another great year of independent filmmaking.

Moonrise Kingdom- One of my most anticipated films of the year, this film is directed by the wonderful filmmaker Wes Anderson. The story focuses on two kids who run away from home into the forest which prompts a large search and rescue team. The film features Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Frances MacDormand, and Tilda Swanson.

Cosmopolis- From director David Cronenberg, the plot focuses on a young billionaire in his limo on the way to get his haircut, where nothing goes according to plan and hell almost literally ensues as he’s caught in the middle of a violent riot. I think the anti-Twilight fanbase may be off-put by this film due to the fact that Robert Pattinson is starring in it, but the guy seems like he’s a good actor from the material he’s been given that isn’t related to Twilight.

Like Someone in Love- Directed by Iranian Abbas Kiarostami, this film tells the story of a Tokyo student who becomes a prostitute and falls in love with one of her elderly clients, who is also an academic. Seems like a film we don’t see much these days and I’ve always been a big fan of Japanese cinema.

Killing Them Softly- Another highly anticipated film (that we aren’t unfortunately getting until September), the film focuses on Jackie Cogan (played by Brad Pitt), a point man (a person who patrols ahead) for a hitman. Cogan begins investigating a heist of the mob's assets. The film is directed by Andrew Dominik, who previously directed The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Lawless- Originally titled The Wettest Country (I’m not sure why Hollywood is changing their film names to single word concepts consistently now), it focuses on three bootlegging brothers during the Prohibition making a run for the American dream in Rural Virginia. They eventually cross the wrong people and are forced in to a war with mobsters. Based on a true story, I could see this being a big hit at Cannes. It also has one hell of a cast in Shia Lebeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, and Guy Pierce.

Ross Parks

Men in Black III Review

29 05 2012 18:27:14 +0000

RATINGS: 3 / 5

Men in Black III is yet another unnecessary sequel from a film, which was made over a decade before, that nobody asked for. The film before it Men in Black II was a disaster on every level, to where I was not so eager to revisit this universe. But I have to say, this film is really just a fun popcorn flick. The film is completely mindless and doesn’t make any sense really (particularly towards the end), but it makes up for it with great performance, fun sequences, and some great references to the 1960s.

The plot is about an intergalactic criminal named Boris the Animal (portrayed by Jemaine Clement) escaping from prison, and then goes back in time to kill Agent K (portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones). Boris apparently succeeds in his mission, due to the fact that Agent K has apparently disappeared and been dead since 1969. His partner Agent J (portrayed by Will Smith) is the only person who seems to have noticed the time change, so he follows Boris back in time in order to stop him. There he teams up with a Young Agent K (portrayed by Josh Brolin), and tries to save their mutually doomed future.

Men in Black III had major production issues where they went months at a time without shooting, and the script was supposedly an initial mess. It actually slightly shows in the finished product, but while I think most people were expecting a disaster on the lines of its predecessor, that’s clearly not the case. I think the fact that this film had a lot more fun with its premise this time greatly helped the sloppiness of the story and script. This is a film that clearly knows its characters better than they did during MIB2, and it has a lot of fun with them.

The standout of this film is without question Josh Brolin’s performance as a Young Agent K. Brolin completely sells this and I didn’t doubt for a second that this was not only a young Agent K, but also a young Tommy Lee Jones. Brolin perfects the most minor of attributes of Jones perfectly. The film is worth seeing for Brolin’s performance alone. That being said, I’d recommend not seeing it in 3-D. It didn’t seem to add anything to the film and parts actually gave me a headache, which has never happened for me seeing a 3-D film.

Ross Parks

CLOUD ATLAS AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL WITH CHINESE ACTRESS XUN ZHOU

17 05 2012 19:22:54 +0000

One of China’s most accomplished actresses is uniting with Hollywood royalty.

Zhou Xun (周迅) joins Academy Award-winners Halle Berry, Tom Hanks and Susan Sarandon in “Cloud Atlas,” the film adaptation of the best-selling 2004 novel by British author David Mitchell.

The all-star cast includes Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw and Keith David. The film also features South Korean actress Doona Bae (배두나).

The film will be co-directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski, the duo responsible for the “Matrix” trilogy, and German director Tom Tykwer (“Run Lola Run”).

The producers said in a statement: “‘Cloud Atlas’ is an epic story of humankind in which the actions and consequences of our lives impact one another throughout the past, present and future as one soul is shaped from a murderer into a savior and a single act of kindness ripples out for centuries to inspire a revolution.”

Filming begins Friday and will be shot on location in Scotland, Spain and Germany.

“Cloud Atlas” holds the prospect of giving Ms. Zhou her largest global audience yet. Only a handful of mainland-Chinese actresses have gained widespread fame in the West — most notably Gong Li (鞏俐) and Zhang Ziyi (章子怡).

Ms. Zhou has appeared in a broad range of Chinese movies — including “Perhaps Love” (如果•愛), “The Equation of Love and Death” (李米的猜想) and “Painted Skin” (畫皮) — picking up numerous best-actress awards along the way. “Cloud Atlas” marks her first major film outside of Asia.

The Avengers Review

10 05 2012 20:10:06 +0000

RATINGS: 3.5 / 5

Honestly I wasn’t overly excited for this film. It felt to me from the advertising that this was merely going to be “Iron Man and Friends”, more or less. It pointed to it being mostly about Tony Stark and him being the leader, which would have been a betrayal to the source material. Thankfully I was very much proven wrong and director Joss Whedon has created perhaps the best comic book film of all time. The film has wildly exceeded all expectations, especially at the box office with an Earth shattering $200 million opening in the US and almost $750 million worldwide. Just to put it in perspective, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II (the previous record holder) merely made $169 million in its opening weekend.

I do think that there are better films to come out of comic books, but the greatest of the comic book films tend to distant themselves from its comic origins. The Dark Knight and Batman Begins for instance are more like crime dramas, while X-Men: First Class was more of a historical action film with super powers mixed into it. Both of these films were to be taken completely serious, and have little comedic relief.

The Avengers however may have made the best comic to live action transition in the history of film (aside from maybe Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but for other reasons obviously). The tone is kept almost perfectly in the comics, the small things going on in the background, and the film is just plain old fun. It’s not as smart as The Dark Knight is, but I’d say its wittier and much more fun.

The characters were translated particularly well. Each character is given a shining moment and they all seem to have reason to have some particular grudge with the antagonist Loki. Captain America makes a very convincing leader, which says a lot due to how pretty much everyone on the team has a dominant personality. I like how they exploit Captain America’s and Thor’s lack of knowledge of the current state of the world and how they pit each character against each other.

The one who really steals the show though is Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk/Dr. Bruce Banner. He plays the role so convincingly as human, but when he gets angry, he certainly has the best action in the film. I’m hoping after this film they give the Hulk one last try for his own live action film, despite the two before this, because it appears that most people agree that he was the best part of the film.

Finally the ambition for this project has been pretty astounding. There is at least one or two major events from each of the films that Marvel has made building up to The Avengers, and the film has to be commemorated for this ambitious scope. Not to mention that all the actors appearing in this film are contracted to do at least 6 films, and that includes Ruffalo, to where this could and should only be the beginning for this ragtag band of heroes. This film is highly recommended to pretty much anyone solely from the last 30 minutes of the film, which has really raised the bar on a Superhero action sequence.

Ross Parks

May Film Preview

04 05 2012 19:10:56 +0000

It’s May now, the start of the Summer season. This summer is looking to be the best we’ve had in many years, and May is going to be starting us off with a bang.

May 4^th

The Avengers- It’s finally here. A film that I never thought I would see. After making 5 films advertising this film for the past 6 years, my expectations are sky high. This has therefore made it one of the more ambitious film projects I have seen in my lifetime. Note I don’t expect this to be enlightening or insightful like I expect The Dark Knight Rises to be, but I do expect it to be the perfect popcorn film. The Dark Knight Rises looks to be a film that wants to distant itself from its comic book origins, while The Avengers looks as if it will fully embrace it and make it into a much more fun film than Rises. The cast is incredible and am really particularly looking forward to Tom Hiddleson’s Loki, who was fairly reserved in Thor. I’m also particularly looking forward to how all these alpha male characters are able to work together as a cohesive unit. The film has been getting incredible reviews thus far and it’s going to be the biggest popcorn flick of the summer. I also feel pretty confident in saying that this will be the top grossing film of the month.

May 11^th

Dark Shadows- Based on a long running soap opera from the sixties and seventies, Tim Burton is about to put his own spin on the franchise. The film contains Burton’s usual collaborators Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, as well Eva Greene (who looks surprisingly great as a blonde), Chloe Moretz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Lee Miller, and Christopher Lee. The plot focuses on a vampire named Barnabas (played by Depp) who has been buried alive for the past 200 years. He arrives in the 1970s to find his previous estate and family in basic ruins. Barnabas then seeks to redeem his families name and estate as well as having to deal with the witch (played by Eva Greene) who originally buried him alive.

May 16^th

The Dictator- This is sure to be the most outrageous film of the month. It looks to be cut from the same cloth as Borat and Bruno, but it is too outrageous for its own good to pull off a documentary where he fools people from around America. Therefore there is an actual real plot to this film rather than a bunch of gags that are very loosely tied together. The plot revolves around a North African dictator who comes to America, only to be ambushed and having his iconic beard shaved off, resulting in him losing everything. It looks like it may turn out as the Coming to America from hell. Anna Faris and Ben Kingsley also star.

May 18^th

Battleship- Basically this will be this year’s Transformers. I am incredibly perplexed by this film. Remember how when you played Battleship when you sunk the alien spaceship? Mean either. This is looking to be the exact type of popcorn flick I don’t really like. Hopefully it will be one of those films that will be so ridiculously dumb that its great.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting- While the boys are off seeing Battleship or the Avengers for the third time, the girls will be off to see this film. The chick flick of the month, the film has an incredibly large cast with Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Chris Rock, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Brooklyn Decker, and Cheryl Cole. As far as I’m concerned, it seems to be a film about having babies, and aside from Knocked Up, this type of tilm isn’t exactly my cup of tea.

May 25^th

Chernobyl Diaries- This is a horror film that takes place in Pripyat, the location of the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine over 25 years ago. A group of tourists Personally May has never seemed to be a good month to release a horror film. I’m not sure why they didn’t put this film on the back burner for a few months and wait until August, September, or October to release this film. Those months seem to have been kinder to the genre than the Summer months have.

Men in Black 3- For a long awaited and simultaneously unneeded sequel taking place years later, they are letting hardly any details about this film. I know that there will be a time travel plot device, that the older version of K somehow disappears, and that Josh Brolin will be playing the younger version of K (who looks great so far by the way), but that’s really all we know at this point. We don’t know the goal of the antagonist or anything else about the story. But I’m glad about this. This means that the film has ambition and that they don’t want to really spoil anything. Its not as if people won’t go see it regardless of what is shown in the trailers and TV spots. I hope they keep it up and meet my expectations.

Marketers Must Understand How Internet Transforms Personal Connections in China

18 04 2012 17:07:43 +0000

As Consumers Become More Social, Learning Their Values Is Crucial

By: Laurel Wentz

The internet has transformed China's closed inner circle of personal connections, referred to asguanxi, into a more open chain of relationships, said social-media giant S Y Lau of Tencent.

Patrick Butler

S Y Lau delivers a presentation at the Ad Age Digital Conference Tuesday afternoon in New York.

Speaking at Ad Age's Digital Conference on Tuesday, Mr. Lau described the opportunities for marketers who understand the values of Chinese consumers, from lack of brand loyalty to a hunger for respect. Mr. Lau is senior exec VP-president of online media business at China's Tencent, which includes the QQ messaging service, with 721 million active accounts. Just 14 months ago, Tencent developed a smartphone messaging app called Weixin and already has 100 million users, Mr. Lau said.

The numbers are staggering in a country with 513 million internet users: Every day more than 164,031 Chinese go online for the first time and 17 million new smartphones are activated. Jeremy Lin has 5.4 million fans on Tencent's social networks in China, and 370,000 people play mahjong on the networks at the same time, according to Mr. Lau.

Mining consumer insights, Mr. Lau said Chinese are impressionable and intrigued by brand imagery but unlikely to remain loyal to brands. Creating content, such as a campaign Tencent did with Nikethat led to the formation of 62,000 virtual basketball teams, helps build brand intimacy.

Consumers are also skeptical, he said, often a challenge for marketers participating in big events. To counter that, Tencent and BMW two years ago aimed to create the largest volunteer network by mobilizing consumers in a viral campaign to spread to their friends the spirit of the World Expo held in Shanghai.

At the same time, Chinese seek respect, or "face," meaning a good reputation in front of one's peers. One expression of that is a huge online market for virtual products. "Personal image is vital here," Mr. Lau said. "[People] spend billions of yuan on virtual goods to maintain their online image."

In a Q&A session at the conference, John Quelch, professor of international management and dean at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), noted that the Chinese government does block search results on a relatively few sensitive topics and that Chinese internet companies understand these limitations.

"But if you look at the upside of having 500 to 600 million internet users, and the information being exchanged, no central authority can control all that," he said. "There are restrictions on sensitive issues. There was a temporary shutdown for three days of the comments feature of micro-blogging sites. The government didn't attempt to shut down the posting or forwarding features, just comments. ...Reason prevailed, and after three days the restrictions were lifted. Maybe because they were ineffective, maybe because there was such a popular outcry."

