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In Shannon Lee on HOW BRUCE LEE CHANGED THE WORLD, Shannon discusses her trip to the Hong Kong and Shunde Bruce Lee sites.
Nice to hear some progress is being made here
those pesky secret gongfu sects…
Thu, Jul 09, 2009 The New Paper
Plans for Bruce Lee Museum get off the ground, finally
By Gan Ling Kai
ICONIC movie star Bruce Lee’s home in Hong Kong will become a historical site.
The two-storey mansion on Cumberland Road, which was converted into a love motel some time after the actor’s death, was nearly sold last year to raise funds until one man and his team stepped in.
That man is Hong Kong Bruce Lee Club president and chairman Wong Yiu Keung, 40, who runs a publishing company.
He told The New Paper in a recent phone interview that the 460-sq-m property in Kowloon Tong was once a rendezvous point for lovers, something which raised the hackles of the late star’s fans.
Now the house he lived in till his death in July 1973 has been tentatively named the Bruce Lee Museum.
Last year, businessman Yu Panglin, the owner of the property, wanted to sell it to raise funds for charity after the Sichuan earthquake.
The government at that time had no interest in the building as it was deemed to have no architectural value. The mansion has had major alterations done over the years - a front verandah, for example, had been completely removed.
But Mr Wong feels architectural value should not be the only criterion for conserving a building. ‘The value lies in where Bruce Lee really spent time and that’s a cultural heritage,’ he said.
'To prevent the house from being sold, we started an online petition and garnered more than 10,000 signatures to preserve this historical site.
‘Finally (in January this year), with us as the middleman, Mr Yu and the government began negotiating to turn the place into a museum.’
Mr Yu had bought the house for just HK$850,000 ($160,000) in the 1960s and it is now worth around HK$100 million.
Complex
Plans are being made to expand the property to turn it into a museum complex with a cinema, library and martial arts centre.
This is good news for fans all over the world, including former local TV action star Vincent Ng, 34.
When contacted by The New Paper yesterday, the martial art instructor, who bagged three SEA Games wushu gold medals in 1993 and 1997, said: ‘Bruce Lee is a wushu legend who propagated the Chinese martial art across the world. How did his home end up becoming a love motel in the first place?’
Bruce, the high-kicking hero of films such as Big Boss and Fist Of Fury, is the first Asian actor to gain fame in the West. Current gongfu movie megastar Jackie Chan started his showbiz career as Bruce’s stuntman.
The US-born star’s death at age 32 was the subject of much speculation. It is believed that reactions to medication led to his death.
Last month, his name cropped up when action star David Carradine, 72, was found dead in a Bangkok hotel room. Entertainment news site Hollyscoop reported that his family believed a gongfu sect murdered him.
US actor Frank Krueger, a martial arts practitioner, told Hollyscoop: ‘One of the widely held theories about Bruce Lee’s death was that he was killed by one of these groups for teaching martial arts secrets.’
Additional reporting by Kwok Kar Peng
this article is old but i found it humerous
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2008/07/21/remembering-bruce-lee-in-hong-kong/
THE PICTURE COMMENT SAYS ITS CURRENTLY A “LOVE MOTEL” :o
Lee made 46 kung fu movies?!?!
Dang, I must have missed like 40 of them…:rolleyes:
Hong Kong to open Bruce Lee museum
J.A. Media plans trilogy on kung fu master’s life
By CLIFFORD COONAN
HONG KONG — Hong Kong is gearing up to honor a debt it owes to its most famous native son, Bruce Lee, who died 36 years ago this week, with the construction of a museum in his former house, that is currently serving as a love hotel that rents by the hour.
Lee is synonymous with Hong Kong, and his success was crucial in kick-starting the success of the Hong Kong biz, but for years his contribution has been unmarked by an official museum in his home town, except for a statue on the waterfront. Lee’s fans demonstrated last year in front of the statue on the harborfront, accusing the government of not paying proper homage to him.
Now officials in the territory hope to redress this oversight with the launch of a design competition to build a Hong Kong museum for the kung fu master.
“I hope I can personally witness and oversee the completion of the Bruce Lee museum in my lifetime,” owner Yu Pang-lin, who is in his 80s, said at a press conference marking the anniversary of Lee’s death. The museum is expected to include a kung fu studio, a film archive and a library.
Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, and a panel of architects and town planners will judge the design competition, and the winners will be announced in November or December.
Other efforts to remember the martial arts king include a new trilogy about his life, called “Bruce Lee.” Pic will start shooting in October this year and will be a joint production between his family and the J.A. Media group, local media reported.
Producer Li Chen and director Manfred Wong said the first part of the three-parter would focus on his early life, and so far the only casting decision that had been made was that Tony Leung Ka-fai would play Lee’s father.
Initial investment in the movie will be 50 million yuan ($7.3 million) and the pic is scheduled for release on Nov. 27, 2010, the 70th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s birth.
Lee was born in November 1940 in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong, before his father sent him back to the States after a brawl as a youngster. As well as his martial prowess, he was also a ballroom dancing champion.
He is buried in Seattle’s Lake View Cemetery next to his son, actor Brandon Lee, after spending some time attending the University of Washington where he taught martial arts.
