Mentioned here once before as China’s third ‘most beautiful person’, Chinese model, actress, and singer Zhou Xun is currently one of the most promising young faces in the Asian film industry.Born in Quzhou, China, Zhou Xun began her career in the dramatic arts at the Zhejiang Arts Institute to the objections of her parents who insisted on a traditional education. She was picked for several minor roles and cameos in her early career and did not receive a major part until Lou Ye’s tragic love story, ‘Suzhou River’ in 2000.

In 2002, Zhou played the title role of the Little Seamstress in ‘Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress’ earning her international recognition when the film was nominated for Golden Tulip in the 2003 Istanbul International Film Festival and Best Foreign Language Film in the 2003 Golden Globes. She also starred in the highly popular 2002 television series ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes’ which earned some of the highest ratings in mainland China during the same year.

Perhaps Love (2005)

Zhou broke into the Hong Kong film scene in 2005 as the lead actress in Peter Chan’s musical film ‘Perhaps Love’. Working side by side with Japanese-Chinese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro and Hong Kong singing sensation Jacky Cheung, Zhou won the Best Actress Award in 2006 for both the Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 2006, Zhou Xun played “Ophelia” co-starring with Zhang Ziyi in the Hong Kong “wu-xia” film ‘The Banquet’. The film had its international premiere at the Venice Film Festival and was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival the day of its release in mainstream China. Her role as Qing Nu or “Ophelia” won her Best Supporting Actress in the 2007 Hong Kong Film Awards.

Ming Ming (2006)

During the same year, Zhou Xun went on to release the Hong Kong action/romance film Ming Ming in her dual-role as a sleek, modern-day martial arts action heroine who steals an incredible sum for her lover, D, in order to survive the Hong Kong underworld and unlock the secrets of a cryptic message, and also as her own identical twin, Nana.

In addition to her acting career, Zhou Xun has released two solo albums entitled Summer (2003) and Come Across (2005) and sang in her lead role in ‘Perhaps Love’.

Zhou Xun on MTV:

She is currently working on two films, The Encounter of Li Mi and Painted Skin, both expected for release in 2008.

(source: wikipeda, imdb)

Stats:

Birthdate: October 18, 1976 (age 31)
Blood Type: O
Weight: 41 kg (90 lb)
Height: 161 cm (5’3)

Zhou Xun on the Web:

Zhou Xun @ Wikipedia
Zhou Xun @ The Daily Model**
Zhou Xun @ IMDB
Zhou Xun Pictures @ Pretties**
Zhou Xun Pictures & Backgrounds @ mm52

Trailers:

The Banquet International Trailer**
Perhaps Love Trailer (CN)
Perhaps Love Trailer (KR)**

Videos:

Zhou Xun – Perhaps Love “Wai Mian”**
Zhou Xun – Piao Yao**
Zhou Xun – Chocolate Commercial**
Zhou Xun & Zhang ZiYi at The Banquet

**Highly Recommended

Eriko Tamura is the Japanese actress who portrays Yaeko in the TV-series Heroes.

Sometimes called ‘The Britney Spears of Japan’, Eriko Tamura began her career as a teen idol pop singer. She released 10 original albums, 15 singles, and enjoyed phenomenal success. In fact, she was so popular that Legendary Idol Eriko, a series of more than 50 cartoons, was created as a fictionalization of her life. Subsequently, Eriko became the spokesperson for companies like Kanebo Cosmetics, Bridgestone Tire, and Nissin Foods. She has done numerous commercials and appeared in many Japanese magazines.Eriko’s acting career began at age 13 with the film Hana no furu gogo. She has received praise for much of her work including her performances in Hana no furu gogo, Waga aishita Ultraseven, and Hideyoshi (in which she portrayed a woman with ages ranging from 14 to 37). More recently, Eriko has appeared in Surf School and Perfect Partners.

Some facts:

Date of birth: 16 January 1973
Place of birth: Ibaraki, Japan
Ethnicity: Japanese
Height: 5′ 3″ (1,62m)

Some links:

Eriko Tamura @ imdb.com
Eriko Tamura @ heroeswiki.com
Eriko Tamura @ erikotamura.jp (official site)
Eriko Tamura @ asianpopcorn.com (gallery)

Some videos:

Thanks to Aaron for the tip.

Jelynn Rodriguez (Filipino American) is best known for hosting the wildly popular show The Drop on the cable network SiTV, now in its second season and recently nominated for an Imagen Award for Best Variety Special. Add to that her new spot hosting on the TV Guide Channel and her role in the upcoming horror movie Grizzly Park, and Jelynn is building a busy and successful career. She has been working in show business since she was a teenager living in San Diego.

Jelynn Rodriguez on the web:

Jelynn Rodriguez @ jelynnrodriguez.net
Jelynn Rodriguez @ myspace.com
Jelynn Rodriguez @ imdb.com
Jelynn Rodriguez @ wikipedia.org
Jelynn Rodriguez @ viewimages.com

(thanks to devilman203 for the tip)

19-year-old Hoang Thuy Linh, who stars in the Vietnamese television series Vanh Anh Diaries, is facing dire consequences due to a sex tape of her and her boyfriend that leaked over the internet. Days after the video leaked, Vietnam Television (VTV) dropped the series, according to BBC News.Hoang, face wet with tears, made a profuse apology on the VTV show in which the series cancellation was announced.

Hoang had cultivated a good-girl image as part of her role on Vanh Anh, where she plays the schoolgirl Vanh Anh. The show centers on the lives of Vanh Anh, her friends, and day-to-day life as Vietnamese schoolchildren, BBC News reported. A hugely popular show amongst preteens, my impression is that it could best be described as the Vietnamese equivalent of The Lizzie McGuire Show.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the 16-minute video clip hit the internet on October 15.

The sex scandal had everyone in Vietnam talking. Vietnamese conservatism (a societal heavy emphasis on pre-marital sex, for instance), coupled with the show’s massive and rising popularity among children and young teens are two primary reasons as to the dramatic reaction to the scandal.

A commenter in the AP story pointed out that Hoang’s boyfriend has evaded public wrath, whereas Hoang has been victim to the blame and embarrassment, suggesting gender inequality in Vietnam.

On the web, commenters in fora can be seen expressing their mixed reactions, from showing deep sympathy for Hoang and drawing analogies with Paris Hilton’s sex tape (which, in contrast, turned her into a superstar) to admonishing her careless actions and disrespect for her position as a role model for young girls in Vietnam. Either way, one thing is clear: the sex scandal has tarnished Hoang’s career forever.

More photos of Hoang Thuy Linh:

More of this story on the web:
The Associated Press: Vietnam is Having a Paris Hilton Moment
BBC News: Web Sex Clip Halts Vietnam TV Show
Hoang Thuy Linh Sex Tape Video and Download (contains links for video download)

A live-action series based on the classic anime Cutie Honey just started airing in Japan, starring bikini idol Mikie Hara. Check out Danny Choo’s gallery of screencaps.

Watch out, Zhang Ziyi. There is a new crop of young Chinese actresses making waves on the film scene. In the 1980s, classic Shanghainese beauty Joan Chen brought a whiff of erotic exoticism to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor. In the 1990s, Shenyang-born Gong Li and her earthy sexiness grabbed world cinema’s attention. Full story here.