Mr. Quelch said Chinese society was built around fear, with citizens used to only being close to "six people around my banquet table," but that's changing. "Chinese are learning to be social in a much broader societal sense," he said.

That's an important message for marketers. When one blogger posted a bad review of a Siemens refrigerator, the negative message was retweeted 170 million times in China, he said.

"You don't want to be the CMO of Siemens domestic appliances in China," Mr. Quelch said.

There is still a lot of room for growth within China for big internet companies such as Tencent and search giant Baidu, Mr. Quelch said. Although Tencent is developing a small, U.S. presence in Palo Alto, oriented around online games, Mr. Quelch predicted that when China's internet giants do look overseas, they'll be likely to act through joint ventures and local partnerships, and to enter other emerging markets rather than the most developed countries.

"Did you read my plan?" Mr. Lau asked Mr. Quelch with a laugh.

THE BIG BANG THEORY MADE IN CHINA... IN A BAD WAY

12 04 2012 18:51:45 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2FPuXkOPuM

Here we have The Big Bang Theory Made in China, in which Shelton made in China, Leonard made in China and Penny made in China make their first debut, reciting their lines in a very strange way as no one in China would actually do.The lines sound to be translated directly from English without any embellishment. The scenes look unrealistic, can you imagine two Chinese young men in their 20's sharing a villa ? They cannot even afford the bathroom, believe or not ! The only funny thing about this crap is that this is not a parody, some people do take it very seriously , and it is invested by CNASA (The Chinese NASA) !

EUROCINEMA LOOKS AT THE WORLD OF CINEMA

11 04 2012 16:47:35 +0000

Bergman Collection

There are a lot of buried treasures out there I am sure…some there on an island called Faro, where Ingmar Bergman spent his final years. He was an avid film collector besides being a great filmmaker. He had a collection of 1500 titles all organized alphabetically. Imagine Michael Douglas’ surprise when on a tour of the property he found his film WALL STREET as part of the collection. Besides the 1500 organized titles there are several thousand videos, films, etc. that are not catalogued. Now a couple of Swedish film critics and a journalist are going through them and creating a series for Swedish television, and I would bet it makes its way across the Atlantic. The creators of the show say it will look at the genius of Bergman and also portraits of great filmmakers.

Bergman’s collection of films comprised of filmmakers you would expect to find, Tarkovsky, Bunuel, Truffaut, Woody Allen, Lars Von Trier, Martin Scorsese and others. But also the unexpected films like THE BLUES BROTHERS, JURASSIC PART and GHOSTBUSTERS.

Legendary Filmmaker Passes Away

Claude Miller, a French director best known for discovering young actress Charlotte Gainsbourg (currently on Eurocinema in PERSECUTION) in the 1985 film "La Petite Voleuse", has died at the age of 70 after a long illness, one of his production companies said on Thursday.

A student of "Nouvelle Vague" directors Robert Bresson, Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, Miller carried their artistic approach into the 21st century, writing, directing and producing dozens of films.

Miller, the son of a movie theatre employee in Paris, started his career in the 1960s as an assistant director for Marcel Carme and released his first feature film, "The Best Way to Walk", in 1976

In France, Miller is best remembered for revealing Gainsbourg, then aged 17, as a compulsive teenaged thief in "La Petite Voleuse", as well as his 1981 film "Garde a vue", which won Cesar awards for Best Writing, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

"A true humanist, Claude Miller managed to reconcile both the public and critics around his works, which explored the human soul in a careful, anxious but benevolent way," the Elysee presidential palace said in a statement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7-WJjOmCXE

FILMS COMING THIS MONTH:

INTOUCHABLES, with Francois Cluzet, opening in limited release in the US and in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea soon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olhg1suvE60

MONSIEUR LAZHAR, a French-Canadian film nominated for an Oscar this past year is opening throughout the US at the end of April and coming to Japan soon.

http://vimeo.com/32583515

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About Metan Development Group

Metan Development Group (Metan) is a multi-media company focused on delivering Western entertainment content to China, and conversely, producing and exporting high-quality content in China to be sold and distributed internationally. The company’s focus lies particularly with the young urban Chinese audience—the fastest growing consumer market in the world. Metan Development Group provides global brands the opportunity to engage the Chinese consumer on a variety of platforms including television, film, the Internet and digital mobile devices. Aside from the company’s work in exposing China to a world of multi-faceted content, Metan Development Group also leverages its network resources and far-reaching strategic relationships in the US and Europe to drive Chinese culture to more places and more audiences around the world in every possible form and format.

Metan currently has offices in Los Angeles and Beijing, with plans to open a Shanghai office in late 2011.

Disney To Help Develop China’s Animation Business Via New Partnership

11 04 2012 14:51:30 +0000

Disney To Help Develop China’s Animation Business Via New Partnership

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor Tuesday April 10, 2012 @ 5:11am PDT

Shanghai, China and Burbank, California (April 10, 2012) – The Walt Disney Company in China, the Ministry of Culture’s China Animation Group, and Tencent, China’s largest internet service provider, have formed a partnership, “The National Animation Creative Research and Development Cooperation,” to advance the country’s animation industry. The organization, announced at a signing ceremony in Beijing today (Tuesday), will serve as an incubator to train local talent and develop original content that will entertain audiences in China and worldwide.

“The National Animation Creative Research and Development initiative is focused on nurturing local talent and recognizes the importance of developing original local animation content,” said Andy Bird, Chairman of Walt Disney International. “Disney’s involvement builds on our expertise and long term commitment to nurture the local original animation industry. As founding partner we look forward to working with this new creative partnership in creating content for the Chinese and international marketplace,” he added.

Mr. Bird was joined at the ceremony by Liang Gang, Chairman of the Board for China Animation Group, Ren Yuxin, a senior executive of Tencent, and Gao Zheng, deputy director general, Cultural Industry Department for the Ministry of Culture.

As part of the initiative, Disney will provide its expertise in storytelling from concept creation and story development to market research. Disney will work with the China Animation Group and Tencent to foster local content across mediums, including television, motion pictures and digital platforms, for distribution in China and internationally. Tencent, one of China’s largest Internet service portals, will provide online marketing support.

Film Preview for the 2nd week of April

09 04 2012 16:18:15 +0000

April 13^th

Cabin in the Woods- As is often the case on Friday the thirteenth, we are getting a horror film. So far it is getting very good reviews. The trailers perplex me on what this film is about. As of right now it seems like a social experiment with some science fiction mixed into it. I’m thinking this is one of those films that the less you know about it, the better and more effective the film will be.

Lockout- I’m glad to see Guy Pierce has been making a comeback recently. The man is a great actor and I was particularly impressed with his acting abilities in Memento. As for the film, it looks like it could be a very thrilling sci-fi, and really like the concept of a prison break set in space.

The Three Stooges- This is sure to be the worst and most insulting film released in several months. This film originally sounded so promising with Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Jim Carrey playing the Stooges, but now we are left with D-list actors Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes, and Will Sasso, not to mention the cast of the Jersey Shore. It seems that at one point the plot devolves down to the point that the Stooges get their own reality show. I’d be shocked if this film got more than a 10% on the Tomatometer.

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The author Ross Parks is a Marketing Analyst at Metan Development Group.

About Metan Development Group

Metan currently has offices in Los Angeles and Beijing, with plans to open a Shanghai office in late 2011.

The true blend of Hollywood and Chinese entertainment -

30 03 2012 17:22:33 +0000

忽如一夜春风，带过满地开花。且不论新媒体崛起之迅速，更新之频率，亲民之高度，覆盖之宽幅，电视媒体依旧占山为王，傲视群雄。

古有梁启超之少年中国说，今为电视媒体谆谆教谕。欲言传媒载体之老少，请先言载物之老少，老媒体常炒冷饭照菜谱做旧，新媒体则紧追时势花样层出不穷。

何谓老媒体？自古为悠悠众口，奔走相告，为商鞅变法之所用。之后载体进为广播，一人之口，万人之耳。然古有人曰，‘事不目见耳闻，而臆断其有无，可乎？’于是乎，电视媒体顺势而生，集视听效果为一，耳闻目见时事，如身临其境，欲罢不能。然则众人开发，电视已然成红海，海量节目齐齐迸发，乍一看之下，眼花缭乱，分不清孰好孰坏。往往涉及敏感，殃及池鱼。更有甚者，批量复制成功模板，不精挑细选便堂而皇之献世，噱头远大于其内容深度。

九层之台，起于累土；合抱之木，始于毫末。流经历史渊源的电视媒体相对于新媒体而言，生命力之旺盛，影响之深远，讯息接收之直接，皆为其望尘莫及。新媒体虽惹眼，却不易如电视那般为普通大众所熟识接受及应用，夭折的隐患随处可见，一个新政策颁布抑或科技进步一个台阶之时即可能被淘汰。

余谓，电视应树时代之标杆，发挥主流媒体功用，引导新生媒体譬如微博平台之衍伸及拓宽。换言之，以电视为主，辅以各新媒体，即能一展视听佳肴而又不失其原有风味。好比进食，米饭是必不可少，无论清粥或白煮，只需在旁添置一两碟小菜小荤便足以开怀。

“Hello！好莱坞”犹如一道原汁原味的西式大餐，蕴含西方好莱坞圈内的酸甜苦辣咸，借助以中国电视媒体为主的青花瓷盘，为荧幕之前的中国观众呈上饕餮盛宴。与国内娱乐栏目相异，“Hello！好莱坞”取材新鲜，制作工艺精细，尤为注重该菜式的创新手法，隔三差五翻一个新花样，以满足观众与日俱新之视野及口味。制作方——美天发展集团深潜好莱坞幕后挖掘新鲜独家菜肴原料，蘸取美天秘制酱汁，遵照美天独家手法制作，通过电视，网络以及高铁三大途径为观众提供视觉佳肴，解观众工作旅行之乏，止民众好奇八卦之渴。此档节目犹如清风阵阵，令目前乱成一锅粥的电视媒体娱乐新闻有了耳目一新之感，所谓问渠那得清如许，为有源头活水来。

忽如一夜春风来，千树万树梨花开。“Hello!好莱坞”现已遍布中国大小城市共40家电视台生根结果，收视脉络成熟发展，若能与一线城市热门娱乐节目实现合作，可谓强强联合，则其影响力不可同日而语。望“Hello!好莱坞”能在华夏大地绽放光芒，实现全中国人民皆对其say Hi.

The Author Alyssa Ren is Marketing/ Branding Specialist in Metan Development Group, Shanghai Office.

For more business insights about entertainement business in China, please go to HelloHollywood's web TV

About Metan Development Group

Metan Development Group (“Metan” is a China-centric media company. Formed in 2008, Metan produces and distributes branded entertainment across television, online, and mobile platforms.

Each program serves as a marketing medium for developing ancillary business models / derivative revenue streams including e-commerce, licensing, merchandising, and exploitation in international markets.

Founded by Larry Namer (co-founder of E! Entertainment) and Marty Pompadur (former Chairman of News Corporation Europe), Metan was established specifically for the Chinese market. Since its inception, Metan has already been recognized by some of the world’s biggest media companies for its accomplishments in establishing a media presence and as the conduit for Hollywood in the China market today.

Metan has offices in Los Angeles (US), Beijing (China), and Shanghai (China) and is comprised of a full staff of media, production, and business professionals

The Return of the Re-release

28 03 2012 14:21:35 +0000

2012 looks as if it is going to be a great return for cinema at large. One major reason that I am excited about film this year is that Hollywood is finally catching on and is starting to re-release films in theater again. Last year we kicked things off with The Lion King, and this year we’re getting/have gotten Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Titanic, Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo, and Jurassic Park.

I know that many are complaining that they merely exploiting timeless classics and just remaking them in 3-D, but personally I greatly prefer this to putting out pure trash on months and weeks that tend to be creatively dead. Seriously, what else is going to come out in January or February? Another overused found footage film or family film with no originality? I’d rather watch a film I know is good on the big screen than almost two months of complete lack of creativity and originality.

Many younger viewers also have yet to see many classics on the big screen, which is how they were meant to be viewed. While I was not the biggest Phantom Menace fan, I have to say I am very excited that I am going to be able to see the original trilogy on the big screen in a few years after they release the other two films in the prequel trilogy. I was not even alive when the original trilogy was released, so this gives me the opportunity to do so.

What these re-releases can do is share classics with younger generations and bring them to love film even more. The 3-D certainly isn’t necessary, but if this is what brings the flocks back to the theaters to watch some of the classics, I am in no way opposed to it.

Pic source: ropeofsilicon.com

The author Ross Parks is a Marketing Analyst at Metan Development Group.

About Metan Development Group

Metan currently has offices in Los Angeles and Beijing, with plans to open a Shanghai office in late 2011.

Film Preview for the 1st week of April

26 03 2012 16:55:14 +0000

April is usually a slight step down in film quality from March and is the calm before the storm of summer blockbusters. Here is a preview of the wide release films in the first week of April. Be sure to subscribe HelloHollywood's webTV for more film previews for other weeks of April.

April 4^th

Titanic 3-D- Just what James Cameron’s timeless classic needs is more money and to be shown in 3-D. In all seriousness there are probably quite a few scenes that will be magnificent to behold in 3-D, such as the iconic scene on the bow of the ship, the ship filling up with water, and of course the epic sinking of the ship itself. It would also not surprise me if this turned out to be the highest grossing film of the month.

