Peng Dan named most popular actress

    Chinese actress Peng Dan was named the most popular actress at the 2nd Sino-American International TV Festival held in Los Angeles, the United States.

    When she accepted the award, Peng said that Los Angeles was her lucky place, where she had won best actress and best director awards at last year’s 10th Sino-American Film Festival.

    ‘Harry Potter’ prequel is underway

    Eddie Redmayne has reportedly been offered the lead in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

    The 33-year-old actor was the frontrunner* to play Newt Scamander as of April and is said to have received a formal offer from Warner Bros. after taking time to read the script.

    “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is based on the J.K. Rowling novel of the same name. The author is adapting the book for film, and sources told Variety Redmayne is “very happy” with the screenplay.

    TV host resigns from university

    A teacher and famous TV host has resigned from the university he works for following freeloading* allegations.

    He Jiong, a teacher with Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) and a renowned entertainment show host, got entangled in a storm of controversy after Qiao Mu, one of his BFSU colleagues, accused him of abusing public resources without working for the university.

    He voluntarily resigned after serious consideration.

    Li Na biopic

    Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan is to direct and produce “Li Na: My Life,” a biopic of the tennis star. Chan is auditioning both actresses and sportswomen for the role. The film will be shot in English and Chinese.

    Li retired at the end of last year after winning the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open. She later released an autobiography which the screenplay will be based on.(SD-Agencies)