Celebrity chef Bobby Chinn has tried his hand at a number of things.
There are few sports that are so dominated by a single person like the way the women's pole vault is ruled by 26-year Russian Yelena Isinbayeva.
For Sebastian Coe, one of Britain's greatest athletes, the glory of winning Olympic gold medals comes in second to clinching the Olympics Games for London in 2012.
"Where's the beef, Kobe?" That's what many U.S. basketball fans will be asking as their team of NBA superstars takes to the hardwood in pursuit of the gold medal in Beijing.
You don't have to be a basketball fan to look up to Yao Ming, who at 7-feet-6-inches (2.29 meters) is now the tallest active player in NBA basketball.
Gunpowder, fireworks and attention-grabbing installations mark Cai Guo-Qiang as one of the world's biggest and brightest artists.
Elected with the largest margin of victory in the history of Taiwan's presidential elections, President Ma Ying-jeou is aiming to bring the good times back to Taiwan while looking to a friendlier future with China.
Back in his native South Korea, the Korean Foreign Ministry nicknamed him "Ban-chusa," meaning "the Bureaucrat" or "the administrative clerk."
The increasing global focus on renewable energy could not have come at a better time for Dr. Shi Zhengrong, an Australian citizen and Chinese-trained scientist who says he got into solar power by chance.
It was a five cent Chinese yuan coin that gave Tan Yuan Yuan the chance to dance.
Celebrity chef Bobby Chinn has tried his hand at a number of things.
There are few sports that are so dominated by a single person like the way the women's pole vault is ruled by 26-year Russian Yelena Isinbayeva.
For Sebastian Coe, one of Britain's greatest athletes, the glory of winning Olympic gold medals comes in second to clinching the Olympics Games for London in 2012.
"Where's the beef, Kobe?" That's what many U.S. basketball fans will be asking as their team of NBA superstars takes to the hardwood in pursuit of the gold medal in Beijing.
You don't have to be a basketball fan to look up to Yao Ming, who at 7-feet-6-inches (2.29 meters) is now the tallest active player in NBA basketball.
Gunpowder, fireworks and attention-grabbing installations mark Cai Guo-Qiang as one of the world's biggest and brightest artists.
Elected with the largest margin of victory in the history of Taiwan's presidential elections, President Ma Ying-jeou is aiming to bring the good times back to Taiwan while looking to a friendlier future with China.
Back in his native South Korea, the Korean Foreign Ministry nicknamed him "Ban-chusa," meaning "the Bureaucrat" or "the administrative clerk."
The increasing global focus on renewable energy could not have come at a better time for Dr. Shi Zhengrong, an Australian citizen and Chinese-trained scientist who says he got into solar power by chance.
It was a five cent Chinese yuan coin that gave Tan Yuan Yuan the chance to dance.
He's a youth icon in Japan seeking to take the ancient art of kabuki theater into the modern age.
For Anand Mahindra business is in his blood. But even as the vice chairman and managing director of Mahindra & Mahindra, one of India's biggest conglomerates, he still feels the company has plenty to do.
She added smart to sexy as a Bond girl opposite Pierce Brosnan's 007, and proved her dramatic and action credentials in "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon," but for actress Michelle Yeoh, life and acting are both all about balance.
In India he's an icon and to the rest of the cricketing world he's simply known as one of the greatest ever batsmen.
Former England cricket captain Michael Atherton has called him "ruthless," but for Lalit Modi, the man behind cricket's revolutionary Indian Premier League and vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), this is less of a criticism and more a statement of fact.
For Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, revenge is a dish best served live.
One of the world's greatest fashion designers, Yohji Yamamoto has helped blaze a trail for Asia over the last three decades.
With a masters degree in social work, Indian actress Nandita Das is more keen to talk about women's empowerment and human rights than participate in the glamour of Bollywood.
The self-styled "adventure capitalist" and self-made millionaire, Jim Rogers, imparts his investing wisdom on Talk Asia this week.
