Kelly Chen - Is HK Rep At Olympics Close

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games ended with a massive party at the Bird's Nest Stadium yesterday evening and among the stars performing at the closing ceremony was Hong Kong's own queen of pop, Kelly Chen (陳慧琳).

Kelly Chen performed in two acts in the evening, firstly in the preshow in a duet with mainland singer Lin Yilun (林依輪) singing "Forever Friends" <永遠的朋友> and then singing the first song "Beijing Beijing I Love Beijing" <北京，北京，我愛北京> together with other mainland singers after the Olympic flame was finally extinguished above the stadium.

Asked how she felt about being invited to take part in such a prestigious and historical event, Kelly Chen said that she was very very excited and she felt honoured to have this opportunity. She revealed that she was extremely nervous before the show because she knew that she would be performing for so many viewers all around the world. She smiled that when it was over she let out a massive sigh of relief. She was also glad to be free from the secrecy that had surrounded the ceremony because she was unable to give away any information ahead of the show.

Kelly Chen had prepared six or seven different outfits for her performances, but the director chose a red and black checked asymmetric dress by Ralph Lauren for the first song and a pink Dolce & Gabanna tube top for the upbeat song for a more modern and fashionable impression. Kelly Chen also showed off a white and grey Donna Karan outfit for her after show interview.

Action director Siu-Tung Ching (程小東) also made a Hong Kong contribution to the ceremony by designing all of the aerial stunts performed by dancers in the show.

Rain Drinks In Olympics Emotion

Singer Rain has spoken about performing at the Beijing Olympic closing ceremony on Sunday. The Korean singer sang the closing theme song “Beijing, Beijing, I Love Beijing” with other Chinese stars, including Hong Kong-based Kelly Chen, Taiwanese singer Wang Leehom, and Chinese star Cecelia Han.

There had been increasing curiosity surrounding Rain’s participation in the ceremony, because his agency refused to confirm it. On Monday, the agency finally broke its silence, saying, “Rain signed a contract to perform at the closing ceremony some three months ago when the International Olympic Committee made an official request. But the contract required us to keep it confidential.”

Before going onstage, Rain said he felt honored and excited when first asked to perform, as though he had been chosen for the national squad. He also seemed overwhelmed with joy after the ceremony. “I have never felt this nervous since my debut,” he said. “I was very moved to see people around the world gather and enjoy this occasion of harmony and festival.”

Rain is currently working on his fifth album.

Beijing 2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony !!!

2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony

BEIJING (AP) — A Spanish tenor, a British soccer star and a throng of kung-fu fighters are among the scheduled closing-ceremony attractions Sunday night as China concludes its first Olympics and hands over the role of Summer Games to London.

2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony

Fireworks are planned at 18 locations across the vast city, and a packed house of more than 90,000 will be on hand in the National Outdoor Stadium for the ceremony itself.

Its creators have promised a more lighthearted show than the opening ceremony Aug. 8, which focused heavily on Chinese history. Highlights for the closing include a duet by tenor Placido Domingo and Chinese soprano Song Zuying, as well as a display by several hundred kung fu practitioners from a martial arts school.

2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony

"It's going to be very different from the opening ceremony, which was burdened with heavy responsibility to show Chinese culture to the world," one of the directors, Miao Pei, told China's Southern Metropolis News.

Film director Zhang Yimou, in charge of both the opening and closing ceremonies, said the dramatic highlight of the finale will be the extinguishing of the Olympic flame atop the stadium. But details were not released in advance — rehearsals were conducted in secret on a college campus.

2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony

London, host of the 2012 Olympics, will take over part way through the ceremony for an eight-minute show that will feature a red double-decker London bus driving into the stadium and converting into a stage.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and British singing sensation Leona Lewis will perform, and soccer icon David Beckham will kick a ball into a crowd of onlookers. They will be celebrating not only London's upcoming role as host, but also a breakthrough performance here in China by British athletes, completing their country's best Olympics in a century.

"We will not compete with the (Chinese) ceremony," said London 2012 organizer Bill Morris. "It will be simple, youthful, athletic, loud and proud like London, entertaining and fun."

2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony

Among those in attendance will be British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and London's mayor, Boris Johnson, who will receive the Olympic flag from Beijing Mayor Go Jinlong.

