THE PAWNSHOP No. 8   November debut of a Taiwan TV serial adaptation of the book by Shen Xue
Starring Alex To, Carol Zheng, Penny Lin, Tien Hsin

Wakin Chau is handsomely decked out in rich brocades for his cameo appearance as the early Ming Dynasty proprietor of a devilish pawnshop where "anything goes" when you're in desperate need of quick cash: they'll take a limb, a pair of eyes, even a brain! (So you can probably guess what's in this jar — hee hee....) You might think that a man in such a vile trade would be completely heartless, yet it is his simple love for a stricken woman that leads to his own end hardly halfway through the first episode.... Alex To takes up the story from there. Thirty-eight installments of this Taiwan TV series were released on VCD in February 2004. The disk sets, which are artfully boxed and a little spendy (there are 10 episodes in the first set), can be purchased online at Yesasia.com.

2003

HOME RUN   Debuted on August 7 in Singapore
Produced and directed by Singapore comedian Jack Neo; Starring Shawn Lee, Megan Zheng, Huang Wenyong and Xiang Yun
Budgeted at SG$1.2 million, the film is set in Singapore in 1965 and is inspired by the critically acclaimed Children of Heaven by Iranian director Majid Majidi. Neo's Home Run is the touching story of a poor boy, Ah Kun, and his sister, Xiao Fang, who find clever ways to avoid getting into trouble over a pair of missing shoes. It was filmed in Kuala Lumpur, and Emil Chau performed his small supporting role a couple of weeks before his huge March 29th concert at the Putra Indoor Stadium. (Thanks for the heads up, YC!)

Jack Neo also happened to be the special guest who added some extra humor to Wakin's long and lively 19 October 2002 concert in Singapore!

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2001

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HEADLINES   January 11 debut in Hong Kong
Produced and directed by Nam Yin; Starring Emil Chau, Maggie Cheung Ho Yee and Daniel Wu — Extra! Extra! The news is that this film follows the dramatic stories of three different reporters, whose competitive drive for an exclusive brings each of them more than they ever bargained for. Emil Chau stars as a reporter whose pursuit of a particular story ends up turning his best friend into his worst enemy. Maggie Cheung Ho Yee's character, a reporter who poses as a homeless girl in order to delve into the difficult lives of Hong Kong street youth, accidentally reveals something that will harm the people she encounters. And Daniel Wu plays a rookie reporter fresh out of college whose aggressive intrusiveness destroys privacy and even lives.

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Purple Storm (lead role; crime drama)

• November 16, 2002: Purple Storm hits the big screen in Japan! [日本語]