For a man whose previous nickname was "the Bulldozer," balance might not be thought of as one of South Korean president Lee Myung-bak's strong points.
Two months into office as South Korea's President, Lee Myung-bak joins CNN's Anjali Rao on Talk Asia. Below is a transcript of the interview.
Jackie Chan: A-list Asian megastar, iconic kung fu hero to millions and basically a really famous guy. We had been pursuing an in-depth interview with him for months through "The JC Group," Jackie's all-conquering management company.
He's thrown himself off more buildings than he can remember and broken more bones than an actor has any right to and still be alive and working today, but at 54 years old, Jackie Chan's days of taking spectacular tumbles may be coming to an end.
At 25-years-old, Fatima Bhutto is eligible to become prime minister of Pakistan.
Steve Wynn is a man who not only makes the preposterous possible, but also profitable.
Now is your chance to quiz Jackie Chan. The superstar of martial arts blockbusters hits Talk Asia in full force next month, and we'd like to know what question you'd like him to answer.
Thailand's new Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is the first to be democratically elected since the nation's bloodless coup in 2006. A veteran politician and former governor of Bangkok, Samak is accused of being a nominee of friend and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. As he prepares to take office, he joins Talk Asia's Dan Rivers to discuss his allegiance to his ousted predecessor, corruption, and his alleged role in the Thammasat massacre of 1976.
Ching Cheong is the first Hong Kong journalist to be convicted and imprisoned for spying since Hong Kong returned to China in 1997.
The most charismatic figure in Japanese baseball, and potentially one its greatest coaches, Senichi Hoshino isn't afraid to hold back, either on the field or off it.
Japanese writer and director Hideo Nakata has been hailed as the modern master of macabre.
Coming up on Talk Asia this week Shekhar Kapur, director of "Elizabeth" and "Bandit Queen," chats to Anjali Rao in front of a live audience. Filmed in Mumbai earlier this month, Kapur talks about his films, passions and inspiration, plus he answers your questions about his life and work.
Anjali Rao: Hello and welcome to a very special edition of Talk Asia filmed in front of a Live audience here in Mumbai, India. My guest today started out his professional life as an accountant, these days of course he's better known as India's most successful and internationally renowned director, Shekhar Kapur. This is Talk Asia.
He is a blockbuster novelist and Booker Prize winner, whose adapted work was tipped for Oscar glory.
Ching Cheong is the first Hong Kong journalist to be convicted and imprisoned for spying since Hong Kong returned to China in 1997.
Anjali Rao: He's dubbed the "King of Good Times." The billionaire tycoon casts a long shadow in India with high-profile launches and lavish parties. Vijay Mallya inherited an empire of different businesses at the tender age of 27, streamlining the operation and founding the Kingfisher brand. Today, his holding company United Breweries is worth $5 billion.
Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta is the president of East Timor, the former Portuguese colony shattered by conflict in 1999. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate recently spoke with CNN's Richard Quest in the presidential office about his lifelong work fighting for his people, achieving independence, and the 2006 violence that plagued the country. Ramos-Horta also spoke about the role the United Nations plays in his country and how he has reconciled with the Indonesian army.
Washington's man in Asia, Christopher Hill, helped broker a breakthrough deal with North Korea. As pressure mounts on Pyongyang to deliver a complete nuclear declaration amid the election of a new president in Seoul, Hill discusses the landmark six-party talks, his thoughts on North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and concerns over China's growing military power. Once the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Hill walks CNN's Sohn Jie-Ae through his old haunts in Seoul and sits down for a meal with her at his favorite Korean restaurant, now something of a local landmark thanks to his patronage.
