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

I Still Can't Find Nicky Lee's Album!

I've only heard a few of Nicky Lee's songs, but I like his style. I also find it interesting that Nicky is Korean and doesn't really speak Mandarin. In his songs, you can sort of hear that his Mandarin isn't 100%, but he's got a great voice with a smooth R&B style.

He was originally in a Korean group called Machi, but has since released a few solo albums. The album I'm looking for is Nicky Lee's (李玖哲) newest album "Baby, 是我" (see album cover at left - was released in summer 2006).

For some reason I still can't find his album in Chinatown. Maybe it still too new or maybe he's just not popular enough - I don't know...

You may have noticed that I mainly like slower songs. Why? Because I find that it makes learning Mandarin a lot more easier (and a lot easier to sing too! OK - I admit it, I do like to try to karaoke Mandarin songs...)

From now on, I'll try to include Pinyin to my posts so that readers can at least try to say the Chinese words I put in my posts.

Below are two songs from "Baby, 是我" album. They are "我會好好過" (I'll Cross Well) (Wo Hui Hao Hao Guo) and "Baby 是我" (Baby It's Me) (Baby Shi Wo).

First video is "我會好好過" (I'll Cross Well) (Wo Hui Hao Hao Guo):



Next video is "Baby 是我" (Baby It's Me) (Baby Shi Wo):

Movie Trailers For Confession Of Pain (傷城) and Battle Of Wits (墨攻)

Here are trailers for two upcoming movies in Hong Kong and China.

The first trailer is from "Confession of Pain" (傷城) which stars Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Shu Qi, and Chapman To. This film is a crime/thriller about a detective who tries to solve the murder of his father-in-law and enlists the help of another detective. But things don't quite add up and as these two troubled detectives try to figure out what's going on, suspicions start pointing to someone close to them.

"Confession of Pain" (傷城) is scheduled for release on December 14, 2006 (sorry for the poor quality of the trailer - this was the best I could find).

The second trailer is for the film "Battle Of Wits" (墨攻). This film stars Korea's Ahn Sung Kee, Korea's Choi Shi Won, China's Fan Bingbing, Hong Kong's Andy Lau, and Taiwan's Nicholas Wu. This movie is set during the Warring States period and of how the small Liang Kingdom beat the powerful Zhao Kingdom. This highly anticipated film was 10 years in the making and had a budget of $16 million US dollars.

"Battle Of Wits" (墨攻) is scheduled for release at the end of November.


Here is the trailer for "Confession of Pain" (傷城):



Here is the trailer for "Battle Of Wits" (墨攻):

Entertainment News For Week Of Oct 21 - 28, 2006

Leehom Wang Loses A Lot Of Weight Because Of Busy Schedule

Leehom Wang is currently finishing up his "Heroes of Earth" concert tour and at the same time, finishing up filming "Lust, Caution". Many worry that Leehom looks like on the verge of collapsing and Leehom himself admits to eating less and lack of sleep. He promises that once filming is complete, he'll go back to his old self.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: "Fan Complain: Wang Leehom Too Skinny!"

43rd Golden Horse Award Nominees Named

The 43rd Golden Horse Awards announced the list of nominees on Tuesday. "Perhaps Love" had 12 nominations this year. The Awards ceremony will be held on November 25, 2006 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: "Golden Horse Awards Announce Nominees"

Vivian Hsu's Photos From Her New Album

Vivian Hsu's new album is called "Mermaid" (see album cover at left). I've listened to a couple of her songs off the new album and they aren't that bad! Here is a link to a photobook of the pictures for that album.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: "Vivian Xu's Photo Album For New Album"

Universal Music To Merge With Go East Entertainment Due To Declining Music Sales

Music sales in Hong Kong has been on the decline for several years and has recently declined by 20%. Because of this, several big name artists are simply not producing any new albums. To counter low sales and low profits, Univseral Music group will merge with Go East Entertainment (which also owns Cineopoly Records and What's Music).

