Mikeru On Chinese Music Today

Discovered by Taiwanese music icon Jay Chou, rising pop princess Cindy Yen has released her debut album Cindy Yen, including her hit single Paint the Sand (Hua Sha).

Yen's talent and ideas can be found in all aspects of her album – she contributed to the 10 songs' composition and to two songs' lyrics. Yen was also responsible for the album's piano and violin performances and background vocal arrangements.

"I want to present the complete music world I picture in my mind," Yen said during a press conference last week.

Born in the United States, Yen has been learning classical music, including the piano and violin since she was young.

"Music has always been my most important companion, especially in my not-so-happy childhood when I was often alienated by other students for my Asian face," she said.

Hong Kong star couple Cherrie Ying and Jordan Chan tied the knot on Valentine's Day in Las Vegas. The lovebirds have been together for three years. They are planning to settle down in Beijing after the wedding, according to Sohu.com. Cherrie Ying, 26, appears in the films "Fulltime Killer" and "Rob-B-Hood". Jordan Chan, 42, can be found in such films as "Initial D" and "Kung Fu Hip-Hop".

Director Ding Sheng and cast members Jackie Chan, Steve Yoo and Lin Peng pose at "Little Big Soldier" photocall during the 60th Berlin International Film Festival on February 16, 2010. The film "Little Big Soldier" has been included in the festival's Berlinale Special section.

More Information on the film:
One is an old soldier who only wants to survive. The other is a young general who is aspiring to conquer. After a bloody battle, the two are the only ones alive.

When the soldier finds the injured general, he decides to kidnap him and brings him on a long journey to collect a reward, thinking by doing so he will no longer need to fight a war.

The general, feeling insulted, attempts suicide but is saved by the soldier every time.

Somewhere along the way, the soldier and the general find themselves becoming allies in a fight against the real villains.

The story of "Little Big Soldier" is mapped out by Jackie Chan who had conceived it for 20 years. Chan told Sohu.com in an interview that he has talked about the story with many people. But director Ding Sheng was the only one who has translated the colloquial story into a screenplay.

Ding Sheng also directs the comedic road film, starring Jackie Chan as the soldier and Lee-Hom Wang as the general.

Jackie Chan, who supervises the production, says the film is about lives during wartime and is a strong message that peace is priceless.

"Little Big Soldier"
Director: Ding Sheng
Cast: Jackie Chan, Lee-Hom Wang, Yoo Seung-Jun, Lin Peng, Xu Dongmei, Wu Yue
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
Release Date (Chinese mainland): February 14, 2010

Several weeks ago, popular K-pop group 4Minute swung by Taiwan during their Asian concert tour and visited chart-topping Mandopop group and Universal Music labelmates Da Mouth 大嘴巴. The meeting between both popular musical outfits was highly publicized, and you can check out our post about it during that time here.

Since then, Da Mouth went on Channel [V]’s Top 20 Countdown program to provide co-hosting duties with the program’s current host and uber-cute Channel [V] VJ Candice 容嘉. During the broadcast, the members of Da Mouth introduced their fun interview with 4Minute, as the group asked the girls various things and played different kinds of games with them.

The video of the interview clearly demonstrated that the Universal Music labelmates had a blast hanging out with each other, and also showed that Da Mouth's guy members DJ Chung Hua, MC 40, and Harry enjoyed the young girls' presence, sometimes at the expense of their own female group member Aisa. Definitely scope out the interview (with English subs too!) and see both of these great groups just having an awesome time together.

Vanesse Wu (Photo)


Vanesse Wu (Video)



WHEN hit Taiwanese idol drama series Meteor Garden became a worldwide sensation nine years ago, American-born Chinese actor-singer Van Ness Wu was considered boy band F4's least popular and swoon-worthy member.

F4 - now known as JVKV and also comprising Jerry Yan, Vic Chou and Ken Chu - starred as a rich-boy quartet in Meteor Garden.

Van Ness was criticised for his sub-par acting skills and poor Mandarin diction in the drama.

