My New Favorite Group: Nan Quan Mama (南拳媽媽)

Since getting Nan Quan Mama's (南拳媽媽) "Color Palette!" album over the weekend, I can't stop listening to their CD! And to think, I wasn't going to buy this CD, but then at the last moment, I decided to get it.

This CD is probably one of the best CD's I've gotten in a while.

Below are the videos for 初戀粉色系 (A Series Of Pink Crushes) (Chu Lian Fen Se Xi), 離家不遠 (Not Far From Home) (Li Jia Bu Yuan), and 悄悄告訴她 (Tell Her Secretly) (Qiao Qiao Gao Su Ta).


Here is 初戀粉色系 (A Series Of Pink Crushes) (Chu Lian Fen Se Xi):

This is 離家不遠 (Not Far From Home) (Li Jia Bu Yuan):

And finally 悄悄告訴她 (Tell Her Secretly) (Qiao Qiao Gao Su Ta):

Trailer For "The Knot" (云水谣)

Here is the trailer for the movie "The Knot" (云水谣), starring Chen Kun, Li Bingbing, Vivian Hsu, Chang Gua Ahleh, Isabella Leong, Yang Kuei Mei and Chin Han. The story is about a young couple in the 1940's that get separated during turbulent times. This movie opens December 1st, 2006 in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Screenings on test audiences were very positive and distribution of this film will be as great as for the movie "Curse of the Golden Flower".

CD's I Bought Over The Weekend

Over the weekend I got a chance to get some CDs. Unfortunately some of the albums that were high on my "to-get" list were hard to find, so I settled on the following CDs:

Jay Chou - "Still Fantasy". I've been meaning to get this CD a lot sooner. There were only two songs on this CD that I heard before buying this CD: 千里之外 "Faraway" (Qian Li Zhi Wai) and 白色風車 "White Windmill" (Bai Se Feng Che). After listening to this CD a couple of times, I'd say I'm quite happy with the purchase.


Dao Lang - "Thank You - Greatest Hits". This is the first mainland Chinese album I've bought and I've read a lot about this singer. I know he's very popular on the mainland and I've heard one or two songs from this singer. I still need to listen to this CD more for me to begin liking it - to me, it seemed like most of the tracks on this CD were very similar...then again, it could just be his rough, rugged voice. I'll try to listen to it more.


F.I.R. - "Unlimited". I heard a few songs by F.I.R. and I rather enjoyed their music. When I saw this one at the store, I wasn't too sure if it was their newest album...but when I got home, I realized there was a newer album than this one. There were only a few tracks that I liked, but I think I'll have to listen to it more before I like it.


12 Girls Band - "White Christmas". I heard this CD while I was at a Chinese grocery store last year and I tried to look for this CD, but couldn't. Well, I found it on the weekend and got it. So far so good! I really like the 12 Girls Band version of many of the songs. No doubt I'll be playing this CD when we have guests over during the holidays.


Nan Quan Mama - "Color Palette!". I picked this one up at the last minute and actually I wasn't going to buy this at the last minute. BUT, after listening to this CD, I think it was the best CD out of all the CDs I bought over the weekend. There were many familiar songs I heard on the Internet radio and there were quite a few songs I never heard, but instantly liked! I would probably say this is the BEST CD out of all the CD's I currently have!


Jolin Tsai - "J-Game". When I went CD shopping, I knew I had to get a Jolin Tsai CD and I ended up getting this one. I was actually looking for the "J-Top" CD, but I think I got it confused with this CD. I'm glad there were a few familiar tracks on this CD and there were also a few songs on this CD that I hadn't heard, but instantly liked. This was also a good buy.


12 Girls Band - "The Best Of 12 Girls Band". Since I love any song with Chinese instruments, I figured that I'd get one other 12 Girls Band CD. After listening to this CD a few times, I really got to liking it a lot. I think next time I go CD/DVD shopping, I'll get the DVD of the 12 Girls Band in concert.

Entertainment News For Week Of Novv 19 - 25

Movies To Be Made Available On Net In China & Free Movie Downloads

Several movie studios, including 6 Hollywood studios have signed an agreement with BestTV (a unit of Shanghai Media Group) to distribute movies through the Internet in China. This will allow Hollywood to boost distributions of their popular movies (which is currently limited). BestTV will charge users a fee and studios will make some money from this fee as well as on royalties and advertisements embedded in the movies.