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: "HK Music On A Decline, Universal Music To Combine With Go East Entertainment"

Hong Kong Box Office Also On Decline

In related news, Hong Kong box office reported the lowest sales in the past 10 years. What used to be a movie powerhouse, Hong Kong is now only producing about 50 films a year, compared to 150 movies in previous years. Only 7 films grossed over $10 million HK dollars. The top movie this year was Jet-Li's "Fearless", which took in $30 million HK dollars.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: "HK Film Box Office Slides To Lowest In Past 10 Years"

Jerry Yan Appointed Asia's Child Sponsorship Ambassador

Jerry Yan, from the popular TV series "Meteor Garden" (流星花園) has been appointe Asia's Child Sponsorship Ambassador by World Vision. Jerry is now visiting several countries as the new ambassador.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: "Jerry To Visit Mongolia's Poor Children"
AsianFanatics: "Jerry To Go To Singapore For World Vision"
AsianFanatics: "Jerry To Go To Japan For World Vision"

15th Annual Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival Gets Under Way

The 15th annual Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers film festival began on Wednesday in Hangzhou, China. This will be the first time films from Hong Kong and Taiwan will compete in the film festival. There will be 15 awards up for grabs, with 65 movies from China. Awards ceremony will be held this Saturday.

Story courtesy:
CirEnglish: "Curtains Up on Nation's Prestigious Film Festival"

Supergirl's Photos Too Hot To Handle?

"Supergirl" contestant Shao Yuhan recently posed for a magazine, but admits that some of the photos were a little too racy. "Supergirl" is a singing competition in China and is similar to "American Idol". Shao's mother was one of the ones who complained the most, writing an angry letter in response to the pictures. Click on the link below to see the pictures.

Story courtesy:
AsianBite: "Supergirl's Racy Pics Spark Harsh Rebukes"

"Curse Of The Golden Flower" To Push Release Date Up A Week In China

The long-awaited, big budget film "Curse Of The Golden Flower" pushed it's release date to a week earlier in China. After participating in several film festivals, the earlier release was in part, due to audience demands and to allow the film to take in more box office sales before the end of the year. The previous release date was December 14, 2006.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: "Curse Of Golden Flower Will Screen One Week Earlier"

Some Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) Videos

I don't own any of her albums, but here are two songs that I really like. Both are off of Jolin's "J-Top" album (album cover on the left).

I've listened to a couple of Jolin's songs, but for some reason, I couldn't really like most of her songs. With her kind of music, I really have to listen to her songs several times before I really get to like them.

Perhaps the next time I decide to buy a bunch of albums, I might consider getting her latest album called "Dancing Forever", which is a collection of remixes and songs from her concerts, otherwise I might just pick up her "J-Top" album.

Here is the video for "The Greek Girl Next To The Wishing Pond" (許願池的希臘少女):



Next is the video for "Rewind" (倒帶):

Entertainment News For Week Of Oct 14 - Oct 21, 2006

Three Kingdoms To Become A Movie

One of my favorite historical stories from China will become a movie! "The Three Kingdoms - Resurrection of the Dragon" has a budget of $25 million USD, will start filming in China next year, and has a cast of Andy Lau (who will play General Zhao Yu), Sammo Hung (who will play General Zhang Fei), Leon Lai (who will play General Zhao Yun) and Maggie Q (who will play Cao Cao's granddaughter Cao Ying).

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: "Three Kingdoms" Stars Meet Press in S. Korea
AndyLauSounds: Andy to be Zhao Zhi-Long
AsianFanatics: Andy to be Zhao Zhi-Long

Hacken Lee To Be Married In November

Singer Hacken Lee announced that he will be wed in November, with Andy Lay to be the best man. He will marry his long-time girlfriend of 13 years Lo Suk Yee.

Story courtesy:
Jayne Stars: Hacken Lee to get Married In November, Andy Lau to be Best Man
AsianFanatics: Andy Lau to do his Best As Hacken's Best Man

Meteor Garden Heading To Airwaves In Japan

The wildly popular TV series Meteor Garden will be heading to the airwaves in Japan on free TV. Previously Meteor Garden had run on cable TV, which is why the cast is popular in Japan, but this is the first time the series is heading for free TV.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Meteor Garden First to Attack Japanese Wireless TV

Top 10 Most Charming Chinese Women

A survey jointly held by Sina.com, Women of China Paper, and the committee of China International Beauty week. Please note that the key word is CHARMING, not the most beautiful (which is why the list has a few older names as well as writers and TV hosts). The top 10 were: Chiling Lin, Maggie Cheung, Yan Lan, Wang Xiaoya, Sun Li, Zhang Haidi, Li Bingbing, Zhang Xiaomei, Hong Huang and Zhang Liangying. For full story and pictures, follow link below.

