Baby bombshell

She wasn't even there, but all anyone could talk about was veteran local getai star Liu Lingling.

Her name stood out at the press conference for new local movie Filial Party when the cast line-up was announced at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel on Thursday. The cast includes well-known actors such as Ann Kok, Christopher Lee, Mark Lee and Irene Ang.

Liu, 50, is slated to act in the comedy as the mother of Christopher Lee's character and the wife of veteran actor Richard Low's.

The movie, directed by Boris Boo, centres on three contestants in a reality game show, I Am Filial, as they try to bag the winning prize of a million dollars by competing to see who portrays exceptional filial piety.

Filial Party is expected to be released in the second quarter of next year.

Baby Boy

Liu had announced last week that she had given birth to a baby boy, shocking many in the entertainment industry as she had managed to keep her pregnancy a secret for a whole nine months. Not even her family members knew.

She had reportedly spent a six-figure sum on artificial insemination, her second attempt to have a baby. The first ended in a miscarriage.

Liu had married a businessman 15 years ago. Her husband left the country because of financial woes and returned quietly more than a year ago, but the couple are believed to be estranged.

Now on maternity leave, Liu had declined all media interviews and only told Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News that she had named her son Xiang Xiang, but she refused to reveal who the father is.

Get The New Paper for more stories.