April 6^th

American Reunion- Personally I’ve never been a particularly big fan of the American Pie series. I am not really sure why this film is even being made. Its been 9 years since its predecessor American Wedding, and it doesn’t seem that men in their thirties are going to exactly flock back to see this.

The author Ross Parks is a Marketing Analyst at Metan Development Group.

About Metan Development Group

Metan currently has offices in Los Angeles and Beijing, with plans to open a Shanghai office in late 2011.

The Hype of The Hunger Games

23 03 2012 23:11:19 +0000

The Hunger Games is a franchise with the potential I have not seen since the Harry Potter series. It has already broken the record for most midnight release tickets for a non-sequel. The demographics for this series are thus far pretty astounding. It seems to have just about every major demographic that attend films in their back pocket.

A major aspect of its appeal is its main character. Katniss seems to appeal to both male and female characters. She is a strong willed hunter and vastly independent that is also a force to be reckoned with in the arena. The attention to style and fashion was also a great way to get the female audience interested. Having just started reading the books, I am curious to see how they will be able to adapt the food to the film, which is often described vividly and likely to keep both sexes interests on the screen. Finally of course we have the love triangle, which is a female favorite amongst plot devices

For the males we’ve got tons of action and a fight to the death. If some of the action is anything as it is described in the book, lets just say that action fans are in for quite a treat when the Hunger Games themselves start. The story also takes place in a post-apocalyptic America in a science fiction-like setting, which on average tends to appeal more towards male viewers than female viewers.

Finally of course the film is getting incredible reviews so far with a current 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. This should insight repeat viewings if it continues to get good press. The potential for this series is pretty astounding due to the fact that it should appeal to most major demographics and I can’t wait to see the evolution this franchise will take. I am eagerly looking forward to this film and I believe will put some serious competition against The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Avengers as highest grossing film of the year.

Written by Ross Parks

For more business insights, please go to HelloHollywood's web TV at http://www.filmannex.com/webtv/HelloHollywood

From the Desk of Don Draper-Was Life in Good Old Days Better?

22 03 2012 16:44:39 +0000

Don Draper is a man of refined tastes: he drives a Cadillac Coup De Ville, owns a charming home in Westchester, NY, and has a proclivity for the original gentleman’s drink, the old-fashioned. But that was then and this is now, so what did these things cost in 1962 and how do they compare to the equivalent costs today? We dug up the numbers on everything from credit cards and total debt per household, to housing prices and the cost for a tank of gas, to find out just how much the prices have changed over the decades.

As appeared in CreditSuisse

For more business insights, please go to HelloHollywood's web TV at http://www.filmannex.com/webtv/HelloHollywood

Trailer of David Carradine's last movie, starring Chinese beauty Fan Bing Bing.

21 03 2012 15:51:24 +0000

STRETCH

A French/Thai co-production which takes place in Macau, starring Nicolas Cazale, Fan Bing Bing and in his final film appearance David Carradine (KUNG-FU). Carradine died tragically during the filming and that held up the release of this movie until now.

After being suspended for illegal drug use, French racing jockey Christophe (Nicolas Cazale) travels to Macau and hooks up with star trainer Way Way. He soon hits a winning streak, making fast money and fast friends, but finds himself caught in a dangerous web of crime and corruption.

For the latest updates about Cannes Film Festival, please subscribe HelloHollywood's webTV.

To get information about current films on Eurocinema, please go to www.eurocinema.com

Cannes Film Festival Line up

21 03 2012 15:31:06 +0000

Just announced this week, the lineup of the Cannes Film Festival. A surprise to many was the announcement of the fortnight’s opening film, Wes Anderson’s 1960s drama “MOONRISE KINGDON”, starring Bruce Willis and Bill Murray. The story revolves around two young lovers who run away from their New England homes, prompting locals to send out a search party. Anderson is best known for quirky comedies like “THE ROYAL TENNENBAUMS”, “THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU” as well as his animated adventure “FANTASTIC MR. FOX”. This year’s festival runs from May 16-27, and the jury picking the awards will be led by Italian actor/director Nanni Moretti, himself a Golden Palm winner in 2001.

This has been a great year so far for European films, filmmakers, actors, etc. Some of the credit must be given to the attention gathered by THE ARTIST, with Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, director Michel Hazanavicius. Then there was the attention brought to the origins of cinema with Martin Scorsese’s HUGO, a cinematic tribute to Georges Meilies. There are some great films coming from Europe:

This is a good one that you should look for. Opening with a limited release in the US in mid March and at the end of March in Hong Kong. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's new film THE KID WITH A BIKE is a real heart breaker. Abandoned by his father (Jérémie Renier), a young boy (Thomas Doret) is left in a state-run youth farm. In a random act of kindness, the town hairdresser (Cecile de France) agrees to foster him on weekends. Stephen Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer says…”The Kid With a Bike grabs at the heart.” “...when they (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne) hit the mark they create understated but deeply moving dramas that are uniquely their own. 'The Kid with a Bike' is their latest effort and it is among their best.”…Leonard Maltin

This is a really good film that will be in theatres soon and on video on demand shortly, it is too good to be left on the shelf, and besides it has one of my favorite French actresses, Cecile de France. She received a Best Actress nomination at the European film awards for this role, and it is definitely a must see. Another film garnering a lot of attention is ELLES, directed by Margoska Szumowska the Polish director now working out of France who co-produced 2009’s ANTICHRIST, with Juliette Binoche who stars as Anne, a well-off, Paris-based mother of two and investigative journalist for ELLE, she is writing an article about student prostitution. Her meetings with two fiercely independent young women, Alicja (Joanna Kulig) and Charlotte (Anais Demoustier), are profound and unsettling, moving her to question her most intimate convictions about money, family and sex. One of her subjects cannot separate herself from the financial benefits of her chosen part time career. The other looks at prostitution like smoking, enjoyable and very hard to give up. The film will see limited release in the US later this year.

Okay, so we go from the really moving heart warming story to the seedy under belly of society, to what some might seem as the silly, and it has to come from Finland. The Nazis set up a secret base on the moon in 1945 where they hide out and plan to return to power in 2018. This multi-lingual film (German, Finnish, and English) has stars from many countries Udo Kier (MELANCHOLIA) Germany, Kym Jackson (SCOOBY-DOO) US, Yuki Iwamoto (NINJA ASSASSINS) Japan. This film was one of the most anticipated at the Berlin Film Festival and recently at the SXSW Festival in the US. Cinevue says”…Iron Sky transcends the absurd into a yet-unknown stratosphere of ridiculous filmmaking.” IRON SKY is called a community made film. Finnish director Timo Vuorensola and producer Samuli Torssonenhave been considerably buoyed up during the six-year production period for Iron Sky by a large online community, cultivated since the early 90s when Torssonen began offering up a series of Star Trek parodies, which you can still see on YouTube. IRON SKY appears to be a textbook example of how to harness the digital community for both marketing and crowd funding purposes.

What’s up on Eurocinema this month? Now playing J’INVENTE RIEN starring Kad Merad and Elsa Zylberstein and legendary French actor Claude Brasseur…a moving romantic comedy about finding one’s way in life.

AN ITALIAN ROMANCE with Stefano Accorso and Maya Sansa, takes place in Italy at the beginnings of WWII. Giovanni is transferred back to his hometown of Livonia to work in a bank, on the commute one day he reconnects with an old girlfriend, only to find out she is in trouble with the new, strict government.

You can always get information about current films on Eurocinema, the latest in what is going on in the European film world, gossip, new releases, etc. by visiting us at www.eurocinema.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eurocinema

For the latest updates about Cannes film festival, please subscribe HelloHollywood's web TV.

Since 1945, France has counted every movie ticket

21 03 2012 14:39:06 +0000

In France, there are no estimates, no guessing : the government counts every single movie ticket. They know precisely how many tickets were issued for every single film -including porn- shown in French cinemas since 1945. The CNC knows how many times a given film was projected. And, thanks to the book "Ciné-Passions" by Simon Simsi, you can have that information, too.

For more business insights and entertainment news, please go to HelloHollywood's web TV

Chinese Government Makes Marketers' Job Harder in China

20 03 2012 14:38:25 +0000

Here is another interesting article that gives insight to the Chinese market.

China is a key market for multinationals, but it is also a challenging and confusing place to do business, especially because the Chinese government is eager to protect local companies in key areas.

Global financial firms, for instance, are limited in the services they can offer Chinese consumers. And last month, the government officially withdrew support for foreign capital in auto manufacturing, putting global automakers on edge in the world's largest car market. Consumer marketers such as Unilever have been blocked by the government from raising prices to avoid creating market disorder. And few global internet companies have succeeded in China, where government policies favor local giants such as Baidu, Sina and Alibaba.

Whether multinationals enter China through joint ventures, direct investment or acquisitions, companies often rely on their home government to help smooth the road -- or at least level the playing field -- through trade policy. This is especially true in U.S.-Sino relations, fraught with disputes about exchange rates, tariffs and quotas that can wreak havoc on the ability of foreign companies to expand operations in China.

Trade agreements "unequivocally" affect multinational marketers and their ability to succeed in China, said Ken Jarrett, chairman of PR firm APCO Worldwide, Greater China, on "Thoughtful China," a weekly online marketing-affairs talk show produced in Shanghai.

"China's accession to the World Trade Organization 10 years ago opened up the Chinese market to many multinationals, and to this day, it still shapes how they operate there," said Mr. Jarrett, who also heads the board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and is a former U.S. Consul General in Shanghai.

The WTO agreement "set equity caps to how much they can invest, it has removed tariffs on many products, which opened entire sectors to the foreign business community and it did so according to a very elaborate schedule," Mr. Jarrett said.

Through various measures, the Chinese government interferes with private trade initiatives, including requiring companies to do joint-ventures with a local partner and imposing tariffs.

To Western marketers, it's a clear case of government meddling in private markets, said P.T. Black, Thoughtful China's senior creative director. "To Chinese officials it's their responsibility to protect the nation's best interests.

"While governments play an important role in foreign trade and business opportunities, global companies should do more to understand the Chinese market, said Frank Lavin, chairman of Edelman's public affairs practice, Asia-Pacific as well as the former chief trade negotiator for the U.S. in China.

"They need to look at their entire business model and see how [things like price points, product features and distribution] should be adjusted for China," Mr. Lavin said.

Foreign companies also need to focus on developing relationships, known in Chinese as guanxi.

"The application and consistency of the rule of law [in China] is not nearly as well accepted as the role of relationships and networks of relationships," said Brian Cronkhite, managing director of Burson-Marsteller, Shanghai. "Over time, I think things are changing and China is developing a more contract-based society, [but] guanxi is still quite critical."

Normandy Madden is senior VP-content development, Asia/Pacific at Thoughtful China, and Ad Age's former Asia Editor.

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2012: A Return to Cinematic Excellence

20 03 2012 01:16:20 +0000

I would be lying to myself if I didn’t say that I thought 2011 was a horrible year for films in general. But 2012 is looking like it will bring some magic back to the cinema, which was largely missing last year. In no specific order these are ten of the films I am most eagerly anticipating:

The Avengers: This film is probably one of the most ambitious film projects of all time. Sure it could turn out to be terrible, but it would still be a highly ambitious effort. They have built up five films to making a single film with each of the titular characters as prominent aspects of the story. I like what I am seeing so far from this film, and hope they can do the same for the Justice League sometime soon (although I think it would be even more difficult to pull off than The Avengers, solely due to Batman’s universe in and of itself).

The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey: To this day, I’d still say one of the most pleasurable film experiences of my life would have to be The Fellowship of the Ring. The Hobbit surprisingly has a shooting schedule that is only 11 days shorter than The Lord of the Rings trilogy did, which is impressive considering that the trilogy is around 12 hours long if you include the extended editions and all the scenes that were shot. As far as the casting is concerned, I am particularly excited about Martin Freeman playing Bilbo Baggins. It is rare when you know that an actor is completely born to play a role, and I am sure Freeman will absolutely nail the role.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: Sure on the surface this movie looks like mindless garbage, but the difference between it and say Transformers 3 is it seems much more self aware that it is mindless garbage, and thus they will try to make the film as fun as possible with such a silly concept.

Skyfall: After the great Casino Royale and the abysmal Quantum of Solace, Skyfall is looking to put the James Bond franchise back on track. It will be directed by Sam Mendes and has Javier Bardem as the main villain, who also played the infamous Anton Chigurh. The amount of care that is being put into this Bond film is reassuring, since they pretty much made up Quantum of Solace as they went along due to the writer’s strike.

Brave: Further proof of 2011’s mediocrity, Pixar produced its first bad film last year in Cars 2. It was also the first Pixar film not to get nominated for Best Animated Film since the award has been established. Brave will easily get Pixar’s reputation back on the right track though. This is the first Pixar film with a female as it’s main protagonist and also their first fantasy film. Pixar has been very secretive about what the film is actually about, even in the trailers. They have made clear that there will be no romantic side story and will focus on the relationship between a mother and her rebellious daughter. It’s ambitious to have a story with a princess as a main character and not give her a romantic interest. I’m honestly struggling to think of a film with a princess as a main character that didn’t involve a love interest, so I’m very excited where they can take this concept.