Lee made 46 kung fu movies, and his popularity around the world paved the way for stars like Jackie Chan and inspired filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. But he could have been even bigger.
Lee was just 32 years old when he died of a swelling in the brain in 1973, while starring and directing the movie “Game of Death” in Hong Kong, less than a month after the release of “Enter the Dragon,” the definitive Bruce Lee movie which turned him into an international star.
A museum would also draw a fair number of visitors from mainland China, where Bruce Lee is a national hero, as much for the way he embodied Chinese pride and nationalism in his movies.
Many in mainland China missed him the first time around in the early 1970s because movies like “Enter the Dragon” and “Fists of Fury” were banned by Chairman Mao Zedong’s closed Communist government as spiritual pollution and rightist sentimentality. A popular skein last year did much to help complete the picture on the mainland.
The Hong Kong government has started collecting Lee’s personal items and commissioned a documentary about the late actor and one about the construction of the museum, said secretary for commerce and economic development Rita Lau.
Officials showed an eight-minute trailer for the biography produced by veteran Hong Kong director Ng See-yuen. It included interviews with “Mission: Impossible II” director John Woo; Lee’s frequent collaborator producer, Raymond Chow; Ip Chun, the eldest son of his kung fu teacher, Ip Man; and actress Betty Ting Pei — in whose home Lee died — as well as footage of Lee’s body in an open casket at his funeral.
July 20, 2009, 1:18 pm
Design Competition for Bruce Lee Museum
By rachel lee harris
Hong Kong officials announced on Monday a design competition to turn the martial arts king Bruce Lee’s home into a museum, The Associated Press reported. Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, along with a panel of architects and town planners, are to serve as judges, with winners announced in November or December. According to a statement by Rita Lau, Hong Kong’s secretary for commerce and economic development, the government has also commissioned two films, a documentary of the building of the museum and a biography of Lee, who died in 1973. Yu Panglin, owner of the property, has offered $13,000 in prize money. In July Mr. Yu, a real estate tycoon and philanthropist, donated the 5,600-square-foot town house in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong to that region’s government for the purpose of turning it into a memorial for Lee.
Not quite Bruce’s museum
Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. Click for ET vid.
The late Bruce Lee’s wax figure was recently unveiled at Madame Tussauds Hollywood, and the martial arts icon’s daughter was on hand for the festivities.
“It’s really an honor to be here today to launch this figure,” said Shannon Lee, who helped unveil her father’s wax double. “I think it’s really wonderful that they’ve included my father here in Madame Tussauds. … I feel really proud that he is getting that recognition.”
The ‘Enter the Dragon’ star, who died at the age of 32 in 1973, received the honor in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Update on Shunde
Some one from here must go to Shunde when they complete that statue, don’t you think?
A slower legacy for Bruce Lee in Chinese ancestral town
James Pomfret
SHUNDE, China
Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:28am EDT
SHUNDE, China (Reuters) - In the sleepy town of Xiacun in southern China, elders doze and children play along “little dragon” alley, which winds its way to the ancestral home of kung fu star Bruce Lee.
The small, grey-brick courtyard house contains old photos of Lee on the walls, an altar, a musty bedroom and a wooden dummy used for martial arts training, but visitors are few and far between, and other efforts by the town’s council to commemorate their most famous son are also off the tourist radar.
While Lee is renowned the world over as a martial arts legend with a slew of action flicks to his name, back in his father’s Chinese hometown, where many share the Lee name, his legacy remains low-key, even in 2010, the 70th anniversary of his birth.
“We don’t really think about it that much,” said a young woman sitting on the threshold of a home next door.
Local officials, however, have been trying to change that.
Millions have been invested in a park filled with lakes and rare birds, and called Bruce Lee Paradise, that authorities in Shunde and nearby Foshan hope will become a major tourist draw.
“Lee’s image and reputation are becoming more and more familiar now in Foshan,” said Chen Xian, the administration manager of Bruce Lee Paradise. “The Bruce Lee brand is something we’ve been trying actively to promote … he’s someone the Chinese people should be proud of.”
The motivation is part cultural, part commercial. But the park, nearly 90 minutes by car from Guangzhou along dusty highways, remains largely off the beaten tourist track.
During a recent visit, a 12-meter (39 ft 4.4 in) high bronze statue of Lee remained half-finished and under scaffolding. A museum filled with Lee’s weapons, books, posters and other memorabilia was virtually deserted.
While Lee was been born and raised in San Francisco, later forging his movie career in Hong Kong, Lee’s family originates from Shunde, one of several southern Chinese towns that were home to much of the Chinese diaspora that immigrated in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
While popular overseas, restrictions on Western cultural imports during China’s Cultural Revolution meant Lee was unknown inside China during his cinematic heyday in the late 60s and 70s.
Chairman Mao Zedong, who launched the Cultural Revolution, is said to have been a fan, according to Chen of Bruce Lee paradise, who says Mao once requested a screen reel of Lee’s hit film “Fist of Fury” for private viewing in Beijing.
CULTURAL ICON, MOVIE STAR
For some modern martial arts practitioners like Wang Hongxin, who is a master of nunchuka sticks, a martial arts weapon which Bruce Lee excelled at, the star continues to embody China’s need to stand up to the West.