In related news, a new Chinese website quacor.com is allowing free movie downloads of movies - including movies that were released only a few weeks ago. Some titles include "Still Life" and "This After Our Exile". The website's revenue will come from advertising on their site and those embedded in the movie.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Studios Cast Net In China
CriEnglish: 1st Legal Website For Legal Downloads

Zhang Ziyi Named In Top 10 Women In Business By Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal recently released it's "Top 50 Remarkable Women In Asian Business Circles" and Zhang Ziyi came out in the top 10. Others in the top 10 include: Zhou Kaixuan (from Li Ka-shing Foundation), Hu Shuli (editor-in-chief at Caijing (财经) Magazine), and Li Yifei (chief representative at Viacom China).

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Zhang Ziyi Ranked Top 10 By Wall Street Journal

HK Director Wong Kar-wai Going To Hollywood

The director of "In The Mood For Love", "The Chungking Express" and "2046" is wrapping up his first English language film called "My Blueberry Nights". Wong Kar-wai (王家衛) had his English language directorial debut on the film starring Jude Law and Norah Jones. The movie will be released sometime in 2007.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: The Master of Time: Wong Kar-wai In America

Jackie Chan To Start Cosmetics Line

Jackie Chan has teamed up with Maggie Chu, a business woman, to launch The Jackie Chan Organic Skin Care Line. Jackie adds this to his diverse businesses including restaurants, cookies, fitness clubs, and clothing lines. The products will be made in Hungary and will use all natural ingredients with the packaging being made of recycled material.

Story courtesy:
The Daily Dumpling: Jackie Chan Inc - Fight Like A Master; Look Like A Supermodel

Annual Golden Horse Award Results

On Saturday the 43rd Annual Golden Horse Awards were held in Taiwan. Best Film went to "This After Our Exile", Best Director went to Peter Chan Ho Sun for the film "Perhaps Love", Best Actor went to Aaron Kwok in "This After Our Exile" and Best Actress went to Zhou Xun in "Perhaps Love". For list of all other award winners, please visit the link below.

Story courtesy:
Jayne Stars: Aaron Kwok & Zhou Xun Winners At 43rd Annual Golden Horse Awards

Sammi Cheng's Year Of Absence

Since filming "Everlasting Regret" over a year ago, Sammi Cheng seemingly disappeared from the entertainment scene. Sammi recently answered questions surrounding her absence. There were many rumors of her "disappearance" - everything from illness to fading popularity. But when answering media questions, she simply stated that she needed extra time to recharge - reading books, vacationing, and watching movies. She also stated that she's back into full working mode and will be in the recording studio soon.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Sammi Responds To Media's Queries About Her Negative News

Ella Koon Denies Rumors About Ron Ng

For the past two years it has been rumored that Ella Koon and Ron Ng were a couple. Lots of evidence seemed to point to this including Ella staying over at Ron's apartment and many photographic evidence. But when asked again, she still denies these rumors, saying instead they are good friends and that she was collecting a few things from Ron's apartment.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Ella Koon Still Denies Rumors With Ron Ng

Anthony Wong Making US Debut

Anthony Wong will be making his US debut in the film "The Painted Veil", which will also star Naomi Watts, Ed Norton, and Liev Schreiber. The film is about a dissatisfied young English couple who, out of frustration, moves to Shanghai. The film has a $35 million USD budget and will be released on December 15, 2006 by Warner Independent Pictures.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Anthony Wong Goes To The US

Trailers For "Exiled" & "Happy Birthday"

Here is the trailer for the movie "Exiled", which is the sequel to Johnnie To's "The Mission". Most of the cast is intact, which includes: Richie Ren, Anthony Wong, and Francis Ng. This movie participated in the Toronto International Film Festival over the fall, however I didn't get a chance to catch it.

The trailer for Exiled:


The next trailer is for a movie starring Louis Koo and Rene Liu called "Happy Birthday". The story is about a couple who breaks up but remains in contact via birthday cards. Every year the birthday cards come year after year until one year, they stop coming. We later find out that one of them passed away a long while ago and that the cards were being sent on behalf of his sister.

Here is the trailer for "Happy Birthday":

Entertainment News For Week Of Nov 12 - 18, 2006

Jay Chou Says He Has No Feelings For Hebe Tien

It is rumoured that Hebe Tien (from the girl group S.H.E.) is Jay Chou's girlfriend. Jay had picked her to film in a music video with him for his new album "Still Fantasy". When a reporter recently asked why he didn't kiss Hebe in the music video, Jay responded that he has no feelings for her and that any reports out there are fake.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Jay Chou: I Have No Feelings For Her!