Gravity: After six years of absence from directing, Alfonso Cuarón makes his return to cinema in this sure to be incredible film. The film stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as two astronauts who are the last survivors after their space station is hit with satellite debris.

The Amazing Spiderman: When I first heard about this film being in production, I was in slight disbelief that they would reboot the Spider-Man series so soon. Sure the third one was fairly bad, but it didn’t seem like they couldn’t have done a continuation of the same series instead of a reboot. From all of the footage I’ve seen thus far, it looks as if I may be very wrong and it appears they’ve put a lot of effort in trying to separate this from Raimi’s Spider-Man, which is a good thing due to the fact that Superhero films treat the material more seriously than they did at the time of the first two Spider-Man films.

Prometheus: One of the masters of Sci-fi, Ridley Scott, is back in his old territory. The film very much looks like it takes place in somewhat of the same universe as Alien did and the trailers so far have been very provoking thus far. Aside from thrilling, I don’t know what to expect from this film thus far, and I think that I would like to know as little about it as possible to fully immerse myself into this film on its release.

The Dark Knight Rises: The follow-up to the debatably best superhero movie of all time has a lot to live up to. I am very confident that Christopher Nolan can do this. The man has made hits time after time and hopefully this will be the year that Nolan finally gets a long overdue Academy Award nomination.

Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino, the director whose films have been inspired by Spaghetti Westerns more than any other in recent memory, is finally going to make an actual Western film. The cast looks incredible with Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo Dicaprio, Sacha Baron Cohen, and of course Sam Jackson. The plot focuses on a freed slave and a bounty hunter trying to free the former slave’s wife from the hands of a wicked plantation owner. I’ve personally read the script and I feel it is quite strong and will surely be another hint for Tarantino.

Written by Ross Parks

For more business insights, please go to HelloHollywood's web TV

The Scene Behind Press Conference for Chinese

20 03 2012 00:27:43 +0000

Here we are a week after the press conference in China to announce China Girl.

Its a new series that we are creating with a China production team. Its about the rich, privileged girls in Shanghai. It centers around a Shanghai university and the lives of several students and their friends and social circle.

The star is a young very famous Chinese actress named Yang Mi. She starred in last years big serial drama hit in China called The Palace. Its pretty amazing the kind of reaction this show has gotten so far. First the press conference was jam packed and i'm pretty sure the didn't turn out to see me.

There were over 60 print reporters and 20 video crews. While the press coverage in China was huge that was some what expected. The interest from outside of China was not. The story was reported in over 200 outlets in other places. It was even covered by a TV station in Cincinnatti.

Since the press conference their have been several million weibo (twitter) posts. I made a joke about being "Gossip Boy" and later opened up a weibo account under GossipboyL. In three days I have over 10,000 followers. Pretty amazing.

If you want to see the press conference with Yang Mi you can find it here on Film Annex under the Hello Hollywood webtv at http://www.filmannex.com/webtv/hellohollywood/

Copyrights in China

19 03 2012 03:43:14 +0000

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With no doubt one of the things that shocked me the most when I first came to China was the hole experience of coming into a DVD store. It was like going in to a “Tower Records” store or a BORDERS Bookshop but for DVDs and music. You can find every movie you have always wanted to see, from the oldest to the latest, director’s collections and complete TV series. But later on, when your house if full of boxes and case logics you start to wonder, especially if you are part of the industry. What happens with the copyrights?

As I can recall, this is a modern problem for China. Some years ago, and not too many, they wouldn’t care for copyrights. But now, as the politics and international relations with other countries have become part of the agenda, copyrights have also become a concern.This article from Variety.com introduces us into the copyright world in China.

China steps up anti-piracy fight

IPR cases in court up 38%

By CLIFFORD COONAN

BEIJING -- China's top judge, Wang Shengjun, told the country's annual legislature, the National People's Congress, that last year 66,000 intellectual property rights cases went to litigation, up 38% over 2010.

Protecting copyright and smashing piracy has been a prime concern for Hollywood as it tries to make its way in the booming Chinese market.

Recently the Chinese government has opened the doors to more Hollywood products within the quota system for foreign movies, and said it would redouble efforts to crush the pirates.

Wang said the rise was partially to do with dozens of new measures introduced by the Special People's Court to enhance IPR protection.

The supreme court also supervised trials of 44 cases involving serious offenses, he said.

Top helmer Zhang Yimou said beating the pirates was crucial to help the Chinese film biz and tougher legislation was needed.

"At the moment, 90% of income comes from the theatrical release, but the biggest potential market is online or other derivatives, and this is the area hardest hit by the pirates," Zhang told the Xinhua news agency at the congress.

This year the courts across China will pay special attention to the arts and movies, because "China is vigorously promoting the development of culture," legislators heard.

Meanwhile, another top branch of the state apparatus, the Supreme People's Procurator, said prosecutors last year charged 6,870 suspects with IPR violations.

One particular challenge was making sure that the judiciary understood the kind of problems they would have to deal with and raising levels of IPR awareness was something that China would try to do more to bring about.

Reference: Variety.com

Posted by: Maria Palau

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Brands Like Nescafe Are Tapping Rebellious Figures in China

16 03 2012 15:13:26 +0000

Brands in China are looking for more rebellious figures to create aspirational messages for their affluent young white-collar targets. The recent collaboration between Nescafe and popular writer, blogger and social critic Han Han is an interesting example of this dynamic.

Nescafe coffee competes with Kraft Foods' Maxwell House and a plethora of ready-to-drink products. Until recently, both leading brands focused on championing heroic office workers and their dreams of advancement in a ruthlessly competitive job market. Maxwell House led the charge with Wang Luodan, the lead actress of the hit TV series "The Diaries of Du Lala," which celebrates the triumph of a poor village girl who becomes the head of an international company.

Nescafe countered with literary bad-boy superstar Han Han, an idol to a well-educated generation whose lives have been defined more by opportunity than restriction. The move appears to be a calculated risk for both the brand and the celebrity.

Despite their jobs in an international, professional environment, white-collar workers in China have private lives and media behaviors that are relatively devoid of participation or debate. Aggravating the situation is the Chinese government's recent effort to curb "excessive entertainment" on local television.

With an ambitious, optimistic generation feeling stifled by limits on conversation and content, brands are realizing that associating with outspoken figures is an effective way to differentiate themselves.

Nescafe's decision to work with Mr. Han is a conscious attempt to tap this sense of frustration. In the OgilvyOne Beijing ad campaign, "Live Out Your Boldness!" Mr. Han, who is also a semiprofessional race-car driver, is cast as a Steve McQueen-type hero on a motorbike who sips coffee from a red Nescafe mug. On a road trip, he encourages everyone -- from paraplegic racers to musicians -- and helps communities build schools as a veritable "rebel with a cause." The digital campaign hosted on Sina.com encourages Nescafe consumers to post examples of brave acts they have committed.

Mr. Han enjoys enormous popularity for his prolific literary talent as well as his willingness to challenge social and political norms. His blog has registered more than 300 million hits, according to a New York Times profile of Mr. Han, although content is sometimes deleted.

While not an out-and-out democratic crusader, Mr. Han is politically disruptive and on the government's watch list. His commercial success and international exposure as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2010 afford him more leeway than his less fortunate creative peers. (Time described him as "a willing participant in a process that channels the disaffected energy of youth into consumerism.")

Between politics and a wish to maintain his credibility, Mr. Han has until recently been reluctant to commercialize his special appeal among China's post-1980s cohort.

His first foray as a commercial ambassador was in 2010 for apparel brand Vancl, whose ads always end with the tagline "I am Vancl." Mr. Han's ad read "Love internet. Love freedom. Love racing, love waking up late. Love late-night snacking, I also love 59RMB canvas shoes. I'm not a trendsetter, I'm not anyone's representative. I'm Han Han, I only represent myself. I'm the same as you. I am Vancl."

He was also the centerpiece of Johnnie Walker's "Sentimental Journey" campaign, blogging his interpretation of dreams and encouraging consumers to break down barriers in a locally nuanced expression of the Diageo brand's global "Just Keep Walking" platform.

Mr. Han's partnership with Nescafe suggests a watershed in commercial communication in China, where a brand can leverage social criticism and controversy to create intimacy with younger consumers. And his allure makes him a safer bet than in the past.

Jerry Clode is an associate director at WPP Group's Added Value, where he focuses on cultural insight for Asia-Pacific.

NBC announces new, returning summer shows

15 03 2012 17:57:42 +0000

[LA TIMES]

NBC announced Thursday its summer plans, which include the return of “Love in the Wild,” a collaboration and a new drama.

Hosted by Jenny McCarthy, “Love in the Wild” -- a sort of “Survivor”-inspired dating show -- will get a two-hour premiere Thursday, June 7, before settling into its regular Thursday time slot at 9 p.m.

Joining the adventure-dating show on the network June 7 is “Saving Hope,” an hourlong drama set in the medical world. The 10 p.m. drama centers on a chief of surgery (Michael Shanks / “Stargate Atlantis”) whose sudden illness causes a stir for his wife (Erica Durance / “Smallville”) and the medical facility where he works.

And the network will again team with G4, a sister cable network, to air “American Ninja Warrior,” a competition series in search of the ultimate athlete. G4 will air the preliminary rounds starting Sunday, May 20, with NBC broadcasting the preliminary finals and grand finale.

Gossip Boy

15 03 2012 13:50:11 +0000

Here we are a week after the press conference in China to announce China Girl. Its a new series that we are creating with a China production team. Its about the rich, privileged girls in Shanghai. It centers around a Shanghai university and the lives of several students and their friends and social circle. The star is a young very famous Chinese actress named Yang Mi. She starred in last years big serial drama hit in China called The Palace. Its pretty amazing the kind of reaction this show has gotten so far. First the press conference was jam packed and i'm pretty sure they didn't turn out to see me. There were over 60 print reporters and 20 video crews. While the press coverage in China was huge that was some what expected. The interest from outside of China was not. The story was reported in over 200 outlets in other places. It was even covered by a TV station in Cincinnatti. Since the press conference their have been several million weibo (twitter) posts. I made a joke about being "Gossip Boy" and later opened up a weibo account under GossipboyL. In three days I have over 10,000 followers. Pretty amazing. If you want to see the press conference with Yang Mi you can find it here on Film Annex under the Hello Hollywood webtv.

Larry Namer President & CEO Metan Development Group

An entertainment industry veteran with over 40 years professional experience in cable television, live events and new media, Larry Namer is a founding partner of METAN Development Group, a new venture created to develop entertainment and media specifically for the Chinese marketplace. An accomplished entrepreneur, Mr. Namer is the co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, a company now valued at over $3.5 billion USD, and the creator of several successful companies in the United States and overseas. Among those companies are Comspan Communications that pioneered Western forms of entertainment in the former Soviet Union and Steeplechase Media that served as the primary consultant to Microsoft’s MiTV for developing interactive TV applications.

Why The President's Anti-Western Stance Won't Matter

14 03 2012 18:56:46 +0000

This is a very interesting article about the movie business between China and the US.

hollywoodreporter.com

Why The President's Anti-Western Stance Won't Matter

by Patrick Brzeski

The dominance of western brands in China has long been a sore spot for the country's leaders. You can't walk through a Chinese commercial district without bumping into an Apple or Prada store occupying the city's finest prime real estate. The Internet is awash with American movies and TV series, offered via legitimate and illegal means on China's wildly popular streaming video sites. But the reverse surely can't be said for Chinese culture industries in Paris, London, New York or L.A.

To wit: Can you think of a single global Chinese brand?Chinese authorities have begun to take greater notice -- and umbrage.Writing in an influential Communist Party journal Jan. 1, President Hu Jintao lamented how his country's "soft power" footprint isn't nearly commensurate with its newly minted economic might. He went on to advocate an escalation of cultural production at home and abroad.

Taking Hu's rhetoric at face value, how is the U.S. entertainment industry likely to fare in the looming "soft power" smackdown with China? As things stand, Hollywood has a commanding lead, competing strongly within China and dominating on the global stage.

With more than 1,400 screens being added each year, the Chinese box office again made remarkable gains in 2011, growing 29 percent from the 2010 tally to hit $2.09 billion. But Chinese-made films took only 54 percent of that total, and six of the top 10 pictures were Hollywood blockbusters, with Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($172.9 million), Kung Fu Panda 2 ($96.8 million) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($73.8 million) finishing first, second and fourth, respectively (this even with tough restrictions on Hollywood imports).

Meanwhile, the Chinese film sector's efforts to expand its reach have so far floundered. In October, the nation's two largest private film concerns, Huayi Brothers and Bona Film Group, each acquired a 20 percent stake in Los Angeles-based China Lion Film Distribution. Thus far, China Lion's performance has been less than extraordinary. Director Feng Xiaogang's disaster drama Aftershock grossed $96 million at home in 2010 but managed only $63,000 in a limited U.S. release. The company's best U.S. showing is $420,000 for the romantic comedy If You Are the One 2 in 2010.

And even though Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War has grossed $89 million in China, it has generated meager awards buzz in Hollywood, where it failed to make the Academy's shortlist in the foreign-language category (the extent to which Flowers owes its success to the presence of A-lister Christian Bale in the lead is yet another point in Hollywood's favor).