“There are now a lot of kung fu masters. But in those days, foreigners really bullied the Chinese. And Bruce Lee back then, used his fists to survive abroad,” said Wang, who runs the Guangdong Bison Wushu Club in a factory in the Pearl River Delta.
Lee, who died in mysterious circumstances in 1973 aged 32, starred in kung fu classics such as “Fist of Fury,” “Game of Death” and "Enter the Dragon.
Revered both by martial arts adherents and movie buffs the world over for popularizing the kung fu cinematic genre, Lee also helped usher in a golden age of Hong Kong film in the 1960s.
This year, the Hong Kong International Film Festival is planning a retrospective, while authorities in Hong Kong are planning to convert one of Lee’s former residences, a motel, into a commemoration site and museum.
“He’s a part of Hong Kong,” says Sam Ho, a film critic who works at Hong Kong’s public film archive. “He helped the world know about Hong Kong cinema, though his films represent a small part of Hong Kong cinema.”
Several upcoming films will also touch upon the life of Bruce Lee, including “Ip Man 2,” chronicling the life of his teacher, the grandmaster of the of the fluid “Wing Chun” martial arts style. Hong Kong arthouse director Wong Kar-wai also has a movie on Ip Man in the works.
“Bruce Lee is already a standard. He’s like Confucius … he’s part of our culture that we will embrace,” Donnie Yen, who plays Ip Man in the movie, told Reuters.
“He (Lee) never stopped progressing as a martial artist. He was in search of a higher level all the way till his death.”
Who needs a museum?
…when you got an iPhone app?
All Press Releases for May 24, 2010
New Game Brings Bruce Lee’s Martial Arts to Apple® iPad®, IPHONE® & IPOD TOUCH®
The new Bruce Lee martial arts fighting game, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, available from Apple’s App Store is the first and only game at the Store to bear his name, and features motion captures from those who studied Lee’s style, bringing a level of detail and 3D graphics never before seen in the genre.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 24, 2010 – Bruce Lee’s teachings and martial arts mastery are legendary. His spirit remains an inspiration to an untold number of people around the world. Now the powerful name of the icon comes to the iTunes®, App Store with Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, developed for the iPad®, iPhone®, and iPod touch®. The game, which brings Bruce Lee’s history and legacy to life, is available worldwide for $4.99, and is the first and only fighting game in the iTunes®, App Store to bear his name.
The input from those who best know Bruce Lee’s teachings was invaluable during the development of Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior
The game is co-published and co-developed in partnership with Universal Partnerships & Licensing by two of the top mobile game companies in the industry, Indiagames and Digital Legends Entertainment. The Bruce Lee Estate contributed guidance and support through Bruce Lee Enterprises, the licensing company helmed by Bruce’s daughter, Shannon Lee.
A masterpiece of the 3D martial arts genre, the game uses motion-capture technology and features players fighting in historical locations around the world in an attempt to become the Master of Martial Arts. Customizable fighting styles make Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior highly user-friendly and the game also boasts the most realistic fighting game environment possible on these devices. Loosely based on the events of Bruce Lee’s career, the game honors the martial arts legacy left by one of its greatest masters. Players follow Lee’s journey as he trains with a Kung Fu master, then fights in tournaments and later faces his worst enemies.
There are many fighting games on the market, but Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior is the only one in the iTunes®, App Store with the Bruce Lee heritage, as well as the most authentic and realistic graphics and game play. Designed for casual players and hardcore gamers alike, it is easy to pick up and play, but more difficult to master. The game features motion capture from those who studied Lee’s style, as well as facial animations, environmental animations and a custom soundtrack.
The primary motion capture subject for Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior was Joaquin Marcelo, a student of Ted Wong, a board member of the Bruce Lee Foundation. Wong was a private pupil of Bruce Lee himself, and teaches the martial arts style and philosophy he learned from the master.
“I was thrilled with how the game turned out,” said Shannon Lee. “It surpassed my highest expectations.”
“The input from those who best know Bruce Lee’s teachings was invaluable during the development of Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior,” said Vishal Gondal, CEO of Indiagames. “Their mastery of Lee’s style of martial arts style has helped us make the most authentic game possible.”
“Their mastery of Bruce Lee’s style and technique has enabled us to create the premier mobile game in the fighting genre," said Xavier Carrillo, CEO of Digital Legends. “Working on this international project from Barcelona, Mumbai and Los Angeles, has been tremendously gratifying, and we have taken full advantage of our previous experience on fighting games as well as our cutting-edge 3D technology."
“This game highlights Bruce Lee’s everlasting impact on our culture,” said Calvin Lim, Director of Mobile Sales, Universal Partnerships & Licensing. “Capturing the essence of his spirit for these digital platforms will beget new generations of Bruce Lee fans.”
Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior was designed specifically for the iPad®, iPod touch®, & iPhone®, but will also be available for play on other mobile phones.
For more information on Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, go to the following URLs:
iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bruce-lee-dragon-warrior-hd/id364676826?mt=8
iPhone: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bruce-lee-dragon-warrior/id372377860?mt=8
About Bruce Lee Enterprises
Bruce Lee Enterprises owns, controls and licenses intellectual property related to Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.brucelee.com.