His character had the least screen time among the foursome, and the only one who didn't have a love interest.

Now fast forward to the present, and the 32-year-old is a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry.

Van Ness's latest Taiwanese drama Autumn's Concerto, which debuted last October in Taiwan, has garnered top ratings (8.2 per cent), beating previous front-runner The Prince Who Turns Into A Frog.

It premiered in Singapore on E City (StarHub Ch 56) in January, and resumes telecast on 6 Mar at 7pm after a short hiatus.

The series revolves around an arrogant law student (Van Ness) who loses his memory and then falls in love with an orphaned canteen stall owner (Ady An).

Autumn's Concerto has also won the ratings battle against the rest of F4 by achieving almost twice the viewership of Jerry's Hot Shot (4.2 per cent), Vic's Black & White (4.8 per cent) and Ken's Momo Love (3.4 per cent).

Solo projects-wise, Van Ness is also the only F4 member to have filmed eight movies, released six hit solo albums and own a jewellery line (3.V.0.7) - far surpassing his fellow members' achievements.

He also co-owns entertainment company Smash & Grab productions, lifestyle apparel line Triumvir and luxury nightclub Primo.

Apart from collaborating with international music superstars such as Beyonce Knowles for the 2004 hit single Crazy In Love, he was also the opening act for rapper/producer Kanye West's Glow In The Dark Tour in Shanghai two years ago.

So how did he do it?

First, there was the physical transformation.

For Autumn's Concerto, Van Ness had to work hard to get rid of his American accent and replace his baggy 'street' clothes with well-fitted collared shirts.

Circle lenses were also used to enlarge his pupils so he would have the doe-eyed look that attractive Japanese manga characters are often associated with.

While he had long rebonded hair previously, he now sports a manly crew cut.

His biggest obstacle, however, were the scripts.

But Van Ness won the language battle by transcribing all the Mandarin words into romanised characters so that he could properly memorise them.

Intimacy issues

Then there were the 'girl problems'.

During the filming of Autumn's Concerto, Ady had been reluctant to film the kissing scenes with him.

According to previous Chinese media reports, Ady - who has been an actress since 2002 - reportedly had some bad experiences with men in the past which caused her to develop a phobia of filming intimate scenes.

Van Ness told the Taiwanese media that he was extremely concerned and constantly questioned whether the problem lay with him.

Van Ness, who is a staunch Christian, said he prayed to overcome the problem.

Ady also had some alcohol just before their kissing scene. The final take was a successful one.

On the film set, in front of the media, Ady apologised to Van Ness.

Said Ady: 'I had the courage to film the scene only after I was slightly drunk but Van Ness had already quit drinking because of his religion.'

She then turned to Van Ness and asked: 'Did I smell of alcohol?'

Van Ness could only offer a smile.

Ady added that she was moved to tears when Van Ness had one day pulled her into a room and prayed for her because he had noticed that she was in a bad mood.

Virginity

Since then, Van Ness and Ady have successfully filmed many other intimate scenes in the drama, including kissing scenes set in an ice-skating rink and in a garden.

But after Ady got over her fear, it was Van Ness who kept fumbling during the love scenes.

The production team then set in place a fine, where Van Ness had to pay NT100 ($4) whenever he had an NG ('no good' take).

Van Ness, who revealed he lost his virginity at 17 and has had six girlfriends since, including Taiwanese sex kitten Vivian Hsu, has since taken a vow of celibacy.

The actor said he is now focused on marriage and children.

'Maybe I was naive, and drank a little as well. The person (whom I lost my virginity to) was just a friend, but not someone I loved.

'I regret it. Even when I get married, I will still regret it. This is not something good. Kids should never do this,' he said.

He revealed that he was tempted to break his vow soon after he had signed a celibacy card in 2008. But he has learnt to curb his desires with prayer.

Despite his new perspective on life, Van Ness has not been free from scandal.

His personal assistant is currently being investigated for a drug offence, and those around him - including Van Ness - are now also suspected of taking drugs.

But the star has said he's willing to take a drug test to clear his name.

