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Some 15 TV stations, newspapers and magazines won awards at the annual 2007 L'Oreal Media Awards in Shanghai last week.

This year, specific reports, columns or programs also won awards.

The Public Interest Award went to Marie Claire's report One Opportunity Changes 5,000 Girls Fates and the Hangzhou-based newspaper Dushi Kuaibao's report Help the Mother River.

Global Times' series of reports Olympics in China won the Olympic Reports award, which was specially issued this year for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games.

"L'Oreal started to issue the Media Awards in 2003, aiming to encourage the media's support of the fashion industry and recognize their achievements. In the past five years, we have received feed back that was even better than our expectation," Lan Zhenzhen, vice-president of L'Oreal China says.

Teen takes out modeling contract

A 17-year-old Beijing girl, Li Xinyue, won the 2007 China Underwear Model Contest and is now the spokesperson of leading underwear brand Aimer.

Organized by China Bentley Culture Development Co, Ltd, Guangxi TV and sponsored by Aimer, the national competition started last July. More than 600 girls entered the contest and 36 were chosen for the final competition. The jury is composed of fashion designers, stylists, fashion editors and artists.

At the awards ceremony in Beijing on Sunday, Zhang Rongming, CEO of Aimer also announced the start of the 2008 China Underwear Models Contest. Girls aged between 16 and 26, who are taller than 165 cm and weigh less than 60kg can apply.

Care to buy the Forbidden City?

This month, American toy giant Hasbro released the Beijing edition of the classic property trading board game - Monopoly.

Moving around the board by rolling the dice, players compete to acquire wealth by buying, renting and trading properties using play money.

Hasbro has gained huge successes in the Chinese market with its Transformer toy series. Ailsa Soutar, business head of Hasbro North Asia, says that China has a lot of potential to become a booming toy market.

Beijing has a long and fascinating history featuring famous historic spots, local culture and arts. So for Chinese players, the Beijing edition of Monopoly will be like a stroll through the city, while it will also raise awareness of landmarks for foreign visitors.

Since 1935, Monopoly has been translated into 37 languages and been introduced to 103 countries. According to Hasbro, more than 750 million people have played the game.

After the release of the Beijing edition, Hasbro will launch the first Monopoly competition in China later this year. The final winner will take part in a world tournament.

Marion Cotillard, Depp discuss new film project

French star Marion Cotillard is in talks to star alongside Hollywood icon Johnny Depp in a Depression-era crime drama made by veteran director Michael Mann, it was reported on Monday.

Cotillard, who is up for an Oscar at next month's Academy Awards for her portrayal of tragic singer Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose, is being tipped to play the girlfriend of bankrobber John Dillinger played by Depp, reports said.

The film is an adaptation of Bryan Burroughs' book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-1934.

British actor Christian Bale, star of Batman Begins and the upcoming The Dark Knight, is in talks to play a detective hunting Dillinger.

Dillinger was one of the most well-known crime figures from the early 1930s, responsible for a string of daring heists before eventually being shot dead by police in a Chicago ambush in 1934 aged 31.

China Daily-Agencies

(China Daily 01/30/2008 page18)