About Indiagames
Indiagames Ltd. is India’s largest games company and a pioneer in mobile and online games. The company has established relationships with more than 80 telecom operators across 67 countries around the world, including Vodafone, Verizon, T mobile, AT&T, Hutch, Airtel and many more. Indiagames also has relationships with all major game publishers and media companies in the world, including EA, Disney, THQ, Atari, Universal, Fox, Warner brothers, Sony, MTV, 2K and others. Indiagames has developed and published mobile games such as Bioshock, Garfield, Flavor Of love, Godzilla, Bruce Lee, The Office, Scorpion King, Cricket 20-20, Movin Maze, and others. The company also runs the only subscription-based games on demand service for PC games across all major broadband operators in India. For more information on Indiagames, please visit http://www.indiagames.com.
About DLE
Digital Legends Entertainment (DLE) is Barcelona’s international games development studio, distinguished worldwide by award-winning 3D iPhone and smartphone games powered by in-house cutting-edge technology across native platforms.
DLE origins in 2001 were on PC and console games, and since 2006 its exclusive focus is on mobile native platforms envisioning a convergence between mobile and handheld digital consumption and technologies. DLE has won nominations from 1up.com as “Best E3 Mobile Game” “Best Cell Game of the Year” for the fighting game “ONE” in 2005. Also has been winner of “Excellence in 3D” by International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) in 2008 for “ONE” sequel and includes other honours like “Best Gameplay” nominee by IMGA in 2009 for the music game “Dance Fabulous” and winner of the “People’s Choice Award” by IMGA in 2009 and 2010. Its B2B customers include major game Publishers, market leading OEM’s like Nokia and Samsung and also technology suppliers. For more information on Digital Legends Entertainment, please visit http://www.digital-legends.com.
About Universal Partnerships & Licensing
UP&L oversees Universal’s consumer product licensing, film and home entertainment promotions, and all corporate alliances for Universal’s theatrical, home entertainment, theme parks and stage productions. This dedicated division is also responsible for monetizing the Studio’s vast library of films and characters through licensing, branding and marketing opportunities. UP&L is part of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.
Bruce looses to red tape
Action disappoints Dragon’s fans
Mary Ma
Thursday, July 22, 2010
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of kung fu superstar Bruce Lee.
As a fan of the Hong Kong legend, I’m sad and disappointed - like millions of his admirers - that there’s still no sight of a museum in the city where he rose to fame.
We’ve been patient, but there’s still only one statue of Hong Kong’s most famous son in the Avenue of Stars.
About two years ago, following a long struggle to save Lee’s former home, the green light was finally given for the property to become a museum.
Located at 41 Cumberland Road in Kowloon Tong, the 5,700-square-foot mansion was where Little Dragon spent the last years of his life, before his untimely death 37 years ago on Tuesday at age 32. The building had been converted into a love motel, with rooms rented by the hour, before billionaire Yu Pang-lin bought the property and later handed it over to the Hong Kong government to convert into a museum.
Although no time frame was set, I’d have thought once those plans were put in place, it would take shape quickly and, in no time, Mr Fist of Fury would finally have his own museum here.
But despite the generosity of philanthropist Yu’s HK$100 million donation, and the government’s efforts through a public contest to select a tailor-made design for the museum, the building remains off-limits to visitors. On any given day, it’s become common to see scores of tourists snapping pictures just outside the locked premises.
So, why the delay? In this case, I can hardly blame red tape or government bureaucracy. The holdup is procedural wrangling, as the land donation has yet to be processed since Yu wanted to preserve the two-story structure.
Under a recommended plan, the museum would include an exhibition hall, video room, kung fu room, library and souvenir shop. The master plan calls for building a basement, designated to be Yu’s charity fund office.
All this posed no problem until a suggestion was made that the basement should be three floors, which would have to be built underground since the two-story building must be preserved.
This poses more than a headache for the authorities, since buildings in Kowloon Tong usually only have one underground floor, mainly for parking and air-conditioning facilities.
So if one wants to build three underground floors, it requires approval from the Town Planning Board. Besides this, problems such as whether the construction will affect the structures of nearby buildings, the environment, and traffic must also be carefully addressed.
According to the plan that won the design contest, it was recommended to build one floor underground. So why insist on the “three-floor” concept?
In fact, the government also reckoned that using the basement as a private office posed a problem. For while it is for charitable purposes, the money would come from taxpayers - setting a bad precedent.
We can only hope both Yu and the government can cooperate despite the constraints, and use their imagination to make the museum possible.
Otherwise, Lee fans will be highly disappointed.
Wonder if it would be cheaper to buy the neighboring building and convert it instead of digging an underground level. Then again, real estate in HK is very expensive.
Right here in Oakland!
Last updated 08/31/2010 at 12:54 p.m. PDT
Oakland May Honor Bruce Lee’s Local History
City lacks a clear process for recognizing cultural heritage sites
By Alex Gronke, Oakbook on August 31, 2010 - 12:54 p.m. PDT
It’s a Toyota dealership now. But 45 years ago, 4175 Broadway was the site of a kung fu showdown that changed martial arts forever. Bruce Lee, a 24-year-old dropout from the University of Washington, had recently landed in North Oakland, where he opened a martial arts studio not far from Oakland Technical High School. The school quickly attracted students. It also made enemies. The Bay Area’s martial arts establishment vilified Lee for accepting non-Chinese pupils.