China invested more than $40 billion in the games, which it viewed as a chance to show the world its dramatic economic progress.

Even with a day of competition remaining, China had clinched first place in the gold medal standings, and logistics during the games ran smoothly. Questions remained, however, about the Chinese authorities' tough stance on press freedom and political protest — it blocked access to numerous politically edged Web sites during the Olympics, issued no permits for use of designated "protest zones" and detained demonstrators at unauthorized protests that did take place sporadically.

Read more about 2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony on :

2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony Pictures !!!

China's 1st Olympic sailing gold

Yin Jian wins China's 1st Olympic sailing gold

China's Yin Jian was crowned champion of RS:X Women at the Olympic Sailing Regatta in Qingdao on Wednesday, winning her country's first ever Olympic sailing gold.

China's Yin Jian celebrates after winning RS:X Women at the Olympic Sailing Regatta in Qingdao on Wednesday. [Xinhua]

Yin used her knowledge of local water to the best effect. Despite a fourth and three fifth finishes by the first four marks, Yin Jian collected her composure and stormed back to the third by the finishing line, gaining 39 points overall to claim the title.

A roar went up from the fans lining the viewing wall just outside the venue when they realized Yin had won gold by finishing third in the final medal race after fighting back from fifth and out of contention for the title.

"I didn't think about anything during today's race. I knew that if I kept passing one after another, that victory would be mine," said Yin.

"For an old athlete, competing in this Olympics was hard. I've had many injuries in the past four years. I was able to persevere until now because I wanted to make China proud in the Olympic Games that China is hosting," she said.

Tears in eyes, Jiang Chen, Yin's coach, couldn't hide his excitement. "Today's race is a true reflection of her past 10 days' races. She had a good start but immediately fell behind in the middle and had to catch up one by one. It was difficult but, in the end, she caught up with one after each mark and entered the top three. It was not easy," he said.

"This is the sport that Europeans excel in and they are usually good at making a last push in the final race. So today, Yin relied on herself to deal with surprises. She did it well and took all the important opportunities," he added.

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next

China's Yin Jian celebrates after winning RS:X Women at the Olympic Sailing Regatta in Qingdao on Wednesday.

2008 Olympics Beijing - China wins women's gymnastics team Olympic gold

Chinese women gymnasts won their first ever Olympic team gold medal in Wednesday's final of the Beijing Olympic Games, making a historic breakthrough expected by China for decades.


Chinese claimed their first world women's team title in the 2006 World Championships in Arhus, Denmark. The Olympic team title on Wednesday was unprecedented since the Chinese team was set up more than 50 years ago.

With deafening cheers and applause, leading Chinese gymnast Cheng Fei finished her routine in the last event of floor exercise in 15.450 points, nailing the gold for the hosts who totaled 188.900.

The silver went to the United States which collected 186.525 points. Defending Olympic champion Romania took the bronze with 181.525 points.

"Claiming the gold in Beijing is very exciting. China is the strongest team in the world," said Lu Shanzhen, head coach of the Chinese women's team.

The US team, who dethroned the Chinese contingent in the World Championships last year, had been tipped to repeat the glory in Beijing.

"The performance of the Chinese team is remarkable. Today's China's day. After we made two mistakes, it was really hard for us to catch up," said US head coach Qiao Liang.

The competition kicked off at 10:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) in the National Indoor Stadium.

China's Cheng fell from the beam when she was the first to compete, inviting a chorus of sighs from spectators.

Cheng's teammate Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan went through the tough psychological test and enabled the Chinese team to surpass the United States by one point before the fourth rotation. Their routines' difficulty in the beam was higher than the US members, giving them an advantage to claim the gold.

Olympics Beijing 2008 - 'Humble' Yao Ming thrilled to be just a bearer

Yao Ming may be a big sports star, perhaps the biggest China has now, but talk to him and you realize he is the epitome of humility. You realize another thing too: away from the pressure and tension of the basketball court his infectious smile rarely leaves his lips.

He was more than satisfied, thrilled in fact, to carry the Olympic torch in Beijing Wednesday, for he "never had the wild wish" to light the sacred flame in the National Stadium on the opening day.

"I've always felt that type of honor should be reserved for the older generations of Chinese sportspersons. They've stood the test of time and have a deeper sentiment for the Olympics and Chinese sports," the 27-year-old told China Daily. "I think these people are most suitable for such a historic task."