Billionaire founder of Japanese clothing giant UNIQLO, Tadashi Yanai is credited for introducing cheap chic to the designer-conscious Japanese youth. Starting off with a single store in Hiroshima in 1984, UNIQLO is now a worldwide operation with 750 stores. As the brand continues to go global, Yanai joins Talk Asia's Anjali Rao to discuss his clothing empire, the secret to providing high-quality basics with an affordable price tag, and his quintessentially Japanese work ethos.
People often ask me just how scary it is talking to "millions of viewers" all over the world.
Jet Li, the multi-talented star who counts martial arts, acting and extensive humanitarian work among his many accomplishments, joined CNN's Anjali Rao for a special edition of Talk Asia filmed in front of a live audience in Hong Kong.
Tennis star Venus Williams is a six-time Grand Slam winner with possibly the fastest serve ever seen in the women's game. With the Australian Open under way, CNN's Anjali Rao sits down with Williams as she discusses her current No. 8 world ranking, growing up in a tough Los Angeles neighborhood, her rigorous training schedule and close relationship with fellow pro and sister Serena.
Julian Schnabel, the 1980s "bad boy" artist turned director and interior designer, is in the spotlight again for his latest release, "Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Schnabel is best known for his million-dollar broken crockery paintings and critically acclaimed biopics "Basquiat" and "Before Night Falls."
Dubbed "Godzilla" for his batting abilities, Hideki Matsui is one of the most successful Japanese baseball players in Major League Baseball. He became a national hero in Japan with his down-to-earth approach playing for the Yomiuri Giants, before signing a three-year contract with the New York Yankees in 2003 -- and then extending it another four years for $52 million in 2006. Despite a couple of major injuries and tough New York fans, he tells CNN's Maggie Lake that he enjoys his life with the Yankees and in the United States. Talk Asia gauges the opinion of fans towards Matsui on game day and explores a restaurant chain created in his honor -- as the man himself discusses his career, his favorite players and life off the field.
Mixi is the biggest social networking site (SNS) in Japan with more than 10 million users and a firm grip on popular culture. Founder Kenji Kasahara started up his first company when he still was a student at Tokyo University and later set up Mixi in 2004. Although it exploded into a company which recently listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, he remains low-key about his staggering success at a young age. Talk Asia follows him at work, discussing his impact on Japanese culture and vision for the future of the Internet, before taking him back to his roots at Tokyo University's world-famous business school.
She stunned global cinema audiences with her controversial and Oscar-nominated performance as a lonely deaf girl in the film "Babel." Rinko Kikuchi is one of Japan's hottest young actresses and models, recently working with Karl Lagerfeld as the new face of Channel. Despite her success, she remains an unconventional figure in Japan, at odds with the traditional demure image of the Japanese woman and forging a career on her own terms. Talk Asia follows her on a modelling assignment, discusses how her life has changed since "Babel" and revisits the unique location of one of the film's most important scenes.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun joined Talk Asia to discuss some of the major events during his presidency. The following is a transcript of his conversation with CNN's Sohn Jie-Ae.
Our guest today is widely regarded as the greatest player ever to set foot on the tennis court. He's Roger Federer, I'm Anjali Rao, and this is Talk Asia.
AR: Hello, welcome to Talk Asia. I'm Anjali Rao. This week, as China marks the 10th anniversary of its rule over Hong Kong, we speak with the territory's Chief Executive Donald Tsang and look back at this year's historic election.
AR: Jack, welcome to Talk Asia. You do seem to be able to say basically whatever you want around here, yet you know, you always hear accusations that censorship is so rife here that democracy is really, sort of, downtrodden. How do you think that you're able to get around that when other directors and other movies get in trouble?
AR: Hi I'm Anjali Rao. This week I'm in the Beijing studio of Zhang Xiaogang, a man who's fought his share of battles to become China's leading contemporary artist, and his work now sells for million of dollars around the world. This is Talk Asia.