The beef came to blows when Wong Jack Man crossed the bay from San Francisco to fight in a pre-arranged match with Lee’s livelihood at stake. If Lee lost the bout, he’d have to close the studio. Depending on whose account you believe, Lee either won the fight, or it ended in a draw. But it was because of his experiences during this duel that Lee later developed the fighting style that would make him a worldwide legend, the style of no style.
Bruce Lee’s years in Oakland have been well-documented. A few years ago, Oaklandish produced this mini-doc featuring an interview with Lee’s widow talking about the famous showdown. But now Mayor Ron Dellums wants to give Lee’s Oakland interlude some official recognition from City Hall. The mayor (himself an avid martial artist) wanted a plaque placed on the site of the old studio in time for a martial arts tournament he hoped Oakland would host later this year. The tournament is off, but the Landmark Advisory Commission is still considering making 4175 Broadway one of the city’s cultural heritage sites.
The discussion is more significant than a piece of brass on the wall of a car dealership. Finding the best way for the city to acknowledge Bruce Lee’s time in Oakland would provide a sorely needed precedent for recognizing other cultural contributions made in Oakland, said Dan Schulman, a member of the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board. From events as significant as the drafting of the Black Panthers’ 10-Point Program in North Oakland in 1966 to less-weighty moments like the invention of the Mai Tai at Trader Vic’s at 65th Street and San Pablo Avenue three decades earlier, Oakland needs a method to officially recognize its past. “Right now, it’s not really clear what the process is,” Schulman said.
The process for granting landmark status is clear when its comes to a particular building. Did someone famous live or work in the building? Did a well-known architect design it? Is the structure a representative example of a particular style? These are relatively straightforward questions. The line of inquiry is murkier when talking about something as nebulous as a style of martial art or a ****tail, especially in a process as politically fraught as official city recognition. Bruce Lee, the Black Panthers, even the Mai Tai aren’t likely to be controversial discussions. But one person’s landmark could elicit a shrug, or worse, from someone else. What would happen, for example, if Tom Cruise wanted to put a plaque on the spot in Oak Knoll Naval Hospital where L. Ron Hubbard first began to dream of Scientology?
The Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board will discuss 4175 Broadway at its meeting on Sept. 14.
Shoot, that meeting is tomorrow. I don’t think I can make it.
[URL=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnyv0Rmj_gE”]
Bruce Lee’s Adventures in Oakland
I meant S.F.
I discussed the Oakland project with one of the reps. It’s on hold. Meanwhile, there’s a high-end event planned in S.F. in honor of Bruce Lee’s 70th. There’s a $1000 a plate banquet with the family and some other assorted events.
Family of martial arts legend Bruce Lee pick Scot to demonstrate skills at memorial
Oct 11 2010 Exclusive by Donna Watson
BRUCE Lee’s family have chosen a Scotsman to demonstrate martial arts at a memorial celebration.
Tommy Carruthers will fly to California next month to perform Jeet Kune Do - the martial art which Lee spent his life developing.
The 51-year-old said: "It is a great honour to be the only person giving a demonstration of Bruce’s art at this event.
“It is more special because I have been chosen by his family.”
The San Francisco exhibition is being held to celebrate what would have been kung fu legend Lee’s 70th birthday.
It will be attended by family, friends and students of the Enter The Dragon star, who died in 1973, aged 32.
Tommy added: "For a guy from Glasgow to be doing Bruce’s martial art in front of his wife Linda, his daughter Shannon and his students is wonderful.
“Bruce has been my inspiration, so it is a dream come true for me.”
Tommy, of Baillieston, runs a martial arts school in Glasgow.
He also gives seminars in countries including Italy, Ukraine, Greece and China.
He said: “A lot of people find it funny that a guy from Scotland flies to China to teach them Bruce Lee’s martial art.”
In other news, well, there’s this.
Bruce Lee Slots game now online
Bettingpro Staff - 11 Oct 2010
Slots news coming in about a brand new Bruce Lee Slots game
Bruce Lee became an iconic figure known throughout the world and remains very popular among Asian audience and in particular among the Chinese, as he portrayed Chinese nationalism through his films.
While Lee initially trained in Wing Chun, he later rejected well-defined martial art styles, favoring instead to utilize useful techniques from various sources in the spirit of his personal martial arts philosophy he dubbed Jeet Kune Do (The Way of the Intercepting Fist).
Bruce Lee Slots is a brand new slots game which allows you to play the Las Vegas slots game live online. We can’t tell you where it is playing yet but here’s a video shot at the Bellagio, Las Vegas showing the Bruce Lee Slots bonus round.
I ran into GM Al Novak during my lunch break just now
He reminded me about the event below. GM Al Novak was on our 2010 January/February cover - see Great American Great Grandmaster. Al is a guest of honor at the banquet and will be receiving some special recognition plaque (as if he doesn’t have enough of those already).
Bruce Lee’s 70th Birthday Celebration - Nov. 27, 2010
Date : 27-Nov-2010 Saturday
Time : All day
Type : Fundraisers
The Bruce Lee Foundation Presents:
Bruce Lee’s 70th Birthday Celebration!