Nevertheless, it appears China's Hollywood ambitions are still alive, thanks to recent reports that a consortium led by Chinese entrepreneur Bruno Wu is in preliminary talks to acquire both Summit Entertainment and Miramax, owned by Colony Capital.

A move like that would surely bolster president Hu's soft power campaign, but in a typical contradiction, state regulators have been moving in the exact opposite direction, tightening their grip on creative freedom. On Jan. 1, a new rule restricting the number of popular "entertainment programs" allowed to air during primetime took effect, cutting weekly reality TV programming from 126 shows to 38. In statements accompanying the ruling, regulators deemed a number of variety shows, talent contests, game shows and dating competitions "excessively entertaining" and "vulgar." This was followed by a government mandate that all users of the Twitter-like microblog Weibo must register accounts under their real names in an effort to quell "improper" discussions.

Then there's the troubling fact that many of China's most vibrant artists also are political dissidents. "China has been talking about enhancing its soft-power project for quite some time, but its attitude toward its most internationally respected artists [like embattled art-world provocateur Ai Weiwei] has been detrimental to that very goal," says David Bandurski, a researcher at Hong Kong University's China Media Project.

So while China handicaps its own creativity through rigid censorship guidelines, Hollywood continues to carve into the swelling Chinese domestic market. Eager to get in on the ground floor, several Hollywood studios have partnered with Chinese companies. The key for shingles such as Endgame Entertainment and Relativity Media -- both of which have signed innovative co-production deals with Chinese counterparts to work around the nation's import quota -- is that projects granted co-production status are categorized as domestic films, meaning they aren't subject to the quota and can take home as much as 40 percent of grosses (foreign films accepted under the quota typically are allocated 13 percent to 15 percent).

What does China get out of the co-production model? Not much. While Hollywood taps an established filmmaking infrastructure, talent and financing -- and gets an inside guide to the nettlesome censorship approval process -- China's upside is more ephemeral. From a technical perspective, China doesn't need help; the country has been making movies for more than 100 years. It's original content that China needs, and given censorship restrictions, "borrowing" from the West seems the only future route for Chinese entertainment.

Learning Chinese and unlearning English

12 03 2012 18:25:50 +0000

The Author Maria Palau is originally from Colombia, and currently working at Metan Development Group Beijing office. She is sharing her experience of working and living in China doing entertainment business as a Colombian woman. Interested? Subscribe here.

When it comes to China if you don’t know Mandarin you most certainly have to speak English. As in many other countries in the world English is the second language, kind of a universal language between “global” people. In almost all of these countries you can get around with it and in China too. All though at the beginning sounds hard and it actually is a little, mostly because this fearfulness felling we all bring with us, you can in fact live in china for years without speaking a word of Chinese. As soon as you learn the dynamics, you will also understand that, with only a few English words and a lot of mimic, everything is possible here – I have to say this would never be the idea. If you are coming from the other side of the world, the least you can do is go back with a couple of Chinese vocab -.

But this is when your English skills will start to go in detriment. In spite of how often you will use English while learning Mandarin you will notice how your grammar, pronunciation and, of course, your phrase construction will start sounding like a two year old. In order for Chinese to understand what your trying to say you will have to start talking like them, and it will sound something like “Me want water” or “Me no like spicy”. And this is not because they don’t learn English well, or because they aren’t trying hard enough; it has a very simple explanation, simpler to understand when you are learning Chinese.

Different from languages like Spanish, Italian, French that come from Latin, or Anglo-Saxon languages, Chinese does not conjugate verbs, or have past, present or future tense, so when they speak other languages they just translate their original phrase to the language they are trying to speak. When I first came here, I was actually really nervous about learning Chinese. I asked myself and of course my boyfriend once and again, “what if I can never learn to speak?” “What if it is too hard for me?” I truly can’t remember the process of learning English, because I studied it since I was 4 all through school, so I haven’t really learned a language before, and I can remember my boyfriend telling me: “Chinese is very simple, they speck like Indians in the wild wild west Hollywood movies”, and they surely do.

It helps me a lot to think this way when I’m trying to speak Chinese. I would say to myself “How will this sound if I was speaking like Indian” and voilà! The phrase comes out just right. It’s in fact really fun to learn the language, even more fun when you can start speaking with your taxi driver or your “Ayi” (is how foreigners call their made), and even better if you’re learning to write it and you start to recognize characters all around in the streets.

Chinese is a language you will never stop learning. It’s a never-ending process. Like a friend once said: “learning Chinese is like trying to cross the Pacific Ocean swimming, you can go fast or slow, but you will never get to the other side”.

Three Reasons for the Rise of Television in Digital Age

12 03 2012 17:37:50 +0000

For more entertainment news and business insights, please subscribe Hello!Hollywood’s WebTV at http://www.filmannex.com/webtv/hellohollywood/

The author Ross Park (ross.parks@metanmedia.com) is Marketing Analyst Menta Development Group.

In recent years it has become more and more obvious that television has started to exceed films in terms of quality. Serialized shows are now starting to become a norm rather than an exception, and that has greatly increased the quality of most television shows. Films on the other hand have been corrupted by blockbusters and have played it far to safe.

Complicated Story Structure

Back in the earlier days of television most people felt that television was a form of media that should be used primarily as a way to relax after a hard day’s work. Really television’s main goal at the time was to make you laugh until your sides hurt at ridiculous situations. However many viewers are starting to realize that shows can have just as complicated story structures as many films have, and thus we have had a great surge of television dramas that have actual character development and arcs. This has also led to the decline of the sitcoms like Seinfeld and Cheers, and to the rise of more realistic comedic settings like The Office and Modern Family.

DVR and Hulu Allow Audiences to Catch up All Episodes

One major reason for television’s increased quality is the Internet and DVR. Back from the 50s through 90s, it was extremely difficult to do serialized story telling and know that your audience would be completely caught up without missing a beat. You couldn’t be sure if your audience had seen the previous episode, since many viewers may have had emergencies or prior engagements that require missing their favorite TV show. Plus recording your shows on tape was a far bigger hassle than it is today with DVRs. Now with sites like Hulu, the use of iTunes and DVRs, it’s a pretty safe assumption that if a viewer misses an episode of their favorite series, they have already watched it and should be caught up with their series, despite the fact that they may have missed it on the original airdate.

Audiences’ Interaction and Participation

The Internet has also encouraged discussion of many serialized shows and has allowed the fans to directly interact and influence the direction of the show, which was not really possible until this moment. The discussion of these shows I believe has allowed creators to take more risks with serialized storytelling. LOST is a particularly good example of this, and I don’t think a show like LOST would have survived in the age before the Internet and DVR, largely due to the fact that you can’t miss pretty much any previous episode to get what is going on.

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About Hello! Hollywood

Hello! Hollywood is China’s premiere entertainment news program bringing viewers

around the world the latest in Hollywood celebrity news, lifestyle, and

culture. The show is produced by Metan Development Group, a leading content provider and distributor focused on delivering western entertainment to China. Hello!Hollywood travels to the red carpets of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious award shows and

movie premieres, as well as offer exclusive behind-the-scenes looks on movie

sets and interviews with Hollywood’s elite celebrities.

About Metan Development Group

Metan Development Group (Metan)

is a multi-media company focused on delivering Western entertainment content to

China, and conversely, producing and exporting high-quality content in China to

be sold and distributed internationally. Launched in 2009, Metan Development

Group LLC (Metan) is a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment

content and media specifically for international markets. The company's

founders are entertainment industry veteran Martin Pompadur, E! Entertainment Television co-founder Larry Namer and Amerilink founder Jean Zhang.

For more information, visit www.metanmedia.com

Keep in Touch

Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hello-Hollywood-Web-TV/218552681531901

Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/HelloHollywood3

Company website- http://metandevelopmentgroup.com/

Pop!China- http://www.popchina.tv

Picture source: http://www.pria.com.au/training/event/the-rise-and-rise-of-tv-in-the-communication-mix

Chinese Production Companies Mei Tian Mei Yu and H&R Century TV To Produce A Groundbreaking Teen Drama Series for China

06 03 2012 19:57:09 +0000

Watch more on Film Annex

For the latest updates on the production of Chinese Gossip Girl, please subscribe Hello!Hollywood's webTV

Chinese Production Companies Mei Tian Mei Yu and H&R Century TV To Produce A Groundbreaking Teen Drama Series for China

Warner Bros. International Television Production and Metan Development Group Pact to Develop New Series In China

Beijing, March 5, 2012 -- In an historic deal that brings together the very best minds in television production from the East and West, China’s Mei Tian Mei Yu (Mei Tian) and H& R Century TV (H&R), in conjunction with Metan Development Group (Metan), Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) and the creative team behind the hit TV series phenomenon “Gossip Girl,” have joined together to develop a modern new teen drama series (30x60min) set in China.

Instrumental in bringing the parties together, Metan, a company founded by international TV veterans Marty Pompadur and Larry Namer, together with WBITVP will provide development and production consultation on the project, which is poised to launch a new era of the modern drama series in China.

“As one of the leading film and drama production companies in China today, we’re excited to be working with such an amazing team of international TV professionals,” said Zhong Junyan, president, H&R.“With its keen understanding of global production, Metan has joined together with Warner Bros. International Television Production, creating an extraordinary consultant team to help Mei Tain and H&R forge a new form of drama series in China.”

"Metan is pleased to be involved with this exciting collaboration, underscoring our ability to once again create positive connections between Hollywood with China,” saidMetan’s president/ceo Larry Namer. “We believe that bringing together such a talented team will result in one of the biggest and best drama series ever seen in China, as the country enters this new age of TV production.”

“We are delighted to be working with Mei Tan and H&R to bring this new series to one of the most vibrant and exciting countries on the planet, China,” added Andrew Zein, Senior Vice President, Creative, Format Development and Sales, Warner Bros. International Television Production.

Set to debut to Mandarin-speaking audiences in November 2012, the series about the lives of the students of the prestigious Shanghai International University, the school of choice of the rich and powerful. One’s social status reaches a new level once admitted into the school. Each week, the main characters’ trust, love and friendship are tested, with all the behind-the-scenes tales recorded in a blog. In the beginning, they are confused and lost, however over time, they discover who they really are and eventually find the right path to pursue their dreams.

Production is set to begin in June of this year and a nationwide casting search will begin later this month. Chinese actress Yang Mi, most noted for her breakthrough role in the TV series “Palace” (2011), as well as in “The Return of the Condor Heroes” and “Chinese Paladin 3,”will have a recurring role on the series.

H&R Century TV was established on September 2006 at Hengdian, Dongyang, Zhejiang Province. The company’s TV production projects include “Roses in the War,” “Pretty Maid,” “Palace,” “Bullet Hole,” “Introduction of A Perfect Husband,” “Hidden Emotion,” “Covering-City Snow” and“King’s Woman.” H&R’s ongoing TV production projects include “Palace Season 2,” “The Cost of an Unmarried Successful Woman,” “Happiness of an Angel” and“Teen Detective.” Its ongoing Movie production projects include “Painted Skin 2,” “Running all the Way to Stardom,” “Zhu Xian” and “The Legacy of Prince- The Left Hand Print.” Current projects include the films “Mountain Shu” and “Painted Skin 2,” and for TV“ Stories of Concubines in Tang Dynasty,” “Beautiful Scenery,” “Patriotism” and “The Sovereign Descending the World.”

Mei Tian Mei Yu is a Beijing-based production company that has working partnerships with over 50 TV stations in China. The company produces the weekly entertainment news magazine “Hello! Hollywood” and the soon to debut sitcom “Return to Da Foo Tsun.”

Launched in 2009, Metan Development Group LLC (Metan) is a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for international markets. The company's founders are entertainment industry veteran Marty Pompadur, E! Entertainment Television co-founder Larry Namer, Russian advertising agency entrepreneur Oganes Sobolev and Amerilink founder Jean Zhang. www.metanmedia.com

Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) aims to establish or acquire production companies in the major television territories around the world in order to become a leading producer of local scripted and non-scripted programming. In those territories where WBITVP establishes a production base, it operates by developing and producing original programming and also producing local versions of formats owned and controlled by the group such as “The Bachelor,” “The World’s Strictest Parents” and “Who Do You Think You Are?” Where WBITVP has no local production capability it licenses Warner Bros. formats to 3^rd parties.

WBITVP has alreadytaken significant steps by acquiring a majority stake in UK production group Shed Media, one of the UK’s largest and most successful independent production companies, which operates both in the UK and the US. Most recently it has acquired a majority stake in Blaz Hoffski Holding B.V., a leading independent television producer in The Netherlands and Belgium.

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Picture source- sina.com

What is "Time-Travel Drama Series" in China?

