aboutshanghai.com » Entertainment

Watch Out Snopes, There’s A Better Hoax-Buster in Town

Brian — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:57:15 +0000

Recently, when I watched a supposedly scared little boy trapped in a home-made saucer-shaped balloon flying what I thought was unprotected above the Midwestern countryside, it didn’t occur to me to think for a second that it was a hoax; but, as I watched the drama unfold, I began to realize that I was the one being taken for a ride. As soon as I got up from the television, I went online to try and find out more about the balloon boy saga.Until now, Snopes.com was where I went to find out if what I was reading or seeing on television or getting in my e-mails was real or fake. But in my search for the Balloon Boy story, I found a new site called Hoax.com that covered the story in a whole different unique way.

I noticed that Hoax.com was different because not only could I get the information I was looking for about hoaxes, urban legends, e-mail rumors and spam mail stories, but Hoax.com also has a discussion area where I can give my input in on those issues, and get feedback from other readers to make sure I have all the facts before I start spreading the news.

I think it’s important that, with the eyes of the entire internet watching, Hoax.com can bring the latest fake stories to light so that when I’m faced with the question “is this really true?” I now know that all I need to do is log on to Hoax.com and search for the story and discover if what I am dealing with is a real occurrence.

I also found that unlike Snopes.com, Hoax.com doesn’t just deal with fake news stories, questionable e-mail messages and urban legends. Hoax.com goes behind the scenes of various paranormal activities such as ghost hunting, psychic readings, sightings of unusual beasts, etc. That’s really what makes it so much more interesting than just getting boring facts. At Hoax.com there is more of a story behind the story.

Hoax.com is also a cool site because it lets you in on the little-known secrets of palm readers, psychics, fortune tellers, astrologers, etc. so that you know what to look for when seeking bona fide help with your many questions. I now know what to look for before I pay good money to have my fortune told.

I think that these things are what separates Hoax.com from Snopes.com, the up-front information that prepares you to spot a hoax or a fake before you’re taken for a ride. And the part I really enjoyed was that once I got my answers, I could then discuss the results and share stories with other Hoax.com readers, making friends as I went along.

NBA to Stage Games Inside China

Mark Einhorn — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:00:09 +0000

On October 17, the NBA China Games will begin with a game in Shanghai between the Cavaliers and the Magic at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. The arena has a capacity of 13,779. The NBA chose Shanghai because of its international reputation, state-of-the art facilities, and because many NBA commercial partners are located nearby.

Subsequent games will take place in Macao at the Venetian Arena, which has a capacity of 15,000. On October 18, Magic will take on the China Men’s National Team, and there will be a rematch between Magic and the Cavaliers on October 20.

Tickets for the Shanghai game will go on sale in June, and they can be purchased online at the EMMA ticket website (www.emma.cn), the EMMA Ticket national call center (407-707-9999), and at the EMMA Ticket box offices and outlets in Shanghai, Beijine, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. Information about how to purchase tickets for the other games will be made available at a later date.

In 2004, the NBA became the first American professional sports league to play games in China with two matchups between the Houston Rockets and the Sacramento Kings in Shanghai and Beijing. Magic will be just the second NBA team to play against the Chinese National team in China. The first was the Washington Bullets, which played against China during the NBA’s first trip to the country in 1979.

Basketball has risen in popularity in China in recent years, following Yao Ming’s entry into the NBA. China is the NBA’s biggest overseas market, with about 20,000 stores carrying NBA merchandise and 347 million television viewers watching games. NBA China has 50 employees, the largest NBA operation outside of the United States.

American Musical to Be Performed in Mandarin

Will Flaus — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:00:06 +0000

Beginning May 9, the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and Broadway Asia Entertainment will co-produce the musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at New York’s Westside Theatre. The production will run through June 3. This will be the first time in history that a foreign production of an American musical will play inside the United States. The show will be entirely in Mandarin Chinese, with English subtitles projected above the stage.