November 27, 2010
San Francisco, California
Come raise a glass to Bruce Lee on his 70th birthday in the city of his birth and join his family and friends in celebrating and supporting the legacy of Bruce Lee! There are a number of exciting activities planned for this extraordinary fundraising event (see below) which makes this birthday party a can’t-miss event for all Bruce Lee fans.
All proceeds will go towards the Bruce Lee Foundation and Bruce Lee Action Museum. Come out and support the our biggest fundraising event of the year!
A Private Celebration with the Lees!!
Come spend an afternoon with the Lees. Shannon and Linda will accompany you on a private tour of San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital where Bruce was born, a private guided Bruce Lee themed walking tour of San Francisco Chinatown, an intimate dim sum lunch, memorable photo opportunities, early access to the Bruce Lee Exhibit and Birthday Dinner, and more! Guests will also receive an exclusive, original, limited edition Bruce Lee art print, an original Bruce Lee business card and many more rare and collectible gifts.
This special Bruce Lee Foundation fundraiser is limited to 16 participants. Reservations are on a first come first served basis. It is anticipated that these spots will fill up fast, so reserve your space now!
This remarkable opportunity will take place during the late morning of Saturday, November 27, 2010. Specific details to follow.
Price:
$1,000.00 per person.
(Limited to 16 participants)
Bruce Lee’s 70th Birthday Dinner!
This special night will bring together martial artists, fans, friends, and family of Bruce Lee in an entertaining fundraising event. The evening will include an authentic, family style Chinese dinner, a Bruce Lee Exhibit featuring rare memorabilia, special guest speakers, a night of performances and entertainment including a lion dance, traditional Chinese fortune telling, and a special musical performance by Shannon Lee, silent and live auctions, Bruce Lee Foundation merchandise, exclusive book signings and much, much more! The Birthday Dinner will take place Saturday, November 27, 2010 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm at:
Empress of China Restaurant
838 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
****tail attire only.
Prices:
$125.00 per person (if purchased before September 15, 2010)
$150.00 per person (if purchased before October 15, 2010)
$175.00 per person (thereafter and at the door)
Special pricing for parties of 10 or more.
Hospital and Chinatown Walking Tours
Want more Bruce Lee? Attend a private tour of San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital where Bruce was born and a guided walking tour which will stop at several significant Bruce Lee related locations within San Francisco Chinatown. The tours are a great way to learn some new and fascinating information about Bruce Lee’s time and experiences in San Francisco. Participants will also gain early access to the Bruce Lee Exhibit and Birthday Dinner!
This charitable event will take place during the afternoon of Saturday, November 27, 2010. Specific details to follow.
Price:
$50.00 per person.
(Space is limited.)
TO REGISTER AND FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Tammy at info@bruceleefoundation.com or Sydnie at 310-451-9990.
Please make all checks payable to Bruce Lee Foundation and mail to:
11693 San Vicente Blvd, Ste 918
Los Angeles, CA 90049
To pay by credit card call Sydnie at 310-451-9990.
With respect to the Birthday Dinner, all payments must be postmarked by the dates specified above for accurate pricing.
Please note that this event takes place over Thanksgiving Weekend, so please make your travel plans now.
New official Bruce Lee clothing
From the Official Bruce Lee Store.
alas…web news…
Sharon? Sharon?!? It’s the freaking Associated Press! It’s Shannon. :rolleyes:
Chinese firms use Bruce Lee name without family OK
(AFP) – 10 hours ago
BEIJING — Chinese firms and individuals are using martial arts legend Bruce Lee’s name and image without his family’s authorisation to sell everything from noodles to toothbrushes, state media said.
A team put together by the star’s daughter Sharon has done a nationwide search and discovered his Chinese name – Li Xiaolong – has been registered as a trademark for several products, the official China Daily reported.
She was quoted as saying that Chinese companies and individuals had also used the image of the “Enter the Dragon” star, who died of brain swelling at the peak of his film career in 1973 aged just 32.
A report in the Southern Daily newspaper said she had held talks with officials in Shunde in the southern province of Guangdong, the martial arts star’s ancestral home.
The city has already built “Li Xiaolong Paradise,” a giant memorial hall devoted to Lee’s life, martial arts and acting career.
The report said Lee’s daughter was looking for the local government to hand the trademark back to the family and the Bruce Lee Foundation, which seeks to preserve the actor’s legacy.
Calls to Shunde’s government and market safety authority went unanswered on Wednesday.
According to the China Daily, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce – which is in charge of protecting trademarks – recently made it clear that Lee’s Chinese and English names belonged to his heirs.
The agency ruled that other applications to use the name currently being processed would be rejected, the report said.
Intellectual property rights (IPR) are widely flouted in China, which is home to the biggest counterfeit and piracy market in the world.
The nation’s State Council, or cabinet, announced last month that it would launch a six-month crackdown on IPR infringement, which it said “upset the market’s normal order… and hurt China’s image abroad.”
IP Special
IP Scene
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-11-03 07:49
…
- Guangdong
Bruce Lee’s daughter defends rights and use of his name
Bruce Lee’s daughter Sharon Lee flew back to her father’s ancestral home in the southern province last week to protect the commercial name of the martial arts legend.
Without authorization, Chinese companies and individuals have registered Bruce Lee’s name and images as trademarks for commercial purposes, she said.
