Who' s in

R&B sensation coming to town

Taiwanese singer David Tao (Tao Zhe) will stage a show on March 1 at the Capital Gymnasium. When his debut album David Tao was released in 1997, the young man generated a storm of R&B in Taiwan and the mainland. Some local media dubbed him the "R&B Godfather".

After two years of work, Tao released his second album titled I'MOK that featured alternative rock which was simpler and more down-to-earth than his debut work. His third album, Black Tangerine, released in 2003, was again a pleasant surprise fusing rock, folk songs, Latin ballads, country music and other styles.

One of his latest songs, Susan Speaks, successfully melts a famous Peking Opera aria into Blues. It creates a unique historical ambiance for a woman reminiscing her past love.

Sun Tze: The Art of War is another interesting work of Tao. He collaborated with the popular 12 Girls Band, combing both Western and folk Chinese instruments to create a work that touches the soul.

Though the first group of fans who were struck by Tao's special voice and music 10 years ago are no longer young, his solo concert at the Capital Gymnasium is sure to draw a large following.

Pennsylvania lures filmmakers

Julianne Moore stars in a supernatural thriller that will begin shooting this spring in the Pittsburgh area.

Filming of Shelter is expected to begin in late March or early April.

Moore, 47, has received Oscar nominations for her roles in Boogie Nights, The Hours, The End of the Affair and Far From Heaven.

Scalese said the $75 million that state lawmakers approved last year for annual tax incentives for movie production helped in the final decision to shoot in western Pennsylvania.

The tax break has helped lure several productions to the area, said Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office.

Spice Girls tour likely their last

Don't hold your breath waiting for the next Spice Girls reunion. Geri Halliwell, a.k.a. Ginger Spice, says a second outing "probably won't happen ever again." The quintet's Return of the Spice Girls World Tour wraps on February 26 in Toronto.

"This is the last time you will ever get to see this Girl Power, the five Spices on the stage as one," says Halliwell, who left the group in May 1998 but was a chief proponent of the current reunion.

However, Halliwell tells Billboard.com that she would not entirely shut the door on a bit more Spice if fans really, really want it.

"What this reunion taught me is you can never say never," she says. "If you had asked me 10 years ago whether there'd ever be a Spice Girls reunion concert, I'd have gone, 'No f--ing way!"'

Halliwell says the reunion was "an experience of a lifetime," and denied reports that it was coming to a premature end because of infighting among the five Spices.

"Actually it's gone on longer than planned," Halliwell says, "because we thought we were only going to go to the end of January. After February everybody had commitments - kids had to go back to school and that. So we had to leave places out that we would have loved to have gone to."

Halliwell has her own post-Spice plan in place. In May she'll roll out the first in a new children's book series featuring a character named Ugenia Lavender, whom she cryptically describes as "a rebirth of girl power."

China Daily-Agencies

(China Daily 02/21/2008 page18)