Story courtesy:
Crienglish: Who Are The Most Charming Chinese Women?

Chinese Movies Frequent Oscars Nominations List

Every year it seems like more and more Chinese movies are being nominated for the Oscars. This year, four Chinese movies are being nomintated for the 2007 Oscars. They are "Curse of the Golden Flower", "The Banquet", "Curiosity Kills The Cat", and "The Road". I am also very glad that more Chinese movies are getting more recognition world-wide as more and more international film festivals and movie awards are including Chinese movies. I believe that the more exposure the world has of Chinese movies, the better!

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Chinese Movies Crazy For Oscars, Ignore Results

Carina Lau Admits To Being Married To Tony Leung

After 20 years of being together, Carina Lau recently admitted she is married to Tony Leung. She admitted this shortly after her fathers death.

Story courtesy:
Crienglish: Carina Lau Admits she is Married

Can "Super Girls" Make It Into Chinese Dictionary?

"Super Girls" is a popular show in China and is a singing competition similar to "American Idol". The question becomes - is it popular enough to make a new entry into the Chinese dictionary? Since the popularity of this show is so great, many think that "Super Girl" has become a household name. Only time will tell if it can stand the test of time and forever be inserted into the official Chinese dictionary.

Story courtesy:
Crienglish: Are Super Girls Super Enough to be in China?

Tse Ting Fung Says Marriage Is Great

On September 29, 2006, singer/actress Cecilia Chung and singer Tse Ting Fung were married. When asked, Tse Ting Fung said that "marriage is a gamble, but he feels great".

Story courtesy:
Crienglish: Tse Ting Fung: Marriage is a Gamble, But It's Great

Some Music Videos

I absolutely love music videos. I'm not talking about music videos from North America...I'm talking about Chinese music videos. Why? Because most Chinese music videos actually tell a story and even if you don't understand the lyrics, you can sort of feel what the song is about.

Below I have posted 4 music videos (two by S.H.E. and two by Jay Chou). All four music videos are off of new albums by Jay Chou and S.H.E. The next time I go buy some CDs, these two albums are definitely on the wish list.

So how does this help in my learning Mandarin?

Well there are great sources out on the Internet where you can get lyrics and their English meanings. For example, I get all my S.H.E. lyrics from the S.H.E. Angelic Fansite. Below is a sample of the lyrics they house there (this sample is from the song "Wisteria", which by the way, is a type of viney flower that can be found in Asia):

花纏繞的神情懸秘 你像蒸發的背影
hua chan rao de shen qing xuan mi, ni xiang zheng fa de bei jing
The flower emits a sense of secretiveness; You're like the shadow of the bloom

我垂墜的心情搖曳 不出聲音
wo zui chui zhui de xin qing yao ye, bu chu sheng yin
My crestfallen heart droops, not making any sound

Not only do I get the Chinese words and the English meaning, I also get the PinYin (romanization of how to say the Chinese word). I've actually picked up quite a lot just by learning lyrics of some of my favorite songs.

Anyways, I've neglected this site for too long. I'll start doing more regular posts and I'll have a feature starting this weekend that rounds up some of the top entertainment news from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

In the meantime, enjoy the music videos - these are my favorites off their new albums (see album covers below).

S.H.E.'s Music Video - Wisteria (紫藤花)

One of S.H.E.'s music videos from their new album "Forever"

S.H.E.'s Music Video - Electric Shock (觸電)

S.H.E.'s music video from their new album "Forever"

Jay Chou's Music Video - White Windmill (白色風車)

Another music video from his new album "Still Fantasy"

Jay Chou's Music Video - Faraway (千里之外) Featuring Fei Yu Ching

Jay Chou's new music video from his new album "Still Fantasy"

CD Review: Jay Chou (周傑倫) - November's Chopin (十一月的蕭邦) (Rating: 7/10)