She said she does not mind using the kungfu master’s image at the Shanghai World Expo that closed on Oct 31, but it is inappropriate to use it for fast food chains, she said.
After a nationwide research, Lee said her team found the unauthorized registration of Bruce Lee’s Chinese name - Li Xiaolong - in Changsha, Shanghai, Qiangdao and Shunde.
The superstar’s name has been registered for coffee, dumplings, candy, instant noodles, ice cream, tooth brushes and paste, and home appliances.
The State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) recently addressed the issue, making it clear that the right to use Lee’s Chinese and English names belongs to his heirs.
Unauthorized use of Lee’s name or image as trademarks misguides consumers and has an adverse influence on society, the commerce administration said.
Other applications to use the name now being processed will be rejected, the SAIC said.
The administration added that Lee’s heirs should initiate legal proceedings to revoke trademarks that already passed initial examination or have been registered.
nunchuck ping pong ??
Guess when you train long and hard enough you really can use your training in related sports 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onxtpV6L5d4&feature=related
Another statue
Bruce Lee statue may be erected in L.A.'s Chinatown
November 22, 2010 | 4:00 pm
ENTER THE DRAGON: A Chinatown committee is looking to raise a statue commemorating martial arts icon Bruce Lee, who historians say once lived in a studio in the neighborhood. “Once we get a final decision from the committee regarding the location, the Community Redevelopment Agency will help them go through the city process to make it happen,” Bibiana Yung, assistant project manager at the CRA, told the Downtown Los Angeles News.
I’m changing the title of this thread from “Bruce Lee Museums” to “Bruce Lee Memorials”
I did the bruce Lee seminar last year and I wasn’t impressed!:mad:
All the insrtuctors taught us was basics. 2 flipping days of basics!
Tommy Carruthers just had us kick the bags and punch for an hour! I felt very RIPPED OFF!
I totally missed this
I didn’t use google over the holidays.
November 26, 2010
Google’s Bruce Lee Logo
Tomorrow, November 27th, Google will show a special logo for Bruce Lee’s birthday. Bruce Lee is a well known martial arts actor, was in many movies and may have been known to popularize martial arts in America.
November 27th is Bruce Lee’s 70th birthday.
For his special birthday, Google has a Google Doodle on some of the Google properties. Some are already live, since it is November 27th in places like Hong Kong. Here is the logo:
Google Bruce Lee Logo
Bruce Lee died on July 20, 1973. For more on Bruce Lee, see Wikipedia.
Forum discussion at Google Blogoscoped Forums.
Betty Ting Pei talks smack
With all the 70th birthday celebrations going on, Betty has to come out with this. :mad:
Updated Tuesday, November 30, 2010 10:08 pm TWN, BEIJING, The Straits Times
Bruce Lee’s marriage was ‘shotgun union’: actress
Asia News Network–Actress Betty Ting Pei, 63, in whose home Bruce Lee died in 1973, has spilled the beans on the kung fu legend’s marriage to his wife Linda, saying it was a shotgun union.
Claiming she was not to be blamed for Lee’s death, she said of the couple: “They had no more feelings for each other and didn’t eat at the same table.”
She admitted to having been a third party in their marriage, but said: “The world says I killed Bruce. How laughable. I didn’t catch him! He had legs and arms and came over to me by himself,” according to reports attributed to an interview she gave to website Netease.
She said movie producer Raymond Chow introduced her to the actor in 1972, and she later met Lee to discuss acting in a film.
At the meeting, she said, “he grasped my right hand under the table and wouldn’t let go. His eyes bore into me — it was to say he liked me.”
She said she did not reject his courtship as they were happy together but she had not intended to break up his marriage.
“The whole world cursed me,” she said of the public reaction after Lee, then aged 32, was found dead on her bed. “But I am alive while he passed away too soon.”
Tribute song
Fans Write Bruce Lee a Song for His Birthday
Nov 29, 2010 - By Mali
When youre a legend you dont have to do anything more than be born in order to be celebrated. Fans of Bruce Lee from different parts of the world first meet came together online to create a tribute birthday song. Hong Kong-based music marketing executive Hans Ebert, Chairman of We-Enhance Inc and Yorkshire-born singer-songwriter Jon Harrison, based in the UK, created a song in honor of Little Dragon.
Check out two versions of the song below
With lyrics from Ebert, former Executive Director for Universal Music and EMI Music, whose credits include working with David Bowie, Gorillaz, Robbie Williams and others and turning Chinese songs into English hits for acts like Danish band, Michael Learns To Rock and UK-based artist Stewart Mac, Harrison turned these into music.
The result is a song recorded and produced to commemorate what would have been the late martial arts icons 70th birthday on November 27th of this year.
Says, Harrison, Meeting Hans in person on a trip to Denmark, our discussion and finding of the mutual respect for all things Bruce Lee, sparked off the idea to write the song as a tribute to the man and legend and which we hope will resonate with other fans of the martial artist. The hope is that anybody who has suffered a significant loss in their lives can feel a degree of comfort in the lyrics and message of the song.
As both lead singer and Guitarist in the band Argent, Russ Ballard wrote God Gave Rock And Roll To You and hits for the band Rainbow such as Since Youve Been Gone, Three Dog Nights Liar, Hot Chocolates So You Win Again and Winning for Santana. With his additions, Little Dragon became the song it is today Dragonfly.
