Thursday, March 11, 2010

Brother Sharp (Xī Lì Gē / 犀利哥) (2010)

Just read about this touching story online..
Dubbed as the hottest homeless man in China..
He was finally found and reunited with his family when a photographer happened to take his photos and posted it up on the web. To his surprise, the photographs begin to gather a lot of attention and thus leading fans and reporters to go down and find out more about this man.. Read on..

Below information extracted from here.

About

An excerpt from the China Daily:
A homeless man who spends his days and nights wandering the streets of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, has almost gained star status, thanks to his “good looks and sharp dress sense”. A growing number of Internet users are tracking the whereabouts of the still unidentified man, whose “fans” have nicknamed him Brother Sharp (犀利哥). He is one of the most talked about personalities in Chinese cyberspace today. Several netizens have dubbed Brother Sharp as the “most handsome underdog of this century”.

Origin

On the morning of January 30, 2010, a photographer took his new SONY camera to Tian Yi Square and decided to try out his new lens, by shooting street scenes for the photography community forum, www.fengniao.com. The photographer, Mr. Tu, captured a few shots of a homeless man, who he said was “bearing dignification” as he walked down the busy streets.
“He has a very special temperament,” stated Mr. Tu, “so I couldn’t help but pick up the camera and take a few shots.”
Later that day, Mr. Tu went home and sent his photos to the website, but had not expected to receive the upcoming attention.

Brother Sharp

On February 21, a Tianya Club forum user posted a thread, titled 《秒杀宇内究极华丽第一极品路人帅哥!帅到刺瞎你的狗眼!求亲们人肉详细资料》, roughly translated as “Behold the number one ultimate, gorgeous, handsome passer-by! Blind your dog eyes! Seeking detailed information on his flesh.”



-“…a starkly handsome Chinese man walking with a model’s measured gait, and wearing a rag-tag but well coordinated overcoat on top of a leather jacket. His eyes peer into the middle distance, in what one fan described as ‘a deep and penetrating way’, and he strides confidently forward.” Photos of the man’s handsome features, from the eyes, clothing, hairstyles, uninhibited decadence, and even smoking facial expressions, were all revealed. Netizens dubbed the homeless man “Brother Sharp” because of his “sharp style”. Brother Sharp had become a fashion icon, catching many attention not only in China, but even in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.


Forum users had immediately started posting their own take on Brother Sharp


Just five days after, on February 26, at 20:00 (CST), the Tianya post hits millions of views and Google searching “犀利哥 (Brother Sharp)” presented 463,000 search results. An update on March 5, Google searching “犀利哥” will give more than 15 million search results. Ever since his picture was discovered, people had been trying to locate this mysterious man. Many netizens find it hard to believe that such a handsome man could be homeless. Could he be just a model? The Tianya Club vigilante group, Human Flesh Search expanded their efforts into finding Brother Sharp and knowing more about him.


 Ningbo Internet users proved that Brother Sharp is a genuine beggar; not an actor or posing model. He is often found at an infested area near the East entrance of the Xinhua Bookstore. Apparently, he is mentally unstable.
Due to his growing popularity, the main-stream media decided to get involved in this internet phenomenon. Locals had suggested to send him to a homeless shelter due to his unwanted presence on the streets. However, netizens opposed to this idea, and started to resent promoting Brother Sharp’s popularity. The mass-media were constantly harassing him with questions and urges to go receive help. Many went to find him, but when confronted he would become frightened and just cry without speaking.

His identity was discovered on March 5, when his younger brother met him in the hospital and recognized him as his long lost brother. Brother Sharp’s real name is Chen Guorong, born October 10, 1975, and is from the Boyang County, Jangxi province. He left home to work 11 years earlier and his family lost contact with him.
On March 8, 2010 Brother Sharp has been reported to have returned to his home in Poyang when his family found him due to his unwanted fame. Locals and authorities supported his homecoming by sending the family food and supplies. One local logistics company offered to donate 2000 yuan, and the local government helped the family apply for subsistence allowances.


*The wonders of the internet!
I'm truly happy for him and his family! =)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

The Bounty Hunter!

Just watched this trailer for the movie The Bounty Hunter and loved it! Can't wait for it's release!

http://www.sonypictures.com/previews/movies/thebountyhunter/clips/1554/

Interesting plot and story line and most importantly - There's Gerard Butler!!
Ha! Loved him since his Phantom of the Opera movie! Really charming!

However, just checked and realise that the release date of the movie for Singapore is still far ahead - 6th May 2010... No choice but to wait patiently....