22 02 2012 17:48:29 +0000

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“穿越剧”是近几年中国电视剧的热门形式。但中国的穿越剧似乎总喜欢派现代人回到古代，戏说历史；而西方则是惯用未来式穿越，用高科技引爆眼球。于是有人就总结出：“同样是穿越剧，中国是往历史穿，美国是往未来穿，一个想不出历史，一个想不出未来”。

穿越剧的起源

“穿越”题材在中国其实不算新鲜，早在90年代初，香港武侠小说家黄易就曾编写小说《寻秦记》，后经TVB改编成同名电视剧，于2001年推出。《寻秦记》一经播出就引发收视热潮，古今冲突渗透着港式幽默，剧情的跌宕起伏也保持了TVB类型片的水准。编剧既以“剧情纯属虚构”作为穿越招牌，干脆由古天乐饰演的项少龙来创造历史；甚至在剧情最末，戏说项少龙的儿子即是西楚霸王项羽。《寻秦记》开启了穿越时空的大门，让平凡的现代人返回古代成就一番不平凡的事业，也奠定了穿越剧之部分情节无厘头的基调，而这些雷死人的桥段往往成了吸引观众的不二法门。

《寻秦记》的火爆荧屏也让穿越题材的投资人看到了商机，很快，一部类似作品《穿越时空的爱恋》于次年问世，但并没能引起多大反响。直到2010年，一部由当红小生胡歌领衔主演，改编自同名电影的电视剧《神话》热力出炉，才重新让冷冻多时的穿越题材再度回归风潮。作为央视2010年开年大戏，开播后刷新央视八套开年戏收视率纪录。那个带着手机穿越至秦朝的时尚青年易小川，与刘邦、项羽拜把子，用手机拍摄历史时刻。台词虽有些夸张，却也笑果十足。

“穿越剧” 不分性别

男性穿越多是对自我的磨练提升，女性穿越则更注重对感情线的着墨。《宫》与《步步惊心》在这一点上有异曲同工之妙。两部女性清穿戏，相较而言，《宫》更像是《流星花园》、《还珠格格》以及《宫心计》的结合体，剧中女主人公晴川在穿越后受尽几个阿哥的捉弄，部分搞笑情节神似小燕子的无厘头，无意卷入的宫廷争斗又颇有《宫心计》的味道。尽管剧情速成，逻辑雷人，但这个集万千宠爱于一身的晴川还是完成了万千女人的穿越大梦，杨幂和冯绍峰也火速成为人气爆棚的一线明星。

而比《宫》晚到一步的《步步惊心》，无论是在剧本、制作还是在演员表演方面均略胜一筹。由桐华原著的《步步惊心》堪称清穿小说的鼻祖，深受书迷和网民的热捧。基于广大的受众群以及对原著的充分尊重，《步步惊心》在故事编排上显得缜密且耐人寻味。满族少女的马尔泰·若曦，身不由己地卷入“九子夺嫡”的纷争。她看透所有人的命运，却无法掌握自己的结局，个人情感夹杂在争斗的惨烈中备受煎熬，最终命运的悲剧收场也令无数观众叹息落泪。

《宫》与《步步惊心》的收视好评，在收获掌声与荣誉的同时也令穿越剧走入了瓶颈，与之伴随的是甚是激烈的争议——穿越不过是个娱乐的壳，什么都可往里塞，中国浩浩五千年的历史，被穿越剧戏谑得千疮百孔，难免会有人看不下去。穿越剧这位看似起死回生的“新丁”，未来似乎不容乐观。

订阅更多中国娱乐业的解读分析，请点击http://www.filmannex.com/webtv/hellohollywood/

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For more insights about entertainment business in China, please go to

http://www.filmannex.com/webtv/HelloHollywood

The Author Gordon Chu is the VP of Business Development at METAN Development Group. For comments/questions, email gchu@metanmedia.com.

Chinese government is looking to invest and push the convergence of television, internet, and phone – otherwise more commonly known as triple play network.

From a purely technology perspective, triple play is really a no-brainer decision for the respective industries. While each of the three industries often operates separately and with different business models, all of them have the same technological backbone. More than just a technology benefit, triple play is really a natural evolutionary convergence of television (IPTV), internet, and telephony as it adapts to how consumers consume media. Especially now with multiple platform content that can exist online, television or mobile, triple play offers the perfect one-stop shop solution for all the viewing needs.

So far, the commercial success has been a great case study in the United States. It’s been having an enormous amount of success here in the States and on can theorize it will similarly have the same impact in China as well.

Moving on to China, the idea of triple play is still in its early infancy stage. For starters, it wasn’t until mid-January until the Chinese government gave the official green light to allow bundled services. More importantly, we’re still talking about China here and the big question comes down to a matter of will the Chinese consumer follow the same path as their US counterparts.

Truth be told, China has already dabbled in multifaceted broadband services as a test bed or a trial-run for what’s to come. In fact, the Shanghai Media Group (SMG) has already over 4M subscribers to its IPTV services. Thoughts are that if IPTV (precursor to that of triple play) can work in a city such as Shanghai, the business can exist also in other markets within China.

Despite China’s media industry doing everything it humanly possibly can to mitigate the risks of launching such an endeavor like triple-play (make no mistake, it is very expensive to consolidate), there are still many factors that will dictate and influence this market.

To be continued.....

For more insights about entertainment business in China, please go to

http://www.filmannex.com/webtv/HelloHollywood

Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hello-Hollywood-Web-TV/218552681531901

Company website- http://metandevelopmentgroup.com/

Hello好莱坞联手Film Annex为全球华人提供好莱坞娱乐动态

07 02 2012 14:31:08 +0000

For more business insights regarding practicing entertainment business in China, please subscribe HelloHollywood's blog at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood （美天发展集团，2011年2月1日）中国的黄金档娱乐新闻节目Hello！好莱坞在网络视频平台FilmAnnex (www.filmannex.com) 备受欢迎。自2011年9月，Hello！好莱坞联合FilmAnnex，向中国境外的华人观众在线播送好莱坞的最新动态。观众们可以登录点击这个链接在线收看Hello好莱坞的节目。http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood 节目制作方美天发展集团总裁拉里.内默表示，“Hello! 好莱坞成功的关键是全体主创人员时刻把中国观众的需求放在心里，站在华人的角度报道好莱坞新闻。我们非常高兴地看到迄今为止，有超过150万的居住在中国之外的华人能够通过FilmAnnex的平台收看到Hello好莱坞的节目。” Film Annex的总裁弗朗切斯科.鲁利强调，为了更好地照顾华人观众的需要，FilmAnnex推出了全中文频道。我们期待在未来能够播放更多的像Hello! 好莱坞这样的高质量的娱乐节目，在介绍好莱坞动态的同时，将中国的明星和娱乐界的动态介绍给全球观众。点击此链接进入Hello好莱坞中文频道。http://webtvs.filmannex.com/filmannex_china/c/a02-hello Hello！好莱坞由知名电视节目主持人、电台DJ， Andy Dong 主持。节目内容包括明星专访，好莱坞新闻，电影首映，颁奖礼，演唱会，明星经常光顾的时尚休闲场所，和各种好莱坞大片和剧集拍摄的独家探访。Hello！好莱坞访问过大量好莱坞炙手可热的一线明星，包括约翰尼.德普，成龙，格温妮斯·帕特洛，卡梅隆迪亚兹，布鲁斯威利斯，史泰龙，伊娃朗格利亚，泰勒洛特，罗伯特·帕廷森, 克里斯汀斯图尔特，大卫贝克汉姆，查克·艾弗隆, 杰瑞米·雷纳, 塞斯·罗根等。 Hello！好莱坞于2009年9月开播。节目覆盖中国内地的40个电视频道，美国加拿大的6个中文频道。与此同时，大约有400万网民在中国最大的门户网站－腾讯网上在线收看hello好莱坞。关于美天发展集团成立于2009年，美天发展集团专门针对国际市场制作和发行娱乐节目。美天致力于通过制作发行高质量的娱乐节目连接好莱坞和中国市场。集团创始人包括娱乐界资深人士Martin Pompadur，电视频道E! Entertainment的创始人之一Larry Namer和AmeriLink集团的创始人张菁。了解更多信息，请登录 www.metandevelopmentgroup.com。关于FilmAnnex Film Annex是一家电影在线发行和网络电视的推广平台，现拥有270，000注册用户和超过150万的日访问观众。公司为内容提供者提供免费的网络电视频道，并通过广告额分享的方式来资助内容创作者。Film Annex沟通了电影制作人，电影节，电影爱好者，影视公司，和各种相关机构，为其合作提供了平台。Film Annex为全球观众提供有意义的，多样化的，制作精良的影视作品。了解更多信息，请登录 www.filmannex.com Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hello-Hollywood-Web-TV/218552681531901 Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/HelloHollywood3 Company website- http://metandevelopmentgroup.com/ Pop!China- http://www.popchina.tv 媒体联络 Tara Cheng（程天天） tara.cheng@metanmedia.com (213) 344 7060 www.metandevelopmentgroup.com

How American TV Is Shaping China's Media Landscape

05 02 2012 20:49:43 +0000

For more insights regarding media business in China, please subscribe HelloHollywood's webTV at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood

The Author

Gordon Chu (gchu@metanmedia.com) is the VP of Business Development at METAN Development Group.

It’s no mystery that Western culture has infiltrated its way to the China market. Go down any of the many streets in Shanghai that are lined with little boutiques for women clothing, and don’t be surprised to see, “As seen on ‘Gossip Girl’” plastered across the store window. Also not surprising is anytime our program “Hello! Hollywood” has any mention of “Gossip Girl”, we get outstanding ratings and views on both television and online.

The fact Blake Lively and Ed Westwick (stars of ‘Gossip Girl’) are already household names in China without ever having a single program of ‘Gossip Girl’ on-air is a testament to just how much and to what degree American television has been pervasive in the China market. The reason why is the only way to see these two on-air is online where millions of the Chinese youth spend their time downloading and consuming much of their entertainment today. This underbelly of China’s media market is often overlooked and misunderstood; and has a significant role in how China’s market will evolve and continue to thrive.

Welcome to the Underbelly

I think it’s best to start from the beginning. To lay the dirty truth for what it is and have a no-holds barred attitude towards how American television finds its way to China.

No surprise here, it starts with the Internet. Let’s use NBC’s “Heroes” for purposes of an example. Ten-minutes after the premier in the States, our favorite show is quickly available on the many P2P and BitTorrent sites that roam the world wide web.

With much luck and anticipation, hordes of Chinese college students pull down the program (preferably with Closed Captioning) and start the arduous process of translation and subtitling. Note – this is not some mechanical process that is taken lightly. In fact, it’s much more of an art than a science to many of these ‘teams’ of translators. They say they are making it ‘better’, more local for consumption by the Chinese market – personally, I appreciate it when anybody takes pride in their work.

Several hours later, these teams populate Chinese P2P sites and, voila – you have Hiro, Claire, and Sylar (characters of ‘Heroes’) battling it on your very own computer screen, perfectly subtitled, only hours off the press in the United States.

The Chinese government has made it very clear they are cracking down on these sites and have made it abundantly public their intentions to do so (even as recent as December 2009). And while there will be efforts to shut down many of these P2P sites, you simply cannot ignore the fact that there is a void in the China market. And as they say, “When there is a will, there is a way.”

Signs of the Time

So, this phenomenon with illegal downloads of American TV programs online – what does this really say about the China market.

Quality over Quantity

For one, the truth of the matter is that Chinese TV is simply not that attractive for many Chinese consumers (mainly the youth). For years, state-controlled television was often associated with bad programming. Is this always the case? No. Is this a good litmus test of the general consensus? Possibly.

With over 3500 television stations in China, one has to think there should be an abundance of attractive programming that viewers would. Rather, we see quite the opposite with millions of Internet users herding to these illegal P2P sites only to watch the grainy quality of “Heroes” on a 13.5 inch laptop screen. In China, quality trumps quantity. Hands down.

Censorship is not the Issue

I will be very frank about how I feel about the government’s position on cracking down illegal downloads. To them, I say kudos.

This crackdown is not an issue of censorship in any form or matter. Any of the programs that are illegally downloaded can easily be edited accordingly to fit the strictest of SARFT rules. Censorship is meant for communications over much bigger issues like Tibet / Taiwan – and should not be mentioned in the same breath with the likes of “Gossip Girl” or “Heroes”.

The truth of the matter is the government’s stance against illegal downloads is a way to exhibit soft power to the rest of the world. China recognizes that in order to be a world leader, it has to play nice and know all the rules of the sandbox. In this case, piracy and intellectual property is a very big deal for the rest of the world and the Chinese government is handling this perfectly – directly and indiscriminately.

Efficient Markets

The fact there is these kinds of issues in the market is a classic business school case of inefficient markets. One thing I can say about my experience working in China thus far, the Chinese are resourceful. They are most definitely not the ones to settle for mediocrity and will always find ways to supply what the market wants. In this case, good entertainment.

I do believe the Chinese media market will have to evolve to meet the needs of the people – especially as it pertains to television and the Internet. However, there are several important factors that will dictate how the market will evolve. Each of them have significant influence for better or for the worse.

For starters, television is the one platform that the Chinese government has control over. There’s no escape to that nor does it really matter. It’s a matter of fact and is absolutely fine as a media company working in the China market. With that being said, television will continue to be the dominant platform.

Secondly, the fact is that television is still the predominant and preferred platform for advertisers. They have a very strong hold of the market share of advertising buy and will be so for as long as I can foretell (not to say that the Internet will put a sizable dent into that share). As for my own philosophy, the market will go where the money goes.

Lastly, the momentum of a multi-platform play will eventually find its way to China. The lines between television, Internet, and mobile will increasingly be blurred and the philosophy of isolated silos of how media is consumed will be a thing of the past. Television, online, and mobile will be synonymous with the idea of consuming entertainment – and despite all the amounts of restrictions we can implement to control this trend, momentum trumps all. And this will not be an exception in China.

