‘Rush Hour 2’ star heading to Vietnam

World-famous actor and martial arts expert Jackie Chan will arrive in Hanoi on November 4 to attend the 20th anniversary celebrations of Operation Smile, a global non-governmental charity organization. 

Actor Jackie Chan will visit Vietnam in November as an ambassador for children’s charity group Operation Smile

The 55-year-old Hong Kong-born actor is a goodwill ambassador for the association which provides free surgery and medical treatment for children born with facial deformities.
 
Jackie Chan will spend three days visiting children ahead of their operations and will also attend a press conference.
 
Teaming up with Jackie Chan is the Operation Smile’s VN Ambassador Ly Nha Ky.

This is Jackie Chan’s second visit to Vietnam. In April 2005, the actor made his first trip to the country in support of UNICEF/UNAIDS in Hanoi.

Chan, whose real name is Chan Kong Sang, is also an action choreographer, filmmaker, comedian, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.

He is also known around the world for his decades of charity work.

Jackie Chan established a charity foundation in his name in 1988 that awards scholarships to Hong Kong youth. Seventeen years later, he founded another charity fund called The Dragon’s Heart Foundation, which aims to help children and the elderly in remote areas of China.
Source: SGGP Bookmark & Share

‘Rush Hour 2’ star heading to Vietnam

World-famous actor and martial arts expert Jackie Chan will arrive in Hanoi on November 4 to attend the 20th anniversary celebrations of Operation Smile, a global non-governmental charity organization. 

Actor Jackie Chan will visit Vietnam in November as an ambassador for children’s charity group Operation Smile

The 55-year-old Hong Kong-born actor is a goodwill ambassador for the association which provides free surgery and medical treatment for children born with facial deformities.
 
Jackie Chan will spend three days visiting children ahead of their operations and will also attend a press conference.
 
Teaming up with Jackie Chan is the Operation Smile’s VN Ambassador Ly Nha Ky.

This is Jackie Chan’s second visit to Vietnam. In April 2005, the actor made his first trip to the country in support of UNICEF/UNAIDS in Hanoi.

Chan, whose real name is Chan Kong Sang, is also an action choreographer, filmmaker, comedian, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.

He is also known around the world for his decades of charity work.

Jackie Chan established a charity foundation in his name in 1988 that awards scholarships to Hong Kong youth. Seventeen years later, he founded another charity fund called The Dragon’s Heart Foundation, which aims to help children and the elderly in remote areas of China.
Source: SGGP Bookmark & Share

Sweet Mullet ready to rock city

Thai rock band Sweet Mullet is set to introduce their unique sound to Ho Chi Minh City audiences October 18 during a special music gala.

Thai rock group Sweet Mullet will perform October 18 in HCMC

The band comprises five members including vocalist Tao, guitarists Pap and Aun, bass player Tee, and drummer Moo. The group says they’re excited about their first collaboration with Vietnamese artists, and especially to be performing in the same genre.
 
The concert is part of an ongoing monthly music series called “Bai hat Viet” (Vietnamese Song) which highlights local talent and up-and-coming artists.
 
While remaining guarded about some of the concert details, Sweet Mullet promises to take audiences on a roller coaster ride of emotion and sound. The new wave of Thai rock is full of unpredictable beats and rhythms, they add.
 
The band debuted with an extended-play demo album, inspired by underground music, in 2003. Later, they signed with major record label Genie Records and released two albums and one single to critical acclaim.
 
Concertgoers of the third rock-themed Bai hat Viet (Vietnamese Songs) gala will also be treated to performances by local talent voted as the best of last year. The hits include Mau cua dat (Earth’s blood), Dam cuoi chuot (Mice’s marriage), Cuop vo (Steal wife), and Mo gio (Lonely tomb).
 
Performing the songs are some of the city’s leading rock bands including Da Vang (Yellow Skin), Unlimited, Gat Tan Day (Full Ashtray), Ngu cung (Pentatonic) and Prophecy.
 
Solo performances by local artists Hai Yen, Luu Huong Giang, Minh Thu, Siu Black and Le Minh will round out the line-up.
 
During every Bai hat Viet show, audiences vote for their favorite song performed. Twelve winners from the monthly shows then go on to enter the annual battle for “Song of the year” and “Singer of the year.” The series is hosted by Viet Nam Television with support from Indochina Airlines.
 
The show begins at 8pm in District 3’s Nguyen Du Indoor Stadium. 
Source: SGGP Bookmark & Share

Classical concert set to enchant HCM City music lovers

A trio of renowned Scandinavian musicians will perform a set of classical masterpieces next week in the southern hub.

Four Norwegian musicians, L-R, Tormod Asgard, Geir Nordeng, Truls Sanaker, and Ingeborg Sortvik are set to perform at HCM City’s Opera House next week. (Photo: Courtesy of Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera)

The concert, entitled “A Norwegian Foot Print,” is set to debut in HCM City October 19, featuring performances of classical masterpieces by Mozart, Aaron Copland, Terry Riley, Gustav Holst and Carl Maria von Weber.
 