Track Listing
Track 01: 夜曲 (Nocturne)
Track 02: 藍色風暴 (Blue Hurricane)
Track 03: 髮如雪 (Snow Like Hair)
Track 04: 黑色毛衣 (Black Sweater)
Track 05: 四面楚歌 (Beseiged from All Sides)
Track 06: 楓 (Maple)
Track 07: 浪漫手機 (Romantic Cellphone)
Track 08: 逆鱗 (Counter Scale)
Track 09: 麥芽糖 (Maltose)
Track 10: 珊瑚海 (Coral Sea) Featuring Lara
Track 11: 飄移 (Drifting)
Track 12: 一路向北 (All the Way North)

Review
Before buying this album, I never really listened to any of his songs before and when I saw this album on the store shelf, I thought to myself "What the heck - let's see why they call him the King of Mandarin pop".

I wasn't expecting much, as I thought that most of his songs were going to be like Chinese "rap" (which I still can't bring myself to like). After listening to the entire CD for the first time, I was actually quite impressed!

This album has songs that can fit in several categories - there are some slow love songs, some rock songs, some R&B songs, and some rap songs. In fact, I rather enjoyed some of his R&B type songs, but the ones that I really enjoyed were his slower songs.

After listening to this CD several times, I started looking for some of his music videos (on YouTube) and managed to find most of them. There were several tracks in which I didn't really have feelings for (i.e. didn't think they were special or catchy), but after watching several music videos, I started liking those songs!

I don't know why, but music videos have that effect on me - sometimes when I hear a song, I don't really like it, but after watching the music video, I instantly fall in love with the song!

In particular, Track 06: 楓 (Maple) had this effect on me. Initially I thought this song was rather dull and I found myself pressing the "Skip" button on my CD player, but after watching the music video several times, I couldn't listen to this song enough!

Similarly, I didn't really have an opinion about Track 12: 一路向北 (All the Way North), but after seeing the music video, I loved it. This track is off the Initial D soundtrack - one in which Jay Chou himself starred in.

And the songs I liked, I liked even more after watching the music video!

Of course, with any album, there are always songs that you don't like - and there were a few on this album that I didn't really like.

I base my ratings on the number of tracks I like, the tracks I have no real opinion of (i.e. I neither like nor dislike), and the tracks that I don't like. The more tracks I like, the better the rating. And so here is the list broken down in those categories:

Tracks I Like:
Track 01: 夜曲 (Nocturne)
Track 03: 髮如雪 (Snow Like Hair)
Track 06: 楓 (Maple)
Track 07: 浪漫手機 (Romantic Cellphone)
Track 10: 珊瑚海 (Coral Sea) Featuring Lara
Track 12: 一路向北 (All the Way North)

Tracks I Have No Opinion Of:
Track 05: 四面楚歌 (Beseiged from All Sides)
Track 09: 麥芽糖 (Maltose)
Track 11: 飄移 (Drifting)

Tracks I Don't Like:
Track 02: 藍色風暴 (Blue Hurricane)
Track 04: 黑色毛衣 (Black Sweater)
Track 08: 逆鱗 (Counter Scale)

Overall, I really enjoyed this CD and I find myself reaching for this album most of the time when I'm driving. Some of the rap was bearable and some were actually not half bad. There were some songs that, upon hearing it for the first time, you liked, but there were others that you had to listen to several times before you even began liking it.

Based on this CD, I can certainly see why he is considered the King of Mandarin pop - especially since he's written and produced most of his own songs. Jay currently has a new CD out called "Still Fantasy" and based on this CD, I'll probably buy that one as well.

Overall Rating: 7/10

TV Series Review: Reaching For The Stars (真命天女) (Rating: 8/10)

Starring
Selina Ren as Zhou Xin Lei (周心蕾)
Hebe Tian as Shen Xiao Rou (沈孝柔)
Ella Chen as Ren Jie (任潔)
Chen Zhi Kai as Xiao Ya Wei (蕭亞為)
Guo Yan Yun as Liang Zheng Hao (梁正浩)
Di Zhi Jie as Chen Kai (陳凱)
Lin Wei as Liu Shi Qiang (劉世強)




Overview
The Taiwanese girl-band S.H.E. (Selina, Hebe, Ella) come together in this TV series and put their acting skills to the test as all three members of the band play the main characters. Unlike the previous TV series "The Rose" in which only Ella played the main character (with Selina and Hebe playing small side characters), "Reaching For The Stars" focuses on the stories of all three.