The good thing about each of these driving forces in China today is it will ultimately lead to better quality of content, better options for brands, and a better viewing experience for viewers / consumers. We can see glimpses of this already with even the flood of advertising dollars being poured into China today and how quickly television programming has evolved even within the last two years. Online video portals like Youku and Tudou are now crossing over and becoming much more consumer facing that they have been in the past. We see examples of how mobile phones have evolved despite the noticeable absence of 3G technology and how it seamlessly extends from its big brother, the Internet.

Growing pains now, but good for the overall market in the future.

Conclusion

After spending much time in China, I’m always surprised by how far American TV has been part of the Chinese culture. The hit US show, “Friends” is often used as an English-learning tool for many university students. Stars from “Prisonbreak” are icons in China and often frequent the television waves in the form of commercials.

No matter how we slice or dice it, American television has made a permanent footprint in China. It may not be entirely the programming themselves, but the culture and variety of programs that the Chinese viewers are drawn to. And for content providers and advertisers, this is something we can all rally behind.

Corporate Website: http://metandevelopmentgroup.com/

Our new venture: http://www.facebook.com/popchina?sk=wall

What I Learned from Chinese Reality TV

30 01 2012 14:56:41 +0000

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The Author- Larry Namer (Follow Larry at Linkedin), co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, and currently President of Metan Development Group, industry pioneer in developing entertainment business with China.

On one of my frequent extended stints in China, I had a quiet evening to kick up my feet and to peruse the hundreds of channels Chinese television has to offer (for pure market research purposes of course). Admittedly, I have a short attention span already as-is, so you can imagine the flurry of remote clicking that occurred if the myriads of soap operas and variety shows did not catch my eye. Then, “it” hit me… “It” is like a bad automobile accident you see by the roadside – you know you shouldn’t turn your head to see, but out of pure curiosity for the wicked, you simply cannot help yourself. “It” is, at the rawest and most basic form, a great sociological study on everything that is wrong with fame, relationships, and greed… in other words, “it” is great TV.

I’m talking about the hit phenomenon program, “If You Are the One” that is taking water cooler chatter by storm in China. To give context to anyone who has not heard about this program, it’s a match-making reality show where singles meet singles in front of millions of people each show (talk about pressure). And the hook for the whole show? The often questionable money-driven (aka “Gold-Digging” antics) requirements that this now very relevant generation of singles are looking for in their soul mates.

The show has taken notice even of the Chinese government prompting them to immediately shut down production and exhibition of the show due to the often sexual innuendos and references to a very anti-traditional moral basis where money is the main driver for many of the singles. Watching this show, it’s not that difficult to understand why the government would be concerned with the way the program portrays this new up and coming generation of singles.

Girls’ Perspective

On the show, girls are depicted as ‘gold-digging’ animals – only attracted by the number of RMBs that are attached to the suitor’s name.

For more entertainment news and business insights, please subscribe Hello!Hollywood’s WebTV at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood

Related Articles

Be Aware! Online FanBase ≠ Viewership

Deep Exploration Into The Current Generation of Chinese

About Hello! Hollywood

Hello! Hollywood is China’s premiere entertainment news program bringing viewers around the world the latest in Hollywood celebrity news, lifestyle, and culture. The show is produced by Metan Development Group, a leading content provider and distributor focused on delivering western entertainment to China. Hello!Hollywood travels to the red carpets of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious award shows and movie premieres, as well as offer exclusive behind-the-scenes looks on movie sets and interviews with Hollywood’s elite celebrities.

About Metan Development Group

Metan Development Group (Metan) is a multi-media company focused on delivering Western entertainment content to China, and conversely, producing and exporting high-quality content in China to be sold and distributed internationally. Launched in 2009, Metan Development Group LLC (Metan) is a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for international markets. The company's founders are entertainment industry veteran Martin Pompadur, E!
Entertainment Television co-founder Larry Namer and Amerilink founder Jean Zhang. For more information, visit www.metanmedia.com

Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hello-Hollywood-Web-TV/218552681531901

Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/HelloHollywood3

Company website- http://metandevelopmentgroup.com/

Pop!China- http://www.popchina.tv

Be Aware! Online FanBase ≠ Viewership

27 01 2012 16:22:56 +0000

For more business insights regarding practicing entertainment business in China, please subscribe Hello!Hollywood’s WebTV at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood

The Author- Ren Fang (ren@metanmedia.com) is the Director of Business Development at Metan Development Group.

We started our online marketing campaign for our entertainment show, ‘Hello! Hollywood’ a few months ago. As most of the Chinese online websites don’t have a conventional way to treat traditional online marketing techniques (for example, pre-rolls / banner ads / etc. are charged on a per day basis), we put our thinking caps on and thought about spreading the word virally. Needless to say, we had our ups and downs, but here are some of the few things we’ve learned along the way:

Fan-base VS Friend-base

We first tackled the social-networking sites as a way to promote our program online After all, with sites like RenRen and KaiXin001 is really one of the birth places of viral marketing. It starts here, it lives here, and it grows here.

Before we started any social-media initiatives, we did a best practice study on our competitors’ shows. Initial results show that having a television show on-air does give you a certain advantage online. However, notoriety is just one half of the equation… (to be discussed in a little bit).

Back to the social-networking sites. Just by being part of these social networks and continually updating it with fresh content, news stories, ‘tweeting’, etc., will continually grow the fan base. I equate it the way you would treat a plant – you water it everyday, give it the sunshine it needs, and it’ll eventually keep growing.

After a few days of us on the social networks, the number of ‘friends’ steadily grew… unfortunately, that is not a direct correlation with our online viewership of our program. More so, as soon as we stopped adding ‘friends’ to our profiles, the ‘steadily growing’ rate slowed down to a trickle. Yes, we had a few comments, few revisits, and few re-tweets from ‘friends’. And yes, we tried different content, increased our update frequency as well as match content with our ‘friends’ interest, but the awareness and the branding of ‘Hello! Hollywood’ was still low.

We were not alone in this endeavor as our competitors exhibited the same folley – large ‘friend’ base doesn’t always translate or convert into a large ‘fan’ base.

For more entertainment news and business insights, please subscribe Hello!Hollywood’s WebTV at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood

Related articles

What does China’s tomorrow hold for us?

China Youth Music Preferences

Chinese Youth Watch Half of Their Movies Online

About Hello! Hollywood

Hello! Hollywood is China’s premiere entertainment news program bringing viewers around the world the latest in Hollywood celebrity news, lifestyle, and culture. The show is produced by Metan Development Group, a leading content provider and distributor
focused on delivering western entertainment to China.Hello!Hollywood travels to the
red carpets of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious award shows and
movie premieres, as well as offer exclusive behind-the-scenes looks on movie
sets and interviews with Hollywood’s elite celebrities.

About Metan Development Group

Metan Development Group (Metan)
is a multi-media company focused on delivering Western entertainment content to
China, and conversely, producing and exporting high-quality content in China to
be sold and distributed internationally. Launched in 2009, Metan Development Group LLC (Metan) is a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for international markets. The company's founders are entertainment industry veteran Martin Pompadur, E! Entertainment Television co-founder Larry Namer and Amerilink founder Jean Zhang. For more information, visit www.metanmedia.com

Facebook-http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hello-Hollywood-Web-TV/218552681531901

Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/HelloHollywood3

Company website- http://metandevelopmentgroup.com/

Pop!China- http://www.popchina.tv

Deep Exploration Into The Current Generation of Chinese

26 01 2012 17:09:02 +0000

For more business insights regarding practicing entertainment business in China, please subscribe Hello!Hollywood’s WebTV at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood

Today’s China

The Author- Gordon Chu (gchu@metanmedia.com) is the VP of Business Development at Metan Development Group.

I wasn’t terribly surprised when I read this week that China has surpassed Japan as now the second largest economy in the world behind the United States. It was really a matter of when not so much a matter of if. The tough question is howChina got to where it is today. And I’m not talking about macro-economic regulations China has done in the past 50 years, but by the culture, ideals, and the philosophy our previous generation embraced to propel China economically.

We’ve talked abundantly about today’s generation and the traits that characterize this emerging middle class. We have used such words as emperors / empresses, entitlement, and self-serving; but those words hardly fit the previous generation that have painstakingly laid the infrastructure of modern China. Better words to describe this generation are humble, modest, conservative, and unselfish. This generation worked hard for a better future – not for themselves, but for future generations and for the country as a whole.

I am often (and I do mean often) am reminded by my mother the tribulations living in China. She humbly lived in a remote village in Guangdong the majority of her life and came to the United States to attend college. Surprisingly, it isn’t a look back in her life that triggers a negative connotation, but in fact, she remembers it with triumph and with a proud ownership of an experience that shapes her success in the United States today. I know she tells me so I never forget where I come from (admittedly I do), but more so, it’s a way for her to communicate the love and care she’s put in to my future. It’s got me thinking that this is very indicative of our previous generation and the reverence we owe them to where we are today.

Somehow between the last and current generation of Chinese, there grew a widening chasm of philosophies and ideals. I guess that it’s normal for any modern society where media can influence and define an entire generation – but I can’t say that I fully understand how that gap has grown as much as it has in today’s China. Previous generations before varied, but nothing to the extent of where we see it today. Much of it is by the media exposure today’s generation has with not just international cultures, but with themselves as well. Instant messaging, SMS messages, and chat rooms have replaced much of the core family values China once had. Television, online gaming, and shopping have replaced much of the family activities China experienced in the past. In short, China’s success and modernization is as much responsible in today’s change as any other factors.

Related articles

What does China’s tomorrow hold for us?

China Youth Music Preferences

Chinese Youth Watch Half of Their Movies Online

For more entertainment news and business insights, please subscribe Hello!Hollywood’s WebTV at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood

About Hello! Hollywood

Hello! Hollywood is China’s premiere entertainment news program bringing viewers around the world the latest in Hollywood celebrity news, lifestyle, and culture. The show is produced by Metan Development Group, a leading content provider and distributor focused on delivering western entertainment to China.Hello!Hollywood travels to the red carpets of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious award shows and movie premieres, as well as offer exclusive behind-the-scenes looks on movie sets and interviews with Hollywood’s elite celebrities.

About Metan Development Group

Metan Development Group (Metan) is a multi-media company focused on delivering Western entertainment content to China, and conversely, producing and exporting high-quality content in China to be sold and distributed internationally. Launched in 2009, Metan Development Group LLC (Metan) is a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for international markets. The company's founders are entertainment industry veteran Martin Pompadur, E! Entertainment Television co-founder Larry Namer and Amerilink founder Jean Zhang. For more information, visit www.metanmedia.com

Facebook-http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hello-Hollywood-Web-TV/218552681531901

Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/HelloHollywood3

Company website- http://metandevelopmentgroup.com/

Pop!China- http://www.popchina.tv

What Does China’s Tomorrow Hold For Us

25 01 2012 22:30:19 +0000

For more business insights regarding practicing entertainment business in China, please subscribe at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood

What does China’s tomorrow hold for us? To be perfectly honest, it’s still a big question mark. This is the first time China has lived as a global powerhouse and with the luxury of a booming economy. Secondly, with this generation’s differing culture and set of ideals, how will they shape and define the growth of China’s tomorrow. Will they add to the success previous generations have laid for them, or will they work for the now – and not for the future.

We talked about how China’s modernization plays a pivotal role in the changing generation and the Chinese government have and will respond accordingly. It’s no wonder that recently the Chinese culture minister openly said that Chinese media is ‘vulgar’ and advocates consumerism versus moral and cultural quality. The message isn’t directed to say business is bad, but it’s to communicate to conduct business responsibly. To conduct business with respect for the previous generations who have paved the road for today’s generation. For me, it’s a powerful reminder to remember what made China so great and why there is opportunity. It’s not based on the ‘now’, but on a long-term investment in building a proper foundation for China’s future.

The Author

Gordon Chu (gchu@metanmedia.com) is the VP of Business Development at Metan Development Group.

For more business insights regarding practicing entertainment business in China, please subscribe at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood

About Hello! Hollywood

Hello! Hollywood is China’s premiere entertainment news program bringing viewers around the world the latest in Hollywood celebrity news, lifestyle, and culture. The show is produced by Metan Development Group, a leading content provider and distributor focused on delivering western entertainment to China.Hello!Hollywood travels to the red carpets of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious award shows and movie premieres, as well as offer exclusive behind-the-scenes looks on movie sets and interviews with Hollywood’s elite celebrities.

About Metan Development Group

Metan Development Group (Metan)
is a multi-media company focused on delivering Western entertainment content to China, and conversely, producing and exporting high-quality content in China to be sold and distributed internationally. Launched in 2009, Metan Development Group LLC (Metan) is a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for international markets. The company's founders are entertainment industry veteran Martin Pompadur, E! Entertainment Television co-founder Larry Namer and Amerilink founder Jean Zhang. For more information, visit www.metandevelopmentgroup.com.

China Youth Music Preferences

25 01 2012 18:14:21 +0000

For more entertainment news and business insights, please subscribe Hello!Hollywood’s WebTV at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood

In an ever-changing world, we’ve found some interesting information on young culture in China. Chinese youths are receptive to international influences and brands. Urban Chinese youth are generally receptive to international influences enjoying foreign movies, brands and other products from Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and the West.

