Art Attack: Conan Takes On Chinese Copycat, Irish Dance and Parkett Art

The entertainment worlds of East and West are melding so much, soon we won’t be able to tell if a movie, TV show, art exhibit or concert was produced in Hollywood, New York or Beijing. Agree? Disagree? For your consideration this week, we’ve got split screens of the Conan O’Brien show with Dapeng, the Chinese show that ripped off his show’s opening credits. We’ve also got Irish dance and ultra-respectable art brought to you by art journal Parkett. Dig in.

So China’s really gunning for cinematic dominance, and lately it seems it’s less afraid to use Hollywood to help build the country’s own homegrown reputation. Besides more foreign films being distributed each year, there’ve been rumors that the city of Tianjin (27 min away by train, thankyouverymuch) is in talks with NBC Universal about building a theme park in the port city. With that and Shanghai Disneyland on the way, seems like we’ve all got some expensive fun in our collective future …

Meanwhile, shanzai versions of foreign anything aren’t news, but this time one of the copied is copying back. If you haven’t already seen this video of the Conan O’Brien show as tipped on the Shanghaiist, you’re in for a silly treat:

What's more, the talk show host has posted an apologetic response (things move fast on the interwebs), complete with more boingy sound effects and sadly no opening sequence to his show. You can view this new development here.

Now to get your head out of the internet cloud and your feet back on the ground: Tonight kicks off the Irish celebrations with a rollicking show of Celtic music, song and dance. We have an interview with the lovely harpist Katie Targett-Adams on our blog here.

Art folks will be happy to see the confident strides the UCCA is taking in becoming a premiere global art destination. Just opened last weekend is an exhibit co-produced with the world’s most renowned art journal, Parkett. Chinadaily.com has more on it here, but excuse Phil Tinari’s non-grammatical quotes. (We’ve conversed with the new director on occasion and were sure his English was better than that … )

For some art photography, check out Jean-François Rauzier’s Hyperphotos exhibit at Galerie Paris-Beijing, which opens this weekend.

Francophiles should keep tabs on the Francophonie Film Festival (details below), while others of you should be gearing up for the Bookworm International Literary Festival and JUE Festival, both of which you’ll hear tons more about in the coming days.

Event details:

Mar 3
Irish Connections: Celebration of Irish Music, Song and Dance
Piper Davy Spillane of Riverdance fame, singer/harpist Katie Targett-Adams, the Celtic Connections Choir and the Drake School of Irish Dance make merry. RMB30-580. 7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall (6559 8285)

Mar 7
Film: Beijing Bastards
Zhang Yuan’s free-form portrait of China’s then-nascent rock scene. Part of JUE Festival. RMB 40. 7.30pm. Riverbank Bar and Café (6506 8277)

Mar 8
Film: Nine to Five
In honor of Women’s Day, Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin wreak havoc in the workplace. Free. 8pm. George’s (6553 6299; see Nightlife directory)

Ongoing:

Inside a Book a House of Gold: Artists’ Editions with Parkett
Feb 25-Apr 8. The world’s most renowned art journal sets up house across three rooms of the UCCA, displaying works by Damien Hirst, Urs Fischer and others. RMB 15. UCCA (8459 9269)

Francophone Film Festival
Mar 3-Apr 1 (Sat & Sun only). Films from French-speaking countries all around the world, gathered for the pleasure of those who love the language of love. Films shown mostly in French with Chinese subtitles. For more info: www.faguowenhua.com/francophonie. Free. 2-4pm. Alliance Francaise, BLCU Center (6553 2678 ext 209)

Jean-François Rauzier: Hyperphotos
Mar 3-Apr 18. Take a panoramic, layer it with close-up details captured by a telephoto lens and give it a shot of M.C. Escher’s puzzling visuals, and you’ve got Rauzier’s eye-catching art photography. Free. Galerie Paris-Beijing (5978 9262)

Photos: Cafepress.com and courtesy of Galerie Paris-Beijing