In "Reaching For The Stars", the three girls share the same birthday and were born in the same year. Each of the three girls play uniquely different characters, each from a different social status.

Selina plays Zhou Xin Lei (周心蕾), the daughter of a wealthy business man, lives in a big house with servants and is the spokeswoman for the company her father owns.

Hebe plays Shen Xiao Rou (沈孝柔), a determined, hard-headed policewoman who cares for her ailing grandmother and takes real pride in her work.

Ella plays Ren Jie (任潔), a hard worker trying to hold three different jobs at the same time to try to pay off hospital bills for her very sick younger brother. She hardly has enough to pay for rent when she is kicked out of her apartment and forced to live on the street.

"Reaching For The Stars" opens up with the three reflecting upon their lives on their birthday and with how unhappy each of the three girls are about their lives. As luck would have it, these three happen to come across each other on their birthday and befriend each other. All three make a promise to meet at the same place and the same time next year on their birthday.

Little do they know it, but from that point on, all three will have their lives intertwined with each other, for better or for worse. Will the three girls meet up together again on their birthday in one years time?

Review
This TV series has 22 episodes with each episode lasting about 40 minutes. Unlike some of the other TV series I have watched, I feel that the length of each episode in "Reaching For The Stars" is just the right length and it does not feel as though you have to dedicate an entire night just to watch one episode.

The series keeps you interested and it never does feel like it's dragging it's feet. Like any good TV series, the ending of each episode had you wanting to watch the next episode just to see what happens next.

The opening and ending theme songs were pretty good and the music throughout the TV series was great and had me seriously looking for the soundtrack (however I had a hard time finding it!).

One of the problems I had was that the sound wasn't particularly great. Sometimes the background noises would drown out what was being said by the characters. I found it annoying that sometimes when two characters were having a conversation, the noises can be heard on one camera angle, but then when it moves to another camera angle, the noise is gone! When they come back to the original angle, the noise comes back! Maybe it's the way it's made in Taiwan (because this seems to always happen in all the TV series I have seen).

If you've seen the other TV series that S.H.E. starred in called "The Rose", then you know that Ella did a fantastic job acting in that series. When you watched "The Rose", you could actually feel what Ella was feeling (yes! she really did that good of a job!), but in "Reaching For The Stars", I didn't get that same feeling from her or any of the other girls.

In fact, sometimes I felt like wincing whenever one of the girls were in an emotional scene. I can maybe understand it if it were Selina or Hebe (both never really played a big role in "The Rose"), but I really expected more out of Ella. I'd say that about 50% of the time she was in "The Rose" she had to play it emotionally, and I had really high expectations from her in "Reaching for the Stars".

Aside from some plot holes and maybe some overacting from some of the other supporting characters, I felt the story somewhat captivating. However, I will say this: when the final episode ended, I felt a little sad that it was over and I was kind of wishing there was more or a follow-up series (like any good TV series should make you feel).

Unfortunately the boxed DVD set had no English subtitles (only Chinese subtitles).

Luckily I found a great S.H.E. fansite that had an episode guide that reviewed what happened scene by scene. You can find the episode guide and information about S.H.E. at the S.H.E. Angelic Fansite. You'll have to create an account (it's free) in order to access the Forums. The only thing about the episode guide is that it is only a summary of what happens in each scene - as a result, you may get a one-sentence summary that describes a 10-minute scene.

After I had finished watching "Reaching For The Star", I found it on YouTube WITH English subtitles! Apparently there is a group of fans out there that actually manually translated and subtitled the whole series!

Perhaps I will one day watched the subtitled version which I will hope will greatly help in my learning of Mandarin.

This TV series came highly recommended by my wife's cousin and I'd say I was not disappointed at all. Granted I like anything from S.H.E., I did have some expectations, especially after watching "The Rose". Aside from some spotty acting and some annoying noises in the background, I give this a thumbs up and a rating of 8 out of 10.

Overall Rating: 8/10