The musical recently finished a successful run at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre in Shanghai. It was the first western musical to be performed there in Mandarin Chinese. Following the run in New York, the company will take the show on a multi-city tour in China, beginning in Beijing.

The American version, written by Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts, has been running in New York since 1996.

Newest Musical to Hit Shanghai: The Lion King

Will Flaus — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:00:36 +0000

The curtains will rise on The Lion King, Disney’s first live Broadway-style musical to hit the stage in China, beginning July 18th at the Shanghai Grand Theatre.

The Lion King is a Tony award winning show which has been touring the world since its run on Broadway, which began in 1997. As every American child knows, The Lion King is the story of African lion cub Simba who learns to survive the struggles of growing up to be someone, in his case King of the Jungle.

Shanghai enjoyed its first musical production in 2002. Since that time musicals have developed a large following with the Shanghai Grand Theatre having hosted productions of Cats, The Sound of Music, Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera. “Watching musicals has become the latest fashion in China,” said Fang Shizhong, president of the theater.

The original Broadway production of The Lion King was inspired by Disney’s 1994 animated movie and won six Tony awards in 1998, including Best Musical. Disney’s China managing director Stanley Cheung told the Associated Press, “We think that the story will resonate with everybody, anywhere in the world.” And indeed he is correct, more than 34 million people have seen the live show worldwide.

The international cast is made up of 52 performers from 12 countries and though the show is performed in English, South African performer Buyisile Zama, 27, who plays the baboon Rafiki says that language will not be a barrier as the spectacle is enough to get the story across to the audience. Despite Zama’s confidence, theatre staff will translate the libretto into Chinese for projection over the stage, Cheung said.

“After importing these musicals, we have nurtured a market for musicals in China and built our team,” Fang said. “We plan to launch a professional company at the end of this year to import musicals as well as making Chinese versions of Broadway musicals and creating Chinese-themed musicals in the future.”

The theatre has taken out a loan of 40 million yuan (4.94 million USD) to cover The Lion King’s budget of 69 million yuan and constitutes the first time the theatre has borrowed money to finance a production; however, they believe it is realistic to expect each showing of The Lion King to bring in 700,000 yuan. More than 700 VIP tickets have already been sold.

At least 100 shows are promised for the period from July 18 to Oct. 8, ending during China’s week-long National Day holiday. Ticket prices are expected to range from about 100RMB to 2000RMB.

For ticketing and show information please visit: http://www.shgtheatre.com/images_e/mainindex_e.asp

The box office is open from 9:00 to 19:00 hours every day.

7-Time Oscar Nominated ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ Banned

Mark Einhorn — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:00:46 +0000

‘Memoirs of a Geisha,’ the coming of age story of a young Japanese woman who at nine-years-old is sold into slavery to learn the life of a geisha is based on the bestselling novel by American author Arthur Golden and has been nominated for seven Oscars including Best Art Direction, Cinematography and Costume Design and stars China’s biggest stars, Ms. Ziyi Zhang, Ms. Michelle Yeoh and Ms. Li Gong as the three most beautiful courtesans.

Some simply find it “a bit quirky” that a film that depicts a historical Japan would be starring Chinese while others pay no mind whatsoever. The Chinese government last weekend determined that “such cross-dressing may be potentially inflammatory” and fear that the casting of the three Chinese actresses as glorified prostitutes may revive resentment over the horrific sexual abuse suffered by thousands of Chinese women during the occupation of WWII.

Since WWII when Japan occupied China and committed atrocities such as the massacre of 300,000 Chinese including women and children, relations between China and Japan have been complicated. Last year tensions increased for the first time in decades when the Japanese government approved the publication of a history textbook that the Chinese believe minimizes the war crimes committed against their people. China and their people have yet to forgive the actions of Japan’s military and believe that Japan has not as of yet atoned for their brutal occupation of China. In fact in April of 2005 the Chinese took to the streets in protest over Japan’s wartime aggression and tension remains high still today.

