Chiu Wai - Upcoming Projects

Hong Kong Star Leung, U.S. Crime Writer Join Forces

Tony Leung Chiu-wai to Star as Mei Lanfang
Excited about this one. It will be a biopic of the Peking Opera star of the early 20th Century Mei Lanfang (pictured above next to Tony)

Even more excited about the project with Wong Kar Wai, though not sure when this will finally come out. It will be a martial arts film set in the 1950s based on the life of Bruce Lee's master. Read more about Wong Kar Wai's upcoming projects (unfortunately for Kar Wai - Chiu Wai fans this project is no. 3 on the list. Get your priorities right WKW!): http://www.ioncinema.com/beta/news.php?nid=1061

Not so excited about this one (due to Woo's recent lack of form, he's making another He Man movie for goodness sakes!) : Tony Leung to team up with John Woo. Of course the two have worked together before ('Bullet in the Head', 'Hardboiled') but that was before Woo was wooed by Hollywood. Go to monkey Peaches (love that site) for all the latest: http://www.monkeypeaches.com/battleofredcliff.html

Want more Tony Leung Chiu Wai? Got to www.tonyleung.org there are even downloadable sound clips of Tony singing here.

Seoul Raiders - Tony Leung Chiu Wai

Seoul Raiders has been released on DVD by Hong Kong Legends, 27th February. This is not the DVD cover for the UK edition (I like this one more because it's just Tony!). The film co-stars Shu Qi (from The Eye 2 & The Transporter) and Richie Ren (Silverhawk) and is directed by Jingle Ma (brother of Jangle ;-). Lightweight, glossy, comedic kung fu shenanigans. The film tries too hard to be an amalgamation of Western style secret agent/spy/thriller/Charlie's Angels/car chase movies. High production values and capable direction but nothing exceptional. This is a follow up to Tokyo Raiders which I have not seen (please comment here if you have). It's all a bit of silly nonsense really and it's one of those films that makes you keep guessing about Leung's career path. (Don't worry, his new projects sound interesting...see my latest post...).

Pork - Jamaican/Chinese style

Remember I was looking for a Chinese/Jamaican fusion recipe? I found one! It's for Chinese Jamaican pork fried rice and can be found here:
http://www.jamaicans.com/cooking/pork/porkfryrice.shtml
Some care seems to have been taken over the presentation but it's served in a tin foil take away dish!
For an Ang Lee pork dish see: http://www.danwei.org/archives/002416.html

Playlist for 24th Feb Show

• White Snow in Early Spring - Wong Ching
  
• He's So Fine - Chiffons
  
• Haiphong Harbour - UNIT
  
• She's But a Little Girl - Max Romeo
  
• I'm in the Mood for Ska - Lord Tanamo
  
• I'm in the Mood for Love - Betty Hutton (pic on right is from http://theimaginaryworld.com
  
• Yumeji's Theme - Shigeru Umebayashi
  
• 2046 Main Theme (With Percussion) - Shigeru Umebayashi
  
• Mo Wan's Dialogue - Tony Leung
  
• Angkor Wat Theme 1 - Michael Galasso
  
• Main Theme ITMFL - Michael Galasso
  
• Shuang Shuang Yan - performed by Deng Bai Ying
  

Brilliant new club night next month

I have been meaning to put this up for ages. I am guest DJing in Bolton on 25th March at the Balmoral Hotel at this cool new night called COPESETIC. It will be a great night of vintage sounds - Ska, Soul, RnB and Rocksteady in a friendly venue with cheap booze - what more could you possibly ask for? If you live in the locale or fancy a trip away it would be great to see you there.
Check out the marvellous web site for more details:
www.copesetic.co.uk
Or mosey on over to the Copesetic blog:
www.copeseticnights.blogspot.com/
Jak Ripley who co-presented the first of my shows on Chinese Jamaican Reggae will be DJing alongside Perry and Rob. Trust me these guys have some phenomenal 45s! Gonna be a scorcher!

My Jerk Chicken Recipe

My Jerk Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
Chicken thighs / legs
Lime
Fresh Thyme
Powdered Jerk Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper
A few Pimento Balls
A few Black Pepper Corns
Cinnamon
3 Spring Onions
1/2 Carrots
Tin of tomatoes (chopped)
Pinch of Salt
Fresh Ginger
Fresh Garlic
Vegetable Oil


Remove the skin from the chicken. Wash with lime (rub lime on to chicken flesh). Score the chicken flesh a little with a knife.
For the marinade: Pound garlic and ginger and mix in Jerk powder with a small pinch of cinnamon and a little cayenne pepper. Add a teaspoon of oil and two teaspoons of water to make it into a paste. Crumble in a little fresh thyme.
Cover the chicken with the marinade and leave in the fridge for at least an hour (more time = more flavour).
Chop carrots and spring onions into rounds. Get a deep oven dish and place chicken in it. Cover with the tin of chopped tomatoes, mix in carrots and spring onions, black pepper corns, pimento balls and a pinch of salt. The chicken should now be sitting in a tomato-y sauce. Cover with some sprigs of fresh thyme. Roast in the oven at medium heat for 2 hours or so.
Serve with rice n peas and coleslaw.