Battle Of Wits Premieres

On Nov 16, 2006 the highly anticipated movie "Battle of Wits" premiered in Beijing. The movie stars Andy Lau, Fan Bingbing, and Sung-kee Ahn and is a movie jointly funded by China, South Korea and Japan. The movie is based on the historic Warring States period is China and the film is based on a Japanese cartoon book. Click on the story link below for lots of pictures.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: "Battle of Wits" Premieres In Beijing

F4 To Film A Reunion Drama

The popular Taiwanese group F4 are preparing to film a new drama where the roles are going to be equal among them. Since filming the Meteor Garden series, the four haven't been on screen together. All four have had somewhat solid careers after the Meteor Garden craze.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: F4 Is Preparing To Film New Drama, Roles Are Going To Be Equal

Supergirl Shang Wenjie Critisized For Her Language Skills

2006 Supergirl winner Shang Wenjie was a French language major in University before winning the singing competition, however after she published a French poem on her blog recently, many have found simply grammatical mistakes with the poem. Many on the Internet blasted her and her language skills, saying that even elementary school French students wouldn't make those mistakes.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Super Girl Jeered Online

Car Accident Injures SuperGirl Contestant He Jie

On Wednesday, 2005 SuperGirl contestant He Jie was injured in a car accident. From the pictures, it looked like it was quite serious, but fortunately He Jie, she only suffered an injury that required 20 stitches. He Jie's publicist and assistant were also in the car and were also slightly injured.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Super Girl He Jie Injured In Car Accident

Film "This After Our Exile" Getting Rave Reviews

The film "This After Our Exile" has recently been getting rave reviews by critics and recently held a special press screening for the media in Hong Kong. "This After Our Exile" has been screening around the world in various film festivals. In fact, it was here in Toronto this past Wednesday, as it was participating in the 10th Annual Asian Film Festival. The family drama stars Charlie Yeung and Aaron Kwok. It opens in China on November 30, 2006.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: "This After Our Exile" To Screen

Vanness A Charitable Kind Of Guy

Vanness, a member of the popular group F4, has had a busy schedule since his Meteor Garden days. He believes in charitable causes and has donated 10% of his income from concerts to charity! He even sponsored 8 children via World Vision. For 2006, it is believed he had an income of 10 million from his various concerts.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Vanness Donated 10% Of His Income From Concerts To Charity

CCTV To Give Lin Chiling Her Own Show

One of Taiwan's top models and TV talk show host will be getting her own show on the CCTV network. No details about the show have been released.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Lin Chiling To Be Host On CCTV

Businessman Apologizes For Photos Of Gillian Chung

Jimmy Lai, a businessman from Hong Kong, apologized for voyeuristic photos of Gillian Chung (half of pop duo Twins) taken backstage in a concert in Malaysia back in August. Lai is the owner of a media company that published the photos. Lai also said that no one will be fired because of the photos, which were published in the weekly gossip magazine "Easy Finder".

Story courtesy:
The China Post: Hong Kong Businessman Lai Apologizes For Voyeuristic Photos

Four Albums From Four AMusic Artists Released On Same Day

AMusic, a record company, has decided to release four albums from four of it's artists. Albums were released for Chapman To's album "Hapkido", Janice's album "Do U Know...", Leon Lai's album "Looking", and Jill's album "Diamond Love" on November 17, 2006.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: AMusic Albums To Be Released On Same Day

Highest Paid Chinese Actresses List

Xinhuanet has recently announced the top ten highest paid Chinese actresses. The list includes the usual suspects such as Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, and Hsu Chi. Zhang Ziyi took top spot in 2006 with earnings of over $15 million. For complete list, please click on the link below.

Story courtesy:
The Daily Dumpling: Top 10 Highest Paid Actresses In China

Another F4 On The Way?

A group called Fahrenheit is rapidly gaining popularity. Fahrenheit has filmed a drama called "KO One" and has also released an album. Both the F4 and the Fahrenheit TV dramas have not been broadcast in China, however many have seen their shows via the Internet. However, when fans were asked what groups are most popular, most answered other groups such as S.H.E. and Katun. Only time will tell if Fahrenheit can have the same success as F4.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Fahrenheit, the Next F4?

Angela An (安又琪)

I listen to Mandarin Internet Radio a lot and it's where I get my source of current music. Since I live in Toronto, Canada I find it hard to get up-to-date with the music scene, so Internet Radio is where I get my music.

Anytime I'm at home on the computer, I have Mandarin Internet Radio on. I connect at MandarinRadio.com and I would highly recommend you have a listen. In fact, that's all I really listen to!

Anyways, I heard a great artist from the mainland - her name is Angela An (安又琪) and I love her song called "有你陪着我" (I Have You To Accompany Me) (You Ni Pei Zhi Wo). This song is from her album "Talk About Love", which was released in March of 2006 (see album cover at left).

