It’s been just a few months since I seriously started listening to MAMAMOO, and they’ve just won me completely over with the release of Melting, their personalities, talent and just pure swag. Oh gosh, these girls are hilarious, just the fact that they’ve released a sped-up version of one of their singles for the giggles. It’s super cute. AND THOSE VOICES.
Funny fact, I was checking my Facebook post history to see when I started posting about them… and it turns out I did post about their debut back in June 2014 when it first showed up on my YouTube timeline because I used to call my friend (who’s older than me) Mamamoo. LOL
The first episode/short film, The Road Trip, for Ankur Tewari’s Y-Films web series, Love Shots, has finally been released. And it’s awesome. It’s kinda sad that YRF has to put so much great talent on the web and not on the big screen, but it’s great that they put together such a great list of talent. The first episode has Nimrat Kaur, so we all can get our fix there, alongside Tahir Raj Bhasin who crept everyone out in Rani’s Mardaani. Their chemistry sizzles here. They’re both great.
Promising start for the series~
A new episode will be released every Tuesday until all six shorts are out.
I ran into this video on YouTube from the Off the Great Wall channel, and they got a bit of flack over the fact that a vast majority of their picks (3 picks for each of the four speakers) were East Asians xD — only one South Asian pick, because Aishwarya has to be everywhere xD, and then there were the Asian-American (Lucy Liu, I don’t think she’s mixed… is she? And she makes it twice~), the Euro-Asian (but basically) Asian-Americans (Maggie Q + Olivia Munn), and (off the official list) the Euro-Asian (Thai-Swede Praya Lundberg).
The thing is beauty is such a subjective element- whatever floats your boat depends on who you are, cultural background, upbringing, etc. But I do agree with Dan (though he doesn’t apply his own rule when it comes to Munn) — especially when making lists — Staying Power is important.
So I do agree 100% that Gong Li deserves that spot. She’s fabulous and continues to be even more fabulous… In Bollywood talk, Gong Li basically started her career doing de-glam roles in banned Zhang Yimou movies. She was a villager so often, wife of gangsters; and in her 40s, she became an Empress. That’s the complete opposite of the typical Bollywood heroine. She hasn’t been acting much, but a couple of years ago she romanced Andy Lau in a sick powersuit, and just a year or two ago broke everyone’s heart as the wife of a writer during the Cultural Revolution. This year? She’s the baddie in one of the blockbusters on this season- The Monkey King 2. And yeah~ she still looks as fabulous as ever at 50 years old.
Besides staying power? Talent, especially when it comes to celebrities, you know? Someone that can do their job like no other? Interview (variety show appearace) perception is a big plus, but CV is important.
But sometimes, so it happens, I also break my own rules~ lol
Also~ my Pakistan, South East Asian, Middle East and Russian games are not strong. Neither is my Asian-Latino game. So forgive the lack of names there, and I do take suggestions (especially if they come with great movie recommendations~~~).
Bjork, Miyavi, Big Bang, JeA~ Too bad I don’t have my dad to be my music companion :( He would’ve loved seeing Laura Marling in a cozy musical setting. He was that kind of person. We would also be waiting for Adele, Shiina Ringo and Faye Wong. lol
So I’m late to the party (as always), and just started watching this year’s season of Sing my Song (中国好歌曲), which has been airing for a couple of weeks. It’s honestly my favorite of these many music contests because it’s new songs. I never ever stay through the actual contest, but… I do enjoy their blind auditions for the surprises!
Episode one, so far, has given me that awkward moment when Laurence Larson 罗艺恒 sings better Mandarin than me… nobody turns for blues singer 黄晓宁 Huang Hsiao Ning which makes David Tao cry (and reminds me of my dad, hence also making me teary), and gives us the meta moment of the night (and probably of the season) when Liu Wei 刘维 sings Because You Are Mavis Fan (因为你是范晓萱), using many Mavis music and lyrics cues, to make Mavis herself cry.
I’m a Mavis fan and I love I Want Us to Be Togetherto bits, so of course I loved it.