Torchbearer Yao Ming holds the torch as he runs through the Tiananmen Gate during the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch relay in Beijing August 6, 2008

The 7-foot-6-inch giant said he has "way too many expectations" from the Games, which is a "pageant of many, many special elements".

The China-US men's basketball game on Aug 10 has attracted the attention of even the two countries' top leaders.

US President George W. Bush is eagerly waiting for the match to cheer the Americans.

President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have visited the Chinese team separately and enquired about Yao's recovery from a foot injury, and wished the team the best.

"As hosts, we ought to take good care of other teams, and it's up to you to decide what 'take good care' means," Yao said.

"We are not on the same level with the US team. But we won't give up the chance. It isn't so easy to compete with a team composed of the best basketball players in the world. (The experience would be) a treasure in life."

Being able to contribute something to enhance the friendship between the two countries is what "we're very delighted about. We are honored to shoulder such a mission", he said.

The Aug 10 China-US basketball match has been compared to the ping-pong diplomacy of 1971, which set the base for China-US exchanges during the Cold War. Only this time, the foundation will be expanded and strengthened.

He thanked everyone who wished him a fast recovery and the doctors and other medical professionals who helped him realize his dream of competing in the Olympic Games on home soil.

Yao Ming, competing in his third Olympics, made light of his statement to retire from the Games after Beijing. "That I said I would retire if we beat the US team was a joke," he insisted. "I just wanted to show how difficult it is to beat them."

"For now, I think we should focus on how to do well at this Olympics because (the Beijing Games) has been a dream for us all," he said.

Katrina Kaif - Replaces Aishwarya Rai as Nakshatra Ambassador ???

The wheels of Box-Office fortune always changes, in other words one’s loss is another’s gain.

Katrina Kaif, voted as the Sexiest Woman in the World has replaced former Miss World Aishwarya Rai as the brand ambassador of the Nakshatra Diamonds. Aishwarya has been endorsing the brand since 2004. Aishwarya Rai has acclaimed as the most beautiful woman in the world is now 34 years old ( born - November 1, 1973).

This is the second time this year that Katrina Kaif has overtaken Aishwarya Rai in terms of popularity and endorsements. Earlier Katrina kaif has become the most searched female celebrity on the internet in terms of picture downloads, stripping former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan of that title by a huge margin.

Also, beauty Katrina Kaif has been voted the ‘Sexiest Woman in the World‘. FHM India, the leading men’s magazine.

Trashing rumours about his wife Aishwarya Rai losing out the Nakshatra diamond jewellery endorsement to Katrina Kaif, Abhishek Bachchan said..

Nakshatra was discontinued by Aishwarya Rai. It is false news that she lost out the endorsement to Katrina Kaif. Aishwarya Rai had some conditions and the company did not come to terms with this, so she called it off.

Abhishek Bachchan is the brand ambassador of Omega watches.

Katrina Kaif Photo Gallery

Valerie Concepcion - open to date anybody ???

"I'm open to date anybody because I don't have a boyfriend right now," says Valerie Concepcion. She confirms she's dating a basketball player for one year now but denies the cager is already her boyfriend.

Despite being a single mom, hindi nawawalan ng manliligaw si Valerie Concepcion. Kinumpirma mismo ng actress-TV host na dalawa ang ardent suitors niya sa ngayon-a basketball player from PBA's Magnolia team na matagal-tagal na ring nanliligaw sa kanya at isang 34-year-old Australian-based financial analyst.

During the presscon for Valerie's Slendance instructional video yesterday, August 2, she told the press na hindi naman siya na-trauma na pumasok sa isang relationship dahil lamang sa kanyang pagiging unwed mother. Her experience, she said, only made her wiser and be more careful in entering a new relationship.

OPEN TO DATE ANYBODY.

"It's not yet my priority. We're just enjoying each other's company while we can. I won't deny I'm enjoying his company, siyempre, ‘di naman ako magtatagal ng one year na kaming nagde-date if I don't enjoy his company. Saka for the longest time that we're dating, I know almost everything about him. Kilala na rin siya ng daughter ko, minsan sinusundo niya ako at kasama ko ang daughter ko.