Musical tastes are evolving to even include rock and hip hop. Rock music was always popular in China’s larger cities, but now hip-hop and R&B are growing in popularity as Western influences spread in China. In Shanghai, 37.1% of the young people among 15-25-year-olds prefer Rap/Hip-Hop. Western musicians such as Coldplay, Britney Spears, Linkin Park and Eminem were cited as favorites by Chinese youth, according to The Pearl Research.

Though foreign brands scored near the top in many survey categories, music is one area where they fell short. Asian, not Western, musicians are viewed as cool by this generation. Though language may play a factor in music selection, culturally, Chinese pop music is preferred to Western.

According to Liang Chen, the post 80’s generation loves Jay Chou and Hongkong/Taiwanese musicians; and the post 90’s generation has started to admire Korean/Japanese/Western musicians.

They are not willing to pay for the music or to purchase the CDs; most of them download music illegally online. What music device they choose is dependent on their family income. Youth that come from wealthier families use ipods and youth from lower-income families use cell phones as their method of playing music.

Some interesting facts: (Music Matters Consumer Survey 2009, Synovate)

· 68% of Asian youth say music is very important part of their lives

· Computer is the most popular device for them to listen to music

· 11% paid to download music online

Data source-

http://www.chinabusinessreview.com/public/0407/smith.html

http://ce.tekrati.com/research/9469/

http://www.slideshare.net/splitworks/music-matters-consumer-survey-2009

For more entertainment news and business insights, please subscribe Hello!Hollywood’s WebTV at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood

About Hello! Hollywood

Hello! Hollywood is China’s premiere entertainment news program bringing viewers around the world the latest in Hollywood celebrity news, lifestyle, and culture. The show is produced by Metan Development Group, a leading content provider and distributor focused on delivering western entertainment to China.Hello!Hollywood travels to the red carpets of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious award shows and movie premieres, as well as offer exclusive behind-the-scenes looks on movie sets and interviews with Hollywood’s elite celebrities.

About Metan Development Group

Metan Development Group (Metan) is a multi-media company focused on delivering Western entertainment content to China, and conversely, producing and exporting high-quality content in China to be sold and distributed internationally. Launched in 2009, Metan Development Group LLC (Metan) is a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for international markets. The company's founders are entertainment industry veteran Martin Pompadur, E! Entertainment Television co-founder Larry Namer and Amerilink founder Jean Zhang. For more information, visit www.metanmedia.com

细数林心如的从艺经历

25 01 2012 17:56:51 +0000

14年前，一部还珠格格捧红了林心如，让一个之前名不见经传的台湾新生模特一下子变成红遍全亚洲的女星。还珠格格之后，林心如出演了各种不同的角色，完成一次又一次的自我突破与转变。

让我们来细数一下林心如出道多年的代表作

1998年	《還珠格格》	夏紫薇/夏雨荷
	《食神》	趙珊珊
	《廚神》	張紅娘
1999年	《還珠格格第二部》	夏紫薇
1999年	《醉拳苏乞儿》	洪绮莲
2000年	《鹿鼎記》	建寧公主
2000年
2001年	《情深深雨濛濛》	陸如萍
2001年	《非你不可》	司嘉譯
2002年	《烏龍闖情關》	王翁須
	《新楚留香》	司空星兒
	《飛刀，又見飛刀》	薛采月(月神)
2003年	《男才女貌》	蘇拉
	《半生緣》	顧曼楨
	《魔術奇緣》	林曉梅
2004年	《紫藤戀》	黎亦喬
2004年	《大理公主》	段艾月
2005年	《星光大道》	米露
	《地下鐵》	傅晶晶
	《巴黎戀歌》	于蔓芝
	《大祠堂》	鄭秀雲
2006年	《封神榜II》	妲己
2009年	《愛在日月潭》	安安
2009年	《美人心計》	窦漪房
2010年	《三國》	孫尚香
2011年	Return to Da Foo Tsun is an original, live action, comedy-drama series about a family’s experience and journey from the big city back to their family roots in a village in rural China. This show will be on air at CCTV-8. After finding early success in Beijing and selling his company, a father decides to move his family back to the village of Da Foo Tsun to “re-learn” the meaning of family values and community. The series revolves around the family adapting to the peculiarities of the village…and also the people of the village adapting to the peculiarities of the new city slickers. Click to watch the entire video here. To see more entertainment news, please subscribe HelloHollywood's webTV at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/HelloHollywood About Hello! Hollywood Hello! Hollywood is China’s premiere entertainment news program bringing viewers around the world the latest in Hollywood celebrity news, lifestyle, and culture. The show is produced by Metan Development Group, a leading content provider and distributor focused on delivering western entertainment to China. Hello!Hollywood travels to the red carpets of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious award shows and movie premieres, as well as offer exclusive behind-the-scenes looks on movie sets and interviews with Hollywood’s elite celebrities. About Metan Development Group Metan Development Group (Metan) is a multi-media company focused on delivering Western entertainment content to China, and conversely, producing and exporting high-quality content in China to be sold and distributed internationally. Launched in 2009, Metan Development Group LLC (Metan) is a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for international markets. The company's founders are entertainment industry veteran Martin Pompadur, E! Entertainment Television co-founder Larry Namer and Amerilink founder Jean Zhang. For more information, visit www.metanmedia.com The Dragon doesnt like relaity TV 22 01 2012 11:25:33 +0000 well we are into the last week of January and the new rules are being enforced. They significantly reduce reality TV on broadcast television. The airwaves are no longer clogged with reality TV all throughout prime time. The show that are relacing them having quite got up to the same levels of quality yet but the short time frame between notice and enforcement didnt allow for a lot of planning. I have not heard too much complaining form the audience, As a matter of fact I have heard none at all. Some shows moved online. In the US that might sound funny but in China there are more people who watch video on broadband than we have people here in the US. People in China are more open to watching long form (TV show and movies) than those in the US where short segments are more the norm. So it will get really interesting late 2012 and 2013 when the big TV manufacturers begin to really roll out web enabled TV sets. Gossip Girl influence on Chinas consumers 27 12 2011 18:46:52 +0000
	Blake Lively filming Gossip Girl on Essex Street in Manhattan, New York, on Dec 14, 2011.[Photo/Provided to China Daily]

Tang, a 26-year-old graduate, spent 80 yuan ($12.50) on a fake white dress from the Internet that a character wore in the Gossip Girl series.

"I am a huge fun of Gossip Girl. I want to dress exactly like Jenny Humphrey (a character)," said Tang.

Gossip Girl is an American teen drama series based on the book series of the same name. Shown on CW Televsion Network from 2007, the series unveiled the everyday lives of privileged young adults on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York.

Popular characters in the series include Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), a longtime friend and occasional rival of Serena's. The two girls regularly feature and wear luxury brands such as Chanel, Prada and Stella McCartney in the series. Additionally, the show's star, Blake Lively, is Chanel's newest brand ambassador.

According to the China Market Research Group, nearly five million Chinese people watch each new episode of Gossip Girl on the Internet, because the show isn't broadcast on the country's TV network, and increasing numbers of young Chinese girls want to imitate TV stars by buying the expensive brands they publicize in their shows.

"In China, Gossip Girl is one of the most popular fashion series to date. Colors, textures and proportions were all used to incorporate fashion into every aspect of the show," said Wang Xiaoyuan, an editor with the Chinese version of Cosmopolitan magazine. "For sure, the series will influence Chinese young ladies' fashion tastes."

Kate Zhou Handbags in Dongzhimen, Beijing, displays dozens of US designer handbags in its windows at an average price of around 3,000 to 4,000 yuan.

"More than 50 percent of our customers are young girls who don't earn much but they want to spend a month's salary on a designer bag," said saleswoman Magy Huang.

According to a report published by World Luxury Association this year, total consumption in the Chinese mainland luxury market reached $10.7 billion in 2010, excluding private jets, yachts or luxury cars, making the country the world's second largest consumer of luxury goods following Japan.

Andy Kline, an international researcher for the World Luxury Association, said that because of yuan appreciation and the depreciation of the euro, the purchasing power of Chinese consumers in the international market has increased. In 2010, Asian people bought $69 billion luxury products from the European market, of which $50 billion was contributed by Chinese customers.

The World Luxury Association says China's appetite for luxuries is growing faster than that of any other country. China will become the largest luxury goods market and its sales volume will reach $14.6 billion in the next four or five years.

Research from Bain Capital, one of the world's leading business strategy consultancy firms, showed that in 2010 sales of luxury goods increased substantially year-on-year by 30 percent in China, while sales declined in Japan and the United States, the world's other top luxury goods markets.

"Some young Chinese girls want to show their privileged social status by dressing in labels," said fashion editor Wang. "Others like wearing designer clothes and dream of meeting their Prince Charming."

Sun Shijin, director of the Psychology Research Center at Fudan University in Shanghai, said: "A large number of Chinese consumers are still in a stage of conspicuous consumption. As China has achieved new heights in its economy and its society recently entered an era of mass consumption, the purchasing power of Chinese citizens is rising along with the development of the commodity economy. People sometimes lose their sense of reason when they pursue a material life. Conspicuous consumption during a period of social transition is an inevitable process of social development."

Geoffrey Miller, in his book, Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior, wrote: "The conspicuous consumption by human females, especially for products such as Prada handbags and Manolo Blahnik shoes, is to compete to attract the higher-quality males. Sadly, the evidence so far suggests that men pay very little attention to such conspicuous consumption by women."

The Associated Press and Metan Development Group collaborate to provide entertainment programming content in Mandarin for mainla

07 12 2011 13:43:13 +0000

LONDON -- The Associated Press and Metan Development Group have signed a deal to provide entertainment programming content for Mandarin-speaking audiences, extending AP’s reach to digital and broadcast markets in mainland China. Los Angeles-headquartered Metan Development Group has established a programming deal to produce short-form and long-form AP entertainment content in Mandarin for multiple platforms. Metan will develop original programming using AP content. Metan will be responsible for content distribution via television, online and mobile platforms throughout mainland China. Programming for 2012 will include AP’s coverage of New York Fashion Week. Metan and AP will deliver fashion-themed content hosted by Mandarin-speaking presenters to audiences in China. Daily online reports on the 2012 collections will be made available, featuring coverage that includes catwalks, backstage and behind-the-scenes activity and exclusive interviews with the world’s top designers. Additional fashion coverage in 2012 will include Paris, Milan and London Fashion Weeks. Metan is also using AP’s content to develop a weekly fashion magazine show for television. TV, Web and mobile content covering health and wellness, business, environment, science and gadgets is also in development. AP’s Entertainment Daily News is a dedicated video service that provides exclusive coverage of celebrities, fashion, awards shows, film premieres, concerts and theatre. This includes more than 300 stories per month. AP’s Celebrity Extra, Movies Now, Film File and Entertainment Now are also available to customers in HD. AP entertainment news is now available in HD forming the first part of AP’s phased HD rollout.

Funny stories on the road to making TV in China #3

06 12 2011 19:22:54 +0000

from Larry Namer,E! Founder.Five years ago was invited to China to teach young Chinese TV executives 'the process of creativity for profit. basically how to create and develop new show ideas that would attract audiences and advertisers. Gordon Chu who interned for me while he was in B school said he would make me up some business cards with my info in Chinese on one side and English on the other. Sounded like a good idea. I left for China with new cards in hand. when I started to give them out to people they openly started to laugh. First I thought they were rude but then thought maybe Larry means something else in Mandarin. Nope it turns out Gordon only knows Cantonese and when you translate my name but say it in Mandarin it means something like internal digestive organs. Gordon was born and raised in the bay area and knows about as much Mandarin as I do.

Funny stories on the road to making TV in China #2

05 12 2011 18:17:03 +0000

Working on a sitcom that involves having a talking donkey as a narrator. First the writing team asks if this is an animated donkey and when I say no its a real donkey they ask if I know that donkeys don't talk. When i say yes but we will put some peanut butter on a real donkeys mouth and then record him licking it off so we can put the words in his mouth the next question is "so how long will it take for him to learn Mandarin".

Funny stories on the road to making TV in China

02 12 2011 09:26:34 +0000

So when we are starting out we were trying to figure out how to pace the show. The benchmark in the US had become TMZ which was really quick cut and there were a few dozen topics covered in each episode. We shot the reopening of the King Kong ride at Universal and cut it to a two minute piece. if this was back in my E! days, I would have given it a minute but figured better to be safe and slow it down.When we showed it to the team in China they commented" nice piece but we have one question. Who is King Kong?" It never occurred to us that the character, so familiar to movie audiences in the west, was virtually unknown in China. So we went back and added two minutes about King Kong and his importance in the history of western film, then showed this new 4 minute piece to the Beijing team. "its better", they said, "now we know who King Kong is, but one more question. Whats Universal?" Back to adding two minutes explaining Universal. Then it was good. so a one minute piece for US TV turned into a 6 minute piece for China. we learned never to assume that there is any common knowledge about media and entertainment history and you can never provide enough context and back story. Blog by Larry Namer President and CEO of Metan Development Group and Founder of E! Entertainment TV

Hello! Hollywood Reaches One Billion Viewers

16 11 2011 19:29:06 +0000

Metan's Hello! Hollywood is now available to one billion Mandarin-speaking viewers in China and around the globe, with a weekly Web audience of one million.

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