The song is available for download over at QQ (apparently, officially), but you gotta download their APP, sign up for an account (maybe pay to get the 320kbps version)… and for sign up, it’s asking for a mobile number to send a verification code, and I don’t use a phone, so I can’t sign up [Hipster First World Problems]~~~ so I only got myself a 128kbps from somewhere murky on the net LOL. If you happen to get the 320kbps one, do share it with me pretty please.
And it’s not like EVERYTHING is available on iTunes. On time.
I can’t believe it’s been ten years since~ To celebrate, Studio 4C is publishing a Tekkonkinkreet Artbook. 100 copies (which are already gone) signed by director Michael Arias. Another 292 copies that will come with a hand-drawn slip in between the book. Both priced at Y2980 JPY (at around $26 USD at current exchange rate). The shipping to South America is more expensive than that xD
You cannot kill me. You cannot kill China. Not even a million deaths could crush the soul of China, for the soul of China is eternal. When I die, a million will take my place, and nothing can stop them, neither hunger nor torture nor the firing squad.
We shall live on until the enemy is driven back over scorched land and the armies of decency and liberty are on the march. China’s destiny is victory. It will live because human freedom will not perish. Out of the ashes of ruin and old hatreds, the force of peace will prevail until the world is again sane and beautiful.
This quote is taken from Robert L. McLaughlin and Sally E. Parry’s We’ll Always Have the Movies: American Cinema during World War II because the audio of Lady from Chungking isn’t very clear.
I don’t know what they’re waiting for to make an Anna May Wong biopic with Tang Wei, and Joan Chen as director.
I finally took the time to catch up with all seasons of Orphan Black, which I had trouble sitting through during its first season… even though I think I might have actually sat through those 10 episodes on reruns without knowing they were 10 episodes. there’s a slump there somewhere between the first 3-4 eps, but once you go through that threshold, it’s a breeze worth the binge-watch. Season 2 flowed better as a viewing experience because half the first part rides on its S1 high and it sets itself for Season 3, which doesn’t glide as smoothly.
But feelings have been had. In terms of Sarah dealing with Beth in a near-death dream sequence that totally reminded me of the Buffy episode, Restless… which interestingly fits into Season 4 of that show where they also deal with the military and conspiracies xD
Feelings were also had because of that messy relationship between Cosima and Delphine, sidetracked by Shay. I haven’t had the fandom feels in so long… and it’s Cosima’s relationships because Sarah-Paul is so impersonal, and Cal -as good as he may be- has been mostly off-screen history. It’s Cosima and Delphine because I’m a sucker for that “I’ll give you up for you” thing, and Cosima with Shay because- man, Shay’s gotta be bad for Cosima’s heart. She seems soooooooooo damn good and caring, it’s gotta be setting up a heartbreak even though it would be “Delphine is your monitor 2.0” and it’s only been freaking 19min. of them together through the whole season.
I also enjoyed the Inner Mongolia [1][2][3] and minorities medley In the Great Embrace of your Hometown (在你伟大的怀抱里) numbers xD In turn into a bit of a Red Song somewhere there by the end, but it wasn’t even the Reddest song of the night. LOL But I enjoyed it.
Tan Wei Wei’s (谭维维) number, though, featuring Zhang Ximin (张喜民) and Huayin Lao Qiang performers (“华阴老腔”演员) floored me. So much damn fun and energy. I loved it. The song was presented under the titled “the Huayin old tune in high tone shout” (华阴老腔一声喊, huayin lao qiang yi sheng han). It also teaches us all about Huayin Lao Qiang (Huayin Old Style “Chinese Rock’n’Roll)!
So… I caught up with Fresh Off the Boat over the weekend for my birthday and Chinese New Year~ and I made it to that episode, which apparently is the first time CNY has ever been shown on TV in the US. Jessica (Constance Wu is my favorite) is prepping for the holiday… and becomes my mom.
Jessica: I overslept. Get up! GET UP! We have to go to the airport!
Eddie: What time is it?
Jessica: 5 a.m.!
Eddie: The flight doesn’t leave until 2 in the afternoon.
Jessica: EXACTLY! WE’RE LATE!
EXACTLY!
This is where I get it from. And my aunt also features in the episode a minute later~