Filipino lady celebrity Valerie Concepcion not going back to GMA-7

Fresh from her own mouth, Filipina celebrity host-actress Valerie Concepcion confirmed that the rumor circulating on the industry discussing her come back on old TV Network GMA-7 is not true.

"Baka kasi yung Banana Split namin, hindi pa rin lumalabas. Sabi nila July, na-move na naman ng August. So, yun ang hinihintay ko. Hopefully matuloy dahil may negotiation na movie for MMFF na sana matuloy for OctoArts.

"So, hindi po totoo. Wala pong katotohanan na babalik ako ng GMA-7, happy naman po ako rito bilang Kapamilya. Marami naman pong blessing na dumarating," lady celebrity said.

Dirty old men issue, she doesn't even have any idea why there is an issue coming out, but Valerie is already expecting those issue to hit her after she acquire all of her dream later on.

The said Filipina celebrity has no current boyfriend as of now because she was so busy on her career and schedule.

Japanese Fireworks Festivals near Tokyo in August 2008

Don’t miss out this weekend (August 2 2008) if you like outdoor festivals with cool Japanese Fireworks (hanabi) displays. Within bullet train distance from Tokyo, there are big fireworks festivals in Iwaki City, Nagaoka and Takasaki City.

Iwakai Onahama-Ko Fireworks Festival
Date: Aug. 2 19:00-20:30
Place: Aqua Marine Park, Iwaki City, Fukushima

Iwaki Port Festival includes fireworks consisting of three segments; a professional pyrotechnic competition, a celebratory competition for amateur civilians and innovative fireworks set to music. The grand finale includes 22 huge ’shakudama’ shells exploding in awesome grandeur.

Nagaoka Fireworks Festival

Date: Aug. 2-3 19:25-21:30
Place: Shinano Riverside, Nagaoka City, Niigata

One of the three biggest Japanese fireworks marks its 100 years anniversary. Special fireworks named ‘Phoenix’ to wish for the successful revival of the area from the devastating earthquake of two years ago will be featured.

Takasaki Festival

Date: Aug. 2 19:40-20:30
Place: Karasugawa Wada bridge Riverside, Takasaki City, Gunma

Kicking off the Takasaki Festival, 15,000 rockets, flares, starbursts and much more are exploded in heart-pounding, rapid-fire bursts in just one blazing hour. View this spectacular from the vantage point of Mt. Takasaki-Kannon.

Later in the month there are Fireworks Festivals at Suwa City (Aug 15), Matsushima Bay (Aug 17) and the Omagari National Japan Fireworks Competition in Akita (Aug 23)

Lake Suwa Fireworks Festival

Date: Aug.15 19:00-21:00
Place: Lakeside of Lake Suwa, Suwa City, Nagano

One of Japan’s most loved fireworks festivals, 40,000 shells are set-off on and over Lake Suwa. To the delight of cheering spectators, stupendous “Starmine” bursts and a hard-to-believe two kilometers long “Niagara” brightens up the sky.

Matsushima Lantern and Fireworks Festival

Date: Aug. 17 19:10-20:30
Place: Around Matsushima Bay, Matsushima-cho, Matsushima-gun, Miyagi

This traditional event is well-known for the multitudes of lanterns that have been floated for the past 700 years on rivers, lakes and seas. During ‘Obon’ Festival, the living relatives send off their ancestor’s spirits on a good journey by lighting and floating colorful lanterns on local waters. The collaboration of fireworks and lanterns is truly a gorgeous and also spiritual sight.

Omagari National Japan Fireworks competition

Date: Aug. 23 18:50-21:40
Place: Omono Riverside, Daisen City, Akita

One of the top firework maker competitions in Japan. The public comes from all over Japan to view the big breath-taking fireworks. Only Japan’s best 30 firework makers are entitled to participate in the competition to show their fireworks created with all their magic.At Atami City in Shizuoka, there are several dates in July and August where they hold half hour fireworks displays.

Atami Sea Fireworks Festival

Date: Jul.25,28, Aug. 5,8,17,21,24, Sep.15, 20:20-20:50
Place: Atami Bay, Atami City, Shizuoka

Visitors can enjoy 5,000 fireworks during this dynamic pyrotechnic celebration. Atami City is justly famed for ‘Onsen’, medicinal, health promoting hot-springs- clients can enjoy evening fireworks shows as well as a relaxing ‘onsen‘.