In America going to the movies is part of our culture; no matter how many video stores pop up there will always be movie buffs and those movie lovers who insist on experiencing the cinema experience. I am one of those Americans. There are many movies that are so big they must be experienced on the “big screen” for full affect. Titanic, Star Wars and, in my humble opinion, Memoirs of a Geisha should be experienced in this same way.

The Chinese do love their movies, but with cinema houses being a luxury not all communities can afford and the government’s strict quota system allowing for only about 15 American films per year to reach the big screen, Hollywood films are not a huge part of Chinese cinema. But with more and more demand for American films the people have found their way of circumventing the system, it’s called the DVD and it’s in huge demand. Such huge demand in fact that law enforcement has difficulty preventing the distribution of pirated DVDs. They are available for purchase everywhere, including your neighborhood flower shops and fruit stands where DVDs are set out in plain site to draw in consumers.

That’s right, the people of China will be enjoying Memoirs of a Geisha despite the political ban. In fact, Memoirs has been available on DVD in China for weeks in very high quality via the pirated DVD. January through March is always the very best time to buy pirated DVDs in China – which is how the majority enjoy movies – because the films vying for nomination are sent to all voting members of the academy, the international press in Hollywood and elsewhere and end up being immediately copied and placed on the Chinese blackmarket.

NFL Hopes to Cultivate Its Own Yao Ming

Mark Einhorn — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:00:23 +0000

Baseball has Ichiro Suzuki, Basketball has Yao Ming, and now the National Football League is ready for their Asian Superstar.

When Japanese baseball star Ichiro Suzuki signed with the Seattle Mariners in 2001, Americans stood up and took notice for they believed they were watching a man who would change all of baseball. And indeed it seems they were right. Ichiro has been a fan favorite and top vote-getter from the American League for baseball’s annual All-Star Games. He is breaking records believed unbreakable and continues to amaze children and experts alike as see simply continues to improve.

The following year Houston Rockets management offered China’s Yao Ming a 4-year 18-million-dollar contract to play center position on their basketball team. Their investment paid off. Ming is a force on the basketball court and was the top vote-getter in balloting for the NBA’s All-Star Game.

Ten years ago the idea that a Chinese player could join the American football elite would have been unimaginable but now, with Ichiro playing the “All American Game” and Ming being the biggest thing since Michael Jordan in the relatively new game of Basketball –invented in 1891 by Canadian-born James Naismith, a physical education teacher working in Springfield Massachusset’s YMCA at the time – leading the way, National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has great hope that by cultivating the seeds of the game in Asia now that football “will be a sport with global participation for people of all backgrounds.” Tagliabue is not alone on his quest. Philadelphia Eagles tight end Chad Lewis is a tight ally, sharing the same dream and fighting to make it happen.

Two years ago Mr. Lewis was heading to Taiwan for two years of Mormon mission. He returned to the states speaking Mandarin and with a compelling desire to successfully spread the global reach of American football, the game he loves.

“When you get the ball and go out in a park and just throwing it around, it’s a lot of fun. And, when you realize how much fun it is to play the game it makes you want to play more, play better,” Lewis said.

“It’s not too far in the future before we see the Yao Ming of football,” Lewis continued, “there is no doubt about it. He probably won’t be a quarterback but a special teams player.

Tagliabue and Lewis agree that Zou Marketing, which handles NFL promotion in China, has done an excellent job establishing US flag football programs in Shanghai and Beijing and that “player development is the next big step.”

Commissioner Tagliabue said that he does not expect to live to see the day when his vision comes to pass. China is a unique country with unique issues that must first be overcome. “We need the grass roots to develop players and coaches. This is something that the United States cannot impose. It has to come from the bottom up. We are looking at a timeline of three, perhaps four decades.”

And, despite the timeline both Tagliabue and Lewis are confident that their efforts will someday be enjoyed by millions worldwide and will, perhaps one day, change the face of American football. Lewis concluded by saying, “You get some kamikaze guy flying down the field full speed on the kickoff team and slamming into American guys. He will be a rock star in China.”