Now that's a new rock star attitude - by saying no to sex, drugs and alcohol.

She 27-year-old Taiwanese - known for her leading roles in popular idol dramas It Started With A Kiss (2005) and Tokyo Juliet (2006) - has wowed television audiences with her cheery disposition and consistent performances as the adorable girl-next-door.

The real Ariel, however, is much tougher than most would expect her to be.

Just last February, she had an endoscopic surgery to have a tumour removed from the base of her skull.

Endoscopic surgeries are less invasive and risky than traditional operations.

Doctors gave her no alternative. She had to have the tumour removed, they told her, as it would start affecting her vision in the long run.

Ariel is in town as part of the cast of Man And Woman, War And Peace, the headlining theatre production of Esplanade's Huayi Festival.

Relooking her life

She candidly shared with The New Paper how that experience made her 'relook many aspects' of her life.

'Before undergoing the operation, I used to be a perfectionist,' she said with a smile.

'That's probably one of my most masculine traits. When it comes to work, I'm ambitious, determined and I can be really harsh on myself.'

It likely contributed to her stress levels, which affected her health.

Following the surgery, she recuperated at home for two months before returning to work.

While the operation was a major success, she suffered side effects such as vomiting, dizziness and severe mood swings.

She broke down on several occasions, but her mum was constantly by her side, giving support.

'Having pulled through this, I think I've begun to appreciate life more. I am still very motivated to do well in my career, but I've learnt when to slow down. Achieving happiness is my top priority now.'

Man And Woman, War And Peace - which also stars Cantopop star Denise Ho and Taiwanese actor David Wang - marks Ariel's stage debut.

It's a battle-of-the-sexes urban comedy set against the backdrop of two rival television stations competing for talkshow viewership ratings.

First step to something new

Ariel plays Angel, a manipulative spy sent to infiltrate one of the talkshow teams by their rivals.

The Best Actress winner at 2008's Golden Bell Awards for Taiwanese TV shows views her maiden theatre gig as 'the first step towards something new'.

'A veteran actor once told me, when you've successfully portrayed an eggplant, it's inevitable that all the roles that come your way next would be purple in colour.'

That was essentially what happened to her, she explained.

One after the other, the idol drama characters that were offered to her became similar.

Since My Secret Garden in 2003, her first leading TV leading role, she has acted in six drama series as the 'girl next door'.

She said: 'Also, I needed to upkeep this image of a 'decent girl', as it would help in securing endorsements. However, I hope to expand my repertoire gradually to try all sorts of roles.'

Ultimately, she is firm that she 'just wants to act, without the idol baggage'.

That said, good things have definitely come out of her idol drama stints.

Friendships have blossomed between her and several of her male co-stars, including 30-year-old Wu Chun, from boyband Fahrenheit, and actor Joe Cheng.

Not dating

And no, she is not dating any of them, contrary to gossip in the Taiwanese press, she insisted.

'Wu Chun (her co-star in Tokyo Juliet) and I, we are just very good buddies,' she said with a laugh.

'He will slap me on the back after filming and say, 'Come, let's go eat'!'

As for Joe, 28, whom Ariel has acted with three times (It Started With A Kiss, They Kiss Again and most recently Love Or Bread), she described their relationship as 'family'.

'I've known him for so long. Of course, there is a special bond there, as we endured long filming hours together.

'We've grown so close that I feel he is like a sibling of mine.'

Ariel Lin (Photo)


Ariel Lin (Video)


Ariel Lin (Bio)

Ariel Lin, or Lin I-chen (Chinese: 林依晨; pinyin: Lín Yīchén; Taiwanese: Lîm I-sîn; Hakka: Lim2 Yi3 Sen2; Cantonese: Làhm Yī Sàhn; born October 29, 1982 in Taipei, Republic of China) is a Taiwanese actress and singer.

Ariel Lin
Chinese name 林依晨
Pinyin Lín Yīchén (Mandarin)
Born October 29, 1982 (1982-10-29) (age 27)
Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan)