"Red Cliff" tops nominations for Asian Film Awards

Hong Kong action movie supremo John Woo's historical epic "Red Cliff" Wednesday grabs nominations for both best film and best director at the Asian Film Awards.

Director John Woo (2nd L) poses with cast members (from L-R) Hu Jun, Lin Chi-ling, Tony Leung, Zhao Wei and Chang Chen during a photocall for the film "Red Cliff" at the 61st Cannes FIlm Festival May 19, 2008.

But the two stars of Woo's movie, Hong Kong heartthrob actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Japanese/Taiwanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro, were overlooked by judges for the third annual Hong Kong-based prize, organizers said.

Woo, who is best known for directing Hollywood blockbuster "Mission: Impossible II," is hoping to break the hold South Korean filmmakers have on the annual awards.

Last year, "Secret Sunshine," a tragic movie about death and faith, took home three top prizes including best picture.

With a total of three nominations, Woo faces stiff competition this year from another South Korean film "The Good, the Bad and the Weird" which was nominated in eight categories, the most for any film.

Set in the northeastern Chinese desert during the tumultuous 1930s, the South Korean film received eight nominations including best film, best director, and best actor.

Chen Kaige's "Forever Enthralled," which stars China's Zhang Ziyi, received three nominations, although the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" actress missed out on a nomination.

A total of 36 Asian films were selected from hundreds of entries for 13 categories. The awards are organized by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society.

Entries from the Philippines, India, Thailand and Indonesia have also been selected for the awards, organizers said.

The nominations will be judged by a 13-member jury headed by Michelle Yeoh, the Chinese-Malaysian actress who starred in the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies" in 1997

The awards will be announced at a ceremony held on March 23.

Carina Lau, Tony Leung married in Buddhist ceremony

Long-time celebrity couple Carina Lau (Liu Jialing) and Tony Leung (Liang Chaowei) were finally married in the Hilmalayan kingdon of Bhutan Monday morning, HK reporters said.

Carina Lau and Tony Leung with matching ivory wedding outfits are seen at their wedding held on July 21, 2008 at the luxurious Uma Paro hotel in Bhutan. The Hong Kong star couple finally tied the knot after being together for 19 years.

It took Tony, 46, and Carina 42, nearly two decades to get to the altar.

They were married in a Buddhist ceremony taking place in the luxury Uma Paro Hotel, media reported, adding that about 20 lamas were seen leaving the hotel after the wedding.

Their spokesperson reported that the ceremony had taken place in two parts – the first being a traditional Buddhist ceremony that is officially recognized as a marriage in Bhutan. For the second part, Carina showed off her 12-carat Cartier wedding ring, worth over 10 million Hong Kong dollars, as she cut her five-tiered wedding cake with Tony.

Ming Pao Daily News said about 80 guests, including singer Faye Wong (Wang Fei), former actress Brigitte Lin (Lin Qingxia) and singer Kenny Bee (Zhong Zhentao), attended the ceremony.

Celebrities such as Chang Chen (Zhang Zhen), Cecilia Yip (Ye Tong) and Stanley Kwan (Guan Jinpeng) were also present.

Although the couple did everything to maintain privacy for their special day, they were still very understanding of the waiting press and issued official release photographs to share their happy day with the media and all their fans throughout the world.

Carina Lau and Tony Leung are seen in a wedding photo shot in Bhutan.

Carina Lau and Tony Leung with matching ivory wedding outfits are seen at their wedding held on July 21, 2008 at the luxurious Uma Paro hotel in Bhutan. The Hong Kong star couple finally tied the knot after being together for 19 years.