This album is definitely high on my "albums-to-get" list. This album is from mainland China so I don't know how easy it is to find in Chinatown. I hope I can find it.

She has her own blog on the Internet (though it's all in Chinese...). You can see where's she's going and what she's doing. So go visit Angela An's (安又琪) blog now!

Anyways, here's the video for "有你陪着我" (I Have You To Accompany Me) (You Ni Pei Zhi Wo):

Dare For More - Pepsi All-Stars

I recently came across this music video called "Dare For More" on YouTube. I remember seeing this video a while ago (last year?), but I remember how great it was having all those stars in one video.

Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai, Edison Chen, Aaron Kwok, F4, and Sammi Cheng all sing and appear in the video.

The music is great and just seeing all of them together like that sends shivers down my spine. I don't know why, but Sammi in this video melted my heart and simply took my breath away.

Not too sure what this video was really for - just know that Pepsi had a lot to do with it. It also looks as if they were filming a show or movie. If anyone knows where this is from or what purpose it served, please leave a comment.

So here's the video (I absolutely love it!):

Trailer For "Curse Of The Golden Flower" and "The Banquet"

Here are some trailers for some movies that I want to watch. Both have won critical acclaim and have impressed critics at various film festivals from around the world. Both movies also have some big names starring in them.

The first trailer is for "The Curse Of The Golden Flower" starring Chow Yun-Fat, Gong-Li, and Jay Chou. Earlier this week it premiered in New York and has a release date of December 22, 2006.




Here is the trailer:



The next trailer is for "The Banquet" which stars Zhang Ziyi. This movie was involved at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals and has already been released (though I haven't seen it yet).




Here is the trailer:

Entertainment News For Week Of Nov 5 - Nov 11, 2006

TVB's Celebrity "Deal Or No Deal" Raises Money For Charity

The third show for TVB's celebrity "Deal Or NO Deal" was recorded in Hong Kong last Sunday. Contestants included Charmaine Sheh, Roger KWok, Sharon Chan and Lai Lok Yi and raised money for the Tung Wah Hospitals. The host of the show was Michael Hui and it raised $160,000 for the hospital.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Celebrity "Deal or No Deal" Raises Money For Charity

Eason Chan Tells Public To Respect His Work

While finishing up the release of his newest album, Eason Chan found that 3 songs were available for download on the internet. The three songs are: 不如不見, 富士山下, and 心深傷透. Eason's record company, Cinopoly Records, stated they'd do an internal investigation and that the guilty party will be punished accordingly. The three songs were released on the internet even before the final lyrics were complete, which points to an inside job.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Eason Chan to Fans: "Please Respect Original Work"

Looking At Pretty Women Makes You Live Longer?

Huang Chunyi, a 94 year-old living in Taiwan was recently asked what the secret to his longevity was and his response was that he likes to look at pictures of pretty women. He showed off his collection of over 100,000 pictures of various celebrities from around the world including Taiwanese model Chiling Lin. Huang hopes that his collection will be a family heirloom and hopes to pass it down for generations to come. I've included a picture of Chiling Lin and hopefully it'll add a few hours to your life.

Story courtesy:
AsianBite: Looking At Chiling Lin Makes You Live Longer!

Curse Of The Golden Flower To Get An R-Rating In America?

With all the hype and buzz surrounding the movie "Curse Of The Golden Flower", rumors have circulated that the big-budget film will recieve an R-rating when it is released in the US. "Curse of the Golden Flower" was picked for Oscar nominations, however critics believe that the R-rating will hurt it's chances for an Oscar. The film stars Chow Yun-Fat and Jay Chou and has won critical acclaim during it's participation in various film festivals.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: R-Rated "Flower"?

Twelve Girls Band To Film PBS Special

PBS, the United States' largest public broadcasting network, will be airing a 90-minute special in March next year featuring the Twelve Girls Band. The show was recorded last week at the Oriental Pearl TV Tower during an outdoor concert. PBS and the show's producers will be vying for awards for the show next year at television festivals from around the world.