Chinese Reggae Playlists

Friday 10th Feb - the 50s & 60s

• Kingston Thirteen - Bells Group (early Blue Beat 45 the kind of tune that Tom the Great Sebastian aka Thomas Wong would have played on his soundsystem, which was one of the first in Jamaica in the 1950s)
  
• Hot Reggae - Byron Lee & the Dragonnaires
  
• Rocksteady - Byron Lee
  
• Chinatown - The Skatalites. Produced by Justin Yap, Top Deck Records. Available on the recently re-issued Ska Boo Da Ba double LP. Highly recommended! Get it on vinyl from HMV or from Amazon on CD
  
• China Clipper - The Skatalites
  
• Forward March - Derrick Morgan (Leslie Kong prouction celebrating Jamaican Independence in 1962)
  
• Judge Not - Robert Marley (Marley's first tune was cut for Kong's Beverleys label!)
  
• Pee Pee Cluck Cluck - Toots and the Maytals (from the LP From the Roots)
  
• She Does it to Me Right - Jimmi Cliff (B Side to Vietnam, heralded as the best protest song ever by Bob Dylan. Another acheivement for Beverleys)
  
• Look Before you Leap - Derrick and Patsy
  

Friday 17th Feb - late 60's, 70's

• Blackhead Chinaman - Prince Buster (Buster taunts Derrick Morgan and insinuates that the Chinese are taking over the record business in JA)
  
• Blazing Fire - Derrick Morgan (produed by Leslie Kong). The answer record which features Derrick cussing in Cantonese.
  
• East of the River Nile - Augustus Pablo (produced by Herman Chin Loy cousin of Leslie Kong and founder of Aquarius Record Label)
  
• Lost Penny - Toots and The Maytals (from the LP Skatalites and friends at Randys). Vincent 'Randy' Chin started Randy;s Records shop in JA which later became Randys record label when they built a recording studio above the shop. Vincent's son Clive entered into the business aged just 15.
  
• Mission Impossible - Randy's Allstars (Clive Chin's Impact! label)
  
• Jackie's Theme - Jackie Mittoo & Randy's Allstars (Impact!)
  
• Ghetto Guns Randy's All Stars (produced by Clive Chin on Impact! Record Label)
  
• Sugar Sugar - Bob Marley (Impact!)
  
• Lover's Mood - Augustus Pablo (produced by Leonard 'Santic' Chin - no relation to Clive)
  
• I Man Time - I Roy (prod Jo Jo Hookim)
  
• Here I am Baby - Al Brown (prod Geoffrey Chung)
  
• It's a Pity - Tanya Stephens (published by Chin family owned VP Records)
  

Chinese Contribution to Reggae Music

Today's Lucky Cat show celebrates the Chinese Contribution to Reggae Music. 1 - 2pm Resonance 104.4FM www.resonancefm.com
Today's show will discuss Tom the Great Sebastian, Leslie Kong, Justin Yap and Byron Lee.
Presented by myself Zoe Baxter and guest co-host Jak Ripley.
See Danwei for an interesting article on Chinese Jamaican Reggae Pioneers: http://www.danwei.org/archives/000657.html
Jak and I are DJing tonight in Camberwell - see www.messy.org.uk for details
Join the Luck Cat mailing list by emailing djmymelody@yahoo.com

Seven Swords the new Tsui Hark film

The new Tsui Hark wuxia epic Seven Swords is released here in the UK on 24th February. Definitely one to watch at the cinema with sweeping visual style and plenty of gruesome beheadings! Highlights for me were Lau Kar Leung's performance and someone getting pounded to death by a lute. The story is a little disjointed at times as it buckles under the weight of the seven main characters but stick with at as it really picks up in the second half. The seeds for the sequel are planted in this movie, perhaps this will not run as long as the Once Upon a Time in China series but it will run. . .

Playlist Friday 3rd Feb 2006

• 'Jealous of You' - Connie Francis
  
• 'Love Me' - Sam Cooke
  
• 'Never Be the Same' - Rita and Sakura
  
• 'Watch This Sound' - The Uniques
  
• 'Lam Phun Songlao Mao Ganja (Ganja Better Than Booze)'
  
• 'Sao Noi Makaleng (Young Girl from Makaleng)'
  
• 'Red Eyes' - Vivian Jones
  
• 'Single Girl' - Rita and Sakura
  
• 'Don't Want to Lose You' - Carolyn Franklin
  
• 'Every Little Bit Hurts' - Brenda Holloway
  
• 'My Baby Likes to Boogaloo' - Don Gardner