A few hours later, Yu Zheng revealed that the photos were actually of a dragon robe at the museum he was visiting while researching for a new drama. Shows you how much internet criticism is worth.

On 11/11/11, boy group M.I.C., after releasing their immensely popular MV for Get It Hot, released their first album titled “V”. 70% of the songs in the album were written by the members themselves.

Pay The Bill (买单) is a really funky, yet awesome song, and if you can figure out what genre it is, please write it in the comment box. Other notable mentions are member Xiaoxin’s powerful composition Gazing At That Sea (望 That Sea), featuring very powerful rapping from Yaoyao, and captain Wang Hao’s composition Dance With MIC, also with superb rapping from Yaoyao and an extremely cute melody. Another one of Xiaoxin’s composition is You Are So Cute, and in my opinion has the catchiest chorus ever. Acapella fans, you guys are in for a treat, M.I.C. included their acapella version of popular song La Mélodie d’Hélène (心念).

There are many amazing songs I have not listed here, so listen to the whole album on Youtube here.

Are you talented in creative writing? M.I.C. wants you to participate in their contest! Write a screenplay featuring M.I.C., incorporating three songs from their album (other than Get It Hot) to be adapted into a movie. Prizes include money and other desirable items. For details about the contest, M.I.C. explains the process in the following fun video:

English, French, and now Cantonese. It seems like we simply won't hear her in mandarin for a while. Maybe Shanghainese is next?

As a part of her upcoming album “Hello, World,” singer  Laure Shang released a Cantonese version of her self-composed Love Warrior, this time named Asura. I like the Cantonese version much better than the English version, which one do you like better?

Can you spot the celebs who just graduated this month in the Beijing Film Acting Class of 2011?

Hint: all the currently more famous ones are  female.

Jin Sha and Xue Zhiqian shout of their love for Shanghai

For the second year in a row, Dragon TV featured a cute Shanghainese rap MV for its Chinese New Year’s show. This year, Shanghaineses artists Xue Zhiqian, Kym Jin Sha and Huang Ling, along with other artists like Fu Xinbo and Da Zhang Wei, participated in flash mobs in various famous spots in Shanghai to film the MV. Jin Sha also took the bold step of choosing to wear a hanfu for the MV.

Sorry about the video quality, but at least the cute Shanghainese makes up for it!

Yu Haoming in short film Fireworks that

On Christmas Eve, Yu Haoming tweeted a message to his fans through sina weibo, translated by Eilynne@cfensi

61 days ago, having full treatment with the Ruijin medical team, I passed through the dangerous 72 hours. Until now I have successfully completed the first phase of treatment. On Christmas eve I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Ruijin hospital’s medical team, Hunan tv, eemedia and I have a date spring crew’s care. And the love and support from my close friends, friends in the media, and fans, thank you God! So far everything is fine, i’m still in the process of recovering and treatment. I hope Selina will recover as soon as possible, Ren dad and Ren mom (Selina’s parents) wish you guys’ good health. lets fight together!Merry Christmas!!!

Although Yu Haoming was seriously injured in October, his presence is still all around. His new drama, “8090向前冲” with famous director You Xiaogang (The History of Concubine Yang), will air in February of next year on Hunan TV, and the new eeMedia family MV included a cartoon figure of him. At Top Combine’s concert, his good friend Zhang Yuan also sung of blessings for him and Amu.

Slashfilm gives a breakdown of the chances of each film, summarizing its chances as a dark horse, but unlikely that a foreign film would win this year with Toy Story 3 in the running.

MV Trailer

Source: Oscars.org

Ever  wished cpop would control every move of their artists from age 10 to 30 to make their artists all equally polished? I have. Yet then I see an artist flourish with individuality under a  loving but free company, and that wish goes out the window.

The latest example? Laure Shang Wenjie, once packaged “properly” as the sophisicated, Fudan-educated French interpreter and now crazy but awesome chick with catchy songs. The only thing that her old and new songs have in common are the phrases of French that she adores.

Listen to Laure’s new song S.O.S., the second song composed by herself:

This type of flourishing has been in cpop as long as there was pop in Greater China. The classic example is  homeboy Wang Leehom, who started as an idol singer but later took over his entire career by self-composing, writing and producing his songs.

One of mainland’s biggest entertainment companies, eeMedia, which receives a degree of complaints for lack of polish, is perhaps the company that best nourishes self-expressed talent. The Super Boys in 2007 bloomed like no other, with almost all of them composing their own hit songs in less than three years.

Even the more controlled band Top Combine is given plenty of say in their own works, and each member is free to pursue their own interests as long as they don’t interfere with the group. Ma Xueyang and Zhang Yuan were hence able to follow their music love, enabling their first album to be almost all composed by Top Combine members themselves. Li Mao is also beginning his dream career as an actor by taking over Deng Chao’s role in play “cui hua.”

The key in continued strength to an industry is by allowing room for growth for their artists, and many Chinