Sunday Snippets

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Money, Mo’ Money
Jet Li’s ability to do the impossible on film has wowed audiences for years. Now he’s making jaws drop for utterly different reasons. His latest foray into film, Warlord, has made him the highest paid actor in a Chinese language film. For this epic, based on a Qing dynasty story, Li’s paycheck totaled $13 million USD. With the way prices are skyrocketing for Chinese art, that will definitely get him in the door at this week’s Christie’s auction.

The Pandas Are Mad and Aren’t Taking it Anymore
Fashion designer Zhao Bandi has managed to upset the gentlest of all creatures, the panda. For his runway show during last month’s China Fashion Week, Bandi’s use of panda motifs to illustrate socio-economic issues in China has caused the city of Chengdu, home to the panda, to accelerate their plans for legislation that would ban abuse of the panda’s image. This all encompassing law, which would also include other stipulations such as a ban on breeding, would be a first for panda kind.

Hollywood Studios Get Sue Happy
Five Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, Columbia, Universal and Paramount Pictures, have decided to sue a Shanghai internet cafe and Jeboo.com for providing access to a plethora of films from each respective company. The suit, not the first of its kind, is seeking 3.2 million yuan in damages. Maybe this lawsuit was the reason why China temporarily prevented the U.S. Navy from docking in Hong Kong this past week? Things that make you go hmmm.

Image: Filmwad.com