Three Norwegian musicians, world-renowned oboe player Ingeborg Sortvik, trumpeter Tormod Asgard, and percussionist Geir Nordeng, will perform the pieces led by conductor and fellow Norwegian, Truls Sanaker.
 
American composer Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man will kick off the show, followed by a performance of American Riley’s In C.
 
Audiences will also be treated to two works by European artists, Groove 3a by Bjørn Bolstad Skjelbred and Serenade in C-minor by Mozart.
 
A unique series composed by Sverre Berg and arranged by Bjorn Mellemberg are planned along with a finale featuring the music of C.M.v.Weber and Gustav Holst.
 
The line-up is also scheduled to include unforgettable works like Concertino fur Oboe und Blaser and Suite no. 1 in E flat.
 
Tickets are on sale for VND150,000- 200,000 (US$9-11) at HCM City’s Opera House Box Office in District 1.

Bookings can also be made by phone at: (+848) 3832 2009 or 6270 4450. 

The performance starts at 8pm.

Source: SGGP Bookmark & Share

Golden Disc winners to perform at TV gala

The annual music awards presented by Ho Chi Minh Television, the ‘Album Vang’ (Golden Disc), is going to celebrate the close of its first phase at the gala concert at Lan Anh Music Club (District 10) on October 12. 

Quang Vinh, known as “Nightingale Prince,” will present some fresh melodies at the gala concert on October 12 (Photo: Courtesy of Cat Tien Sa Media)

The gala performance, “Vu hoi am nhac” (Music Ball), is a review of the most popular albums, as voted for by the public, by singers Dam Vinh Hung, My Tam, Thanh Thao, Quang Dung, Ho Quynh Huong, Hien Thuc, Nguyen Vu, Hong Ngoc, Quang Vinh, Thu Thuy, Ngo Kien Huy, Bao Thy and Quang Ha. 
 
The highlight of the show is the demand that singers also have to dance.
 
A variety of dances scheduled are: tango by Quang Vinh and Dam Vinh Hung, rumba by Quang Ha, modern dance by Ho Quynh Huong and hip-hop by Thanh Thao.
 
The gala will also debut some collaborations on stage, no details have yet to be reported.
 
The Music Ball will be broadcast live on HTV7.
 
The gala will start at 8:30pm.
 
After the gala, the race for the monthly awards will continue with another five episodes before reaching the special awarding ceremony for “Album of the Year” on April 12, 2010. 

Source: SGGP

Romantic movie director turns to tragedy

A Vietnamese-American film director, Victor Vu, who gained fame from his last movie “Chuyen tinh xa xu” (Passport to Love) recently talked to SGGP about his upcoming tragedy, “Giao lo dinh menh” (Crossroads of Fate).

Victor Vu at the press conference for “Passport to Love,” which will be in US theatres in October (Photo: SGGP)

Vu’s ongoing movie project features a tragedy about the problems of social relationships.
 
The Crossroads of Fate is about big change in the life of a married couple after a car accident.
 
The husband is in a coma for a long time. When he wakes up, he comes to recognize the troubles in his relationship with family and friends. Many troubles come to his life and push the story to a climax.
 
Spiritual matters are also woven into the film’s fabric, the director said.
 
In response to a question about whether his movie is a horror movie, Vu noted that he understands the limits of making a horror movie in Vietnam, so the film he decided to make was to be about spiritual life, not about spirits.
 
Previously, Vu produced a horror movie called Spirits in 2004, a series of three ghost stories in the U.S. However, the movie has yet to be released in Vietnamese theatres due to some unexpected obstacles, the director said.
 
Addressing a recent press conference, he discussed how he came to make Passport to Love with support from a U.S. distributor, the Everest Productions.
 
Vu admitted there had been many obstacles, such as the mission of getting as many US cinemas to show his picture, which was very difficult due to the preference for Hollywood action or comedy films.
 
He also noted that it was hard for his movie to find a theatre due to full screening schedules.
 
Due to other logistical problems, his movie will be generally shown in areas with a large Vietnamese and Asian community, such as Orange County and San Jose in California, Houston and Dallas in Texas and Atlanta in Georgia.
 
The five actors and actress in his most recent film, Binh Minh, Kathy Uyen, Huy Khanh, Ngoc Diep and Tang Bao Quyen, will also appear on the red carpet of the first three screenings in California, on October 8, 10 and 11.
 
Passport to Love helped Vu bring home the consolation prize at the Canh Dieu Vang (Golden Kite) Awards 2009, hosted by the Vietnam Cinema Association. This is the first movie that Vu made in Vietnam. His previous two movies, including First morning in 2003 and Sprits in 2004, featured Vietnamese stories but were produced in the U.S.
Source: SGGP