DR: This is Talk Asia. I'm Dan Rivers. I'm with Thailand's "Condom King," Mechai Viravaidya. Thank you for talking to us. People credit you with slashing the AIDS infection rate in Thailand, I think from something like, I think it was up at 140,000-plus cases per year in 1991, down to about 20,000 in 2003. Remarkable success, far more than the neighboring countries. That must be very gratifying for you.
Hi, I'm Anjali Rao in Beijing's Forbidden City. My guest today is the renowned actor/director Jiang Wen. This is Talk Asia.
Hi I'm Anjali Rao, coming to you from the set of a top-rated TV show in Beijing. My guest today is Olympic ambassador and prime-time presenter Yang Lan. This is Talk Asia.
AR: Yaping, good to have you on Talk Asia this week. Now you're an Olympics legend here in China. You've got four gold medals and also 14 other world championship titles. How does it feel to be hosting the Olympics in your home country?
AR: Gordon, welcome to Talk Asia. Now you've been famous in this part of the world for many, many years now, but you only recently came to international attention in "Kill Bill." Tell us how that came about.
AR: Hi I'm Anjali Rao, on a star-studded Mumbai movie set with this week's guest, Bollywood heartthrob Abhishek Bachchan. This is Talk Asia.
Tony Fernandes, founder and CEO of Asia's first low-budget carrier Air Asia, talks with Andrew Stevens.
A 1938 yoga instruction video, the first of its kind. If yoga is a worldwide cultural phenomenon today, it is thanks to one man -- the grandmaster of yoga, BKS Iyengar. From a previously complex discipline only passed down from master to student, Iyengar -- or Guru ji, as he is respectfully called -- took yoga to the masses.
South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaks to Talk Asia's Anjali Rao.
AS: Hello I'm Andrew Stevens. Our guest today is one of the world's most successful film directors, the Academy Award-winning Ang Lee. This is Talk Asia.
Jang Dong-gun is the ultimate poster boy for Korean pop culture, smashing nearly all national box-office records with his leading roles in the films "Taegukgi" and "Friend." The one-time college dropout later starred in the joint Chinese-Korean-Japanese movie "The Promise" in 2005, and in his upcoming Hollywood debut "Laundry Warrior," he will play opposite one of China's hottest actresses, Zhang Ziyi.
Jeon Do-yeon won the Best Actress prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her performance in the South Korean film "Secret Sunshine." Celebrated in her native South Korea for her roles in melodramatic soap operas and independent films, Jeon is the first Asian to win this prestigious prize. South Korea's most famous actress joins Talk Asia to discuss her rise into renown and takes a stroll around the cultural neighborhood of Daehango in Seoul with host Anjali Rao.
K.J. Choi is the only Asian among the world's top 10 golfers and the first South Korean to win a PGA Tour card. Nicknamed "The Tank" after his days as a competitive weightlifter, Choi realized his passion for golf as a teenager and pursued a professional career against the advice of his parents. His golfing inspiration was a book written by the legendary "Golden Bear" Jack Nicklaus. Choi attributes his success to Nicklaus' "My Way," where he learned the grip, swing and other fundamentals of his game. This year, Choi won the Jack Nicklaus memorial tournament, and he discusses in detail his hopes for climbing further up the world rankings.
Dubbed the "Godfather of Animation" in South Korea, Nelson Shin is behind such iconic animated characters as the Simpsons, Pink Panther and Transformers. His work also extends to live action, including the famous Star Wars lightsaber.
Muhammad Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in microcredit, which has helped millions of people out of the poverty cycle. The first businessman ever to receive such a high honor, Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded revolutionized conventional ways of banking, creating a system of lending money to the poor, mostly women.
A rising star in the glare of the media, Maggie Q has long been famous as an action heroine in Asia. Recently however, she has joined the top rank of upcoming young actresses in Hollywood. Half Vietnamese, she was brought up in Hawaii, but began her career in Hong Kong's film industry after being spotted by Jackie Chan.
The global "war on terror" can't be won if people are living in "desperate" conditions, Archbishop Desmond Tutu told CNN.
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