Story courtesy: Twelve Girls Band Performance Taped For Broadcast In US

Time Asia Magazine Lists Asia's Heroes

Time Asia Magazine listed 56 "heroes" of Asia - people who have helped shape and define Asia. The list was divided into several categories including athletes, great thinkers, and business leaders. Some of the more famous names included Bruce Lee, billionaire Li Ka-Shing, and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang (all pictured above). The list will be published on Novemeber 13, 2006.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: From Deng To Bruce Lee, Magazine Lists Asia's Heroes

Warner Brothers Leaves China Due To Regulatory Issues

Warner Brothers will be pulling out of the cinema business in China due to regulatory issues. The issue revolves around ownership in which foreign companies must have at least 51 percent of it controlled by domestic investors. The pullout will affect 6 movie theatres, including one planned for downtown Shanghai.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Warner Brothers To Leave Mainland

Supergirls Concert Tour Will Begin In Shanghai

The eagerly awaited Supergirls 2006 concert tour will begin in Shanghai. This year's winner, Shang Wenjie (pictured, center) along with 10 other finalists will tour and will be joined by last year's winner Li Yuchun. VIP tickets were being sold for 580 yuan (about $64 US dollars) and were all sold out on the first day of sales. Shang Wenjie participated in Supergirls last year, but was eliminated in the first round.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Supergirls Kick Off Concert Tour

Feeling Down? Vicki Zhao (趙薇) Can Help!

Whenever I feel down, blue, or sad, I can always rely on Vicki Zhao (趙薇) and her music to pick me up.

The first time I heard and saw her music video for the song "我和上官燕" (Wo He Shang Guan Yan) (Me & Shang Guan Yan), it just made me smile because it sounded soo happy, soo full of life! This song is off her CD "Double" (双) released last year (see CD cover to the left). Whenever I feel sad or just need a pick-me-up, I put on my headphones, crank up the volume and play this song (it also helps that Vicki is one good lookin' woman and I don't mind watching her prance around in the music video :)).

Another one of Vicki's songs I like is "一直下雨的星期天" (Yi Zhi Xia Yu De Xing Qi Tian) (Continuously Raining Sunday). Sometimes when I wake up and I need a bit of energy, I pump this song up and for some reason, it gives me the energy to get the day started. This song is from her album that I have called Piao (飄), released in 2004 (see album cover at left).



Here is the music video for "我和上官燕" (Wo He Shang Guan Yan) (Me & Shang Guan Yan):



And here is the music video for "一直下雨的星期天" (Yi Zhi Xia Yu De Xing Qi Tian) (Continuously Raining Sunday):

Entertainment News For Week Of Oct 28 - Nov 4, 2006

Global Chinese Music Awards Winners - Andy Lau & Stefanie Sun Big Winners
The 6th annual Global Chinese Music Awards were held in Singapore last Saturday. Andy Lau and Stefanie Sun won 5 awards each. There were some big no-shows due to illness, including Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai, Charelene Choi (half of Twins), and JJ Lin. Check Karazen link for photos and video recap.

Story courtesy:
Karazen News: 6th Annual Global Chinese Music Awards (GCMA) Recap + Pics

Nicholas Tse, Ada Choi, Gigi Leung, Eric Tsang To Film TVB Travel Show
"On the Road" (向世界出發) was a big hit and so TVB has decided to film a second part. "On the Road" features celebrities that travel to different countries. Nicholas will be heading for Cambodia, Ada to Israel, Gigi to Yunnan's Nui Yee Kwok, and Eric to Brunei. There was talk of Andy Lau participating and heading to China, but his schedule has yet to be confirmed.

Story courtesy:
Jayne Stars: Nicholas Tse, Ada Choi, & Gigi Leung to Film TVB Travel Program

Jackie Chan & Jet Li To Star In Same Film
Jackie Chan and Jet Li will star together for the first time in a movie based on the Monkey King legend. The movie has yet to be titled and shooting begins in April 2007.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Jet Li, Jackie Chan To Star Together For First Time

Hong Kong Magazine Loses Appeal For Publishing Photos of Gillian Chung
Back in August 2006, photos were published by "Easy Finder" of Gillian Chung (half of pop group Twins) changing backstage at a concert held in Malaysia. This fiasco led to an uproar by celebrities, who have complained that the paparazzi have often times crossed the line. A judge blasted the magazine and Chung plans on suing.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Hong Kong Magazine Loses Appeal Over "Obscene" Pop Star Pics

Eason Chan's New Music Video Pulled From TVB
Eason Chan's video for his song "裙下之臣" was rejected by TVB due to explicit content. In the video, Eason sings his song while being caressed by two women wearing questionable dresses. For photos and music video, click link below.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: TVB rejects Eason Chan's new MV due to explicit content

400 Mainland Celebrities Phone #'s And Addresses Published, Raising Privacy Concerns
In October, addresses and phone numbers for 400 mainland Chinese celebrities were published on the Internet. Many celebrities complained about calls from strangers and were concerned about their own safety. Websites that published the information had the story taken down shortly after they were published.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Contact Info of Stars Disclosed