Dragonfly:
Dragonfly Acoustic:
Click the link to hear the song. It didn’t do much for me.
If anyone should do a tribute song, it should be Lalo Schifrin.
Nice overview from WSJ
* DECEMBER 1, 2010, 3:36 A.M. ET
Bruce Lee, My Father
By JASON CHOW
Shannon Lee was thrilled as government officials in Shunde, China, last week unveiled a giant statue of her father, the martial arts and movie icon Bruce Lee.
The likeness stands 18.8-meters (62 feet) tall, next to a plaque that declares “King of Kung Fu.” It is the centerpiece of Bruce Lee Paradise, a 1.89 square kilometer park in this town just south of Guangzhou, China’s third-largest city. The park is already home to a museum dedicated to Bruce Lee which opened in 2002.
In life, Bruce Lee was an actor and dedicated practitioner of martial arts. But in the decades since his death, Lee has become a bona fide cultural icon. View graphic.
“It was really quite impressive,” she said of the statue. “We heard in the past that they were going to construct a theme park. But this isn’t Disneyland. It honors my father.”
While he was alive, and for years after his death in 1973, Lee’s movies were banned in the country of his ancestry; the action star was actually born in San Francisco, and grew up partly in Hong Kong and partly in the U.S. As China opened up to the world from the 1980s, his films started to trickle into the country. The statue in Shunde is just the latest sign that Lee’s legacy is growing within China. A park in the small town of Xiacun, not far from Gaungzhou, also has a statue of Bruce Lee, unveiled in 2008—some in the town claim the place was home to Lee’s ancestors.
“I think it’s great for the people to learn the legacy,” said Ms. Lee, president of Bruce Lee Enterprises, the Los Angeles-based company that handles the licensing and merchandizing of her father’s name and image. “It was a shame that China didn’t have the benefit of that when he was alive, but it’s exciting to see them embrace it now.”
Though Lee’s brand of kung fu films was once blocked in the land of his forefathers, the China of 2010—the year of Lee’s 70th birthday which passed last week—is embracing its long-lost son, and his iconic image.
“He’s so strong, so fit, such a star,” said Huang Dechao, the local government bureaucrat behind the park. “He’s our hero.”
Lee has been lauded in far-flung corners of the world and Bruce Lee Enterprises says his image is worth about $2.5 million a year in revenue.
The movie star’s face has adorned postage stamps in countries including Gambia, Madagascar and Tajikistan. A statue of him in Mostar, Bonsia became a rallying cry for peace when it was unveiled in 2005. In Los Angeles’ Chinatown, officials are pondering a proposal to erect a statue of him as well, while film festivals dedicated to his work have been staged in Japan and Hong Kong.
Advertisers have long known the value of the particular brand of coolness that Lee personified. Last year, Nike created the Nike Zoom Kobe V Bruce Lee line of sneakers that was marketed with images of NBA star Kobe Bryant in kung fu poses. Nokia also launched a special edition phone using the martial arts master.
Kristopher Storti, general counsel of Bruce Lee Enterprises, says the company is targeting $5 million in annual revenues by 2012, which would put Lee’s financial legacy in line with other well-known dead celebrities, such as Steve McQueen and James Dean.
It’s likely the biggest financial rewards will be found in China, where authorities have embraced the concept of “soft power”—the spread of international influence through economic and cultural means.
The process of bringing Bruce Lee back home began to gather speed around the time his daughter Shannon bought back the rights to her father’s image—though not his movies—to her father’s image from Universal Studios in 2008.
The same year, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV approached her to work together on an epic 50-episode television series called “The Legend of Bruce Lee.” The series was a hit—setting network records for viewership during its airing in 2008, with 12% of the national audience tuning in for the final episode—and helped foster a new generation of fans in China.
Ms. Lee, a 41-year-old former actor and singer, was only four years old when her father died of a brain edema. Born in Los Angeles, Ms. Lee and her family were living in Hong Kong when her father died. Afterward, her mother moved the family back to the U.S.
Ms. Lee has made four trips to China this year, mostly on business. One of her main objectives is to rein in unauthorized use of her father’s image. While Bruce Lee Enterprises has endorsed numerous products in China, including toothpaste and Panasonic televisions, the star’s unauthorized image also features widely too. Ms. Lee says officials she has met are supportive of her aims. But she also says it’ll be difficult to enforce a ban on the use of her father’s image in China.
Meanwhile, Chinese fans will see more of Lee—or people playing him—on the big screen and elsewhere. A new movie of his early life, “Bruce Lee, My Brother” starring Aarif Lee, has just been released—though it was made without Shannon Lee’s blessing. New licensing deals, too, are in place in China—he’s the main face in China for Panasonic’s Viera 3-D televisions. Ms. Lee is also in talks with studios in both China and Hollywood to produce films in which her father would be brought to life via computer-generated graphics.
Ultimately, she says she hopes her father will prove a hit with China’s new generation.
“I think he’s such a strong figure, so vital, so powerful and graceful,” she said. “And he really sticks up for the underdog and represents the Chinese people. There’s a lot of pride in that.”
Bruce Lee toothpaste?