Ang Lee casts spy thriller in Taiwan

Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee was in Taipei last week casting his new film Lust, Caution scheduled to start shooting in September.


Film director Ang Lee in Taipei on January 19, 2006. AP photo from Yahoo News.

According to his younger brother Lee Kang, the elder Ang met with Zhang Ziyi and Zhou Xun, who won the best actress title at the last Hong Kong Film Awards.

Based on a novel by late author Eileen Chang, Lust, Caution, the film is set in Shanghai during World War II.

Lee will shoot the film in Taipei and Hong Kong.

China pulls Da Vinci Code

China pulled The Da Vinci Code from theaters in an apparent business move to make room for local films.

Despite protests from China's Catholic Church, the country permitted the movie's release, which predated even the 'official' premiere at the Cannes film festival.


A scene from 'The Da Vinci Code' which is still going strong in international markets. Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

Da Vinci Code is now Sony's biggest international money-maker ever pulling in close to $600 million in global box office sales, despite the growing number of countries banning the movie.

In Japan and more than a dozen European countries, Da Vinci Code still leads the charts in ticket sales.


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Michelle Wie set for busy summer schedule

Young golfing sensation Michelle Wie is out of school for summer and ready to play on a professional schedule starting this week at Bulle Rock.


16-year-old Michelle Wie throws out ceremonial pitch to start American League Baseball season on June 6, 2006 at Baltimore, Maryland. Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

The 16-year-old failed to become the first woman to qualify for the U.S. Open, but is setting her sights instead on performing in the LPGA Championship.

Wie has six tournaments scheduled this summer.

She will play in the McDonald`s LPGA Championship,the U.S. Women`s Open on June 29, and then head to the Women`s World Match Play Championship. Then she's off to the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour, followed by the Evian Masters and Women`s British Open.

Michelle Wie already makes more money than the best players on the LPGA tour.