SHE'D smile and look at him while he deflected the questions with that easy, boyish charm we've come to associate with the actor.

Occasionally, the celebrity lovebirds would exchange darting glances before the coy replies came.

No, Christopher Lee and Fann Wong, both 37, still don't have many details about their impending wedding. Or if they did, they are not telling.

So no, they have yet to confirm where the wedding will be held, they said, even though they let on that their wedding planner - celebrity hairstylist David Gan - has compiled a few suggestions.

No, they have still not come up with a guest list, although they have a vague idea of how extensive it is going to be (reportedly about 1,000).

If you believe them, even the wedding date is still up in the air, despite earlier press reports which said it will be held on 9 Sep, 2009.

'Yes, we're exploring a few auspicious dates but er, we've still not quite decided when,' said a smiling Christopher, who had assumed the role of spokesman during the 20-minute interview yesterday, at the prayer ceremony for the couple's new film, The Wedding Of The Year.

So we separately checked with wedding planner David Gan, who confirmed that the lovebirds are not lying.

'What Fann and Christopher said is true,' he said. 'Nothing is really confirmed at this moment.'

That includes the date for the big day.

Said David: 'The perfect one is definitely 09.09.09, but we've been told there may be some changes to that as one of them could be involved in some production in China. I know they are now looking at two other dates as well.'

He also confirmed he has done checks with some hotels on venue availability but the couple has yet to make their choice.

At the very least, Christopher was able to confirm that they will hold two banquets - one in Singapore, and another in his hometown Malacca.

The wedding will include traditional Chinese rituals, including the usual prayer ceremony asking for blessings and offering thanks, said the couple, who are both Buddhists.

That's it for the wedding.

Meanwhile, Fann and Christopher were happier to gush about The (Other) Wedding Of The Year, where they will play two famous artistes who publicly announce their marriage, much to the delight of audiences and fans.

It is the first time they are playing a couple again after about eight years, since Looking For Stars, which tells the story of two star-crossed lovers - played by Christopher and Fann - who have to live with each other's quirks and idiosyncrasies after a one-night stand.

Don't think the film - which opens in cinemas during the Chinese New Year - is going to be a dry run for their real wedding.

Said Fann: 'There may an intricate line separating both real and reel, but the film's not about us. Otherwise we may as well do a documentary.'

Right people, right time

The main reason she has consented to doing the film, opposite Christopher, is 'tian shi, di li, ren he' (a Chinese proverb which means a perfect combination of time, place and people), she added.

Fann said her manager had sounded her out about the idea about two weeks ago.

'She asked me, will you dare to do something like that?' she recalled.

'My response was a simple yes, as long as the script is attractive.'

As a self-confessed lover of satirical films, Fann said: 'I felt it'd be a good idea to do a film in this genre.'

She also liked the timing of the film's release as she felt that 'it is more meaningful to do one before the wedding than one just after it'.

Because the idea was first conceived - by Scorpio East chief operating officer Lim Teck - without them in mind, both Fann and Christopher said they did not feel it was exploitative.

Said Mr Lim: 'We just wanted to do a happy film during this bad time (economy blues).

'But we didn't want the usual fare of slapstick comedies. It was only when we were brainstorming with the artistes' manager that she pointed out the coincidence.'

Plus the fact the couple's schedules for year-end were quite free.

The next course of action was to get them to agree - something which Christopher admitted to being initially worried about how the whole thing would pan out.

He and Fann felt that it was like a dream team put together: The romantic comedy will be directed by The Coffin director Ekachai Uekrongtham. He will also write the script with playwright Desmond Sim and Yes 93.3 DJ Dennis Chew.

THE TEAM: (From left to right) Director Ekachai Uekrongtham, Fann Wong, Raintree Pictures managing director Daniel Yun, Christopher Lee, executive director for Scorpio East Holdings Limited Vanessa Lian and chief executive for Scorpio East Holdings Limited John Ho.

Christopher said: 'Our fans and even the viewers have been asking if we'd act together in another show.

'But we really didn't want to take on something just for the sake of doing it together.'

It was, however, a thought they had toyed with themselves.

Fann recalled: 'One day, Christopher came back and said suddenly, 'Baby, when can we do a show together'?'

He added: 'I guess it's very odd to 'act' like lovers when you are a pair, but somehow I know it's what I'd really like to do one day.'

So, can the audience expect some level of intimacy in the film?

Dennis said: 'Ooooh...'

He added: 'They'd have to watch the movie to find out.'

He's determined about one thing: If the box office takings hit $3 million - 'I want Fann Wong to kiss me!' said the self-professed fan.

Pressure? What pressure?

CHRISTOPHER Lee was disarmingly frank about another detail. The New Paper had asked him if he felt any pressure when he first started dating Fann.

He asked: 'What kind of pressure?'

Oh, since she is one of the two reigning queens on Caldecott Hill.

He protested: 'Oi, I'm not that bad! I'm also quite famous and I have a proper job. It's not like I 'chi ruan fan'.' (literally translated as 'eating soft rice', a deprecating expression that refers to a man who depends on his girlfriend or wife for a living)

He laughed, then added: 'I only love to eat 'ka li fan' (curry rice).'

Picking on that opening, we asked if he has been back to his favourite curry rice stall since his infamous run-in with the law two years ago, where he hit a motorcyclist and the pillion rider and fled.

He was fined, banned from driving for three years, and jailed for four weeks. Not missing a beat, he said: 'Yes, I still eat the same 'ka li fan', though I now know there are many other good ones elsewhere.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Nov 12, 2008.