China TV Producer Linmon Media Seeks Hong Kong IPO

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLondon- and Singapore-based 108 Media has announced plans to acquire Malaysian film and TV production firm Revolution Media (previously Ideate Media). Led by Zainir Aminullah, Revolution was founded in 2013 and underwent a management buy-out in 2019.

British broadcaster Channel 4 has ordered an apocalyptic comedy series starring Friday Night Dinner and The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent“Wallace and Gromit,” the cult British stop-motion comedy franchise created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations, is set for a virtual reality makeover. Aardman is partnering with Meta Quest and Paris-based banner Atlas V to create an interactive, narrative-led, single player VR experience which will follow the new adventures of Wallace and Gromit.Called “The Grand Getaway,” the VR experience will revolve around Wallace and Gromit’s holidays and will launch in 2023 in the Oculus Store for Meta Quest.

BEIJING -- Veteran Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang has died at age 86 while in a COVID-19 quarantine hotel in the southern Chinese city, local media reported.Tsang was best known internationally for his action roles in the 2002 James Bond film “Die Another Day,” John Woo’s “The Killer” in 1989, “Rush Hour 2” in 2001 starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, and 1998′s “The Replacement Killers” alongside Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino.Tsang had been undergoing seven days of quarantine after returning from Singapore on Monday and was found collapsed on the floor of his hotel room by staff on Wednesday, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper and other media.No cause of death was given and the paper said he had tested negative for the virus and had no underlying medical conditions.In all, Tsang had some 237 acting credits, mainly in Hong Kong film and television productions, and especially in detective and martial arts movies, according to his IMDb page.Born in Shanghai on Sept. 2, 1935, Tsang began acting after obtaining an architecture degree at the University of California, Berkeley, making his debut in 1955.

Rush Hour 2 and Die Another Day, has died at the age of 86.Tsang was reportedly found unconscious in a quarantine hotel in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui district on Wednesday (April 27) after returning from a trip to Singapore. Tsang was later pronounced dead at the scene.According to the South China Morning Post, Tsang took a COVID-19 rapid antigen test on Tuesday and tested negative.

Kenneth Tsang, who made his mark in Hong Kong’s golden age of film before coming to the US and scoring roles in several prominent movies, died at age 87 today. He was found after quarantining in a Hong Kong hotel after entering China from Singapore, per that country’s Covid-19 protocols.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKenneth Tsang, a veteran Hong Kong actor who starred in pioneering martial arts movies, has died. He was 86.Tsang (aka Tsang Kong) was staying in the Kowloon Hotel on Nathan Road, a venue used for passenger quarantine after overseas travel, and was found dead in the room on Wednesday. No immediate cause of death has been given by Hong Kong authorities.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNew York-headquartered documentary distributor Icarus Films has picked up all North American rights to Hong Kong protest film “Blue Island.” The film plays this week at the HotDocs Documentary Festival in Toronto, Canada.Directed by Chan Tze Woon (“Yellowing”), the film confronts the large-scale protests in Hong Kong, describing events through a mix of documentary footage and filmed reenactments. The distributor has not yet elaborated release plans, but says that it is taking booking requests from museums, arts organizations, film festivals and theaters across North America.“A new wave of young people took back the streets, as one generation after another has done throughout Hong Kong’s history.

Liam Gallagher has said that being a solo artist is “boring as fuck” and that he would “much rather be in a band”.Speaking in a new interview, the former Oasis and Beady Eye frontman – who for the past six years has been enjoying huge solo success – has revealed that he’s not a fan of recording and working on songs written for him by other people.“It’s boring as fuck, to be fair,” the ‘Everything’s Electric’ singer told MOJO (via Radio X). “It ain’t what it’s meant to be.”He continued: “I’d much rather be in a band, all bashing it out together.

The producer of Rob & Chyna dropped an inneresting revelation in court this week!

E.T. has phoned home — to the red carpet.

Steven Spielberg, Dee Wallace and more people associated with the beloved science fiction hit, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, appeared on the red carpet for a screening in honor of its 40th anniversary.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Hong Kong International Film Festival will shift to new dates in August, having been postponed earlier this year due to the COVID pandemic.The 46th edition of the festival will take place Aug. 15-31, 2022, at multiple venues across the territory. Like last year’s HKIFF45, the hybrid festival will feature in-person and online screenings and events.The annual spin-off event, Cine Fan Summer International Film Festival, which usually takes place around the same time in August, will be shelved and likely return in 2023.The main HKIFF was scheduled to have started on March 31.

Canadian actress Franchesca Wong came under fire for her role in the Hong Kong series “Barrack O’Karma 1968”.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefYouTube, the Google-owned video streaming platform, has removed the account of John Lee Ka-chiu, the policeman-turned-politician who is poised to take over as Hong Kong’s next leader.All content on Lee’s YouTube page has been removed. In its place is a message that reads: “This account has been terminated for violating Google’s Terms of Service.”Lee’s campaign office said on Wednesday that it had been informed by Google that the removal of the account was in accordance with the company’s compliance with U.S. sanctions.“We find this very regrettable and completely unreasonable, but we think they can’t stop us from spreading our candidate’s message – our campaign’s message – to the public,” said Tam Yiu-chung, head of Lee’s campaign office.

Liam Gallagher is to play a one-off charity show at the King George’s Hall in Blackburn. The gig happens on April 27, and is aiming to raise funds for local Blackburn homeless charity Nightsafe.

Liam Gallagher has announced his latest collaboration with Adidas and confirmed details of an intimate live show in Blackburn next week.The former Oasis frontman previously linked up with the company back in August 2019 to launch a line of Spezial Shoes to celebrate the release of his second solo album ‘Why Me? Why Not.’.Gallagher and Adidas are now set to launch the LG2SPZL trainers, with a release date for the shoes set to be confirmed soon.The singer will celebrate the launch of the shoes with a special intimate show at the 1800-capacity King George’s Hall in Blackburn on April 27. Support on the night will come from the Blackburn quartet The Illicits, who are signed to Alan McGee’s Creation 23 label.“I’m glad to announce my new collaboration with adidas Spezial,” Gallagher said in a statement.

Police investigating an airport 'meet and greet' parking firm whose customers' cars were left trapped in a muddy field have recovered the keys and are beginning the process of reuniting people with their vehicles.

Kanye West is distracting himself from missing out on Coachella by taking a luxury vacation with his girlfriend Chaney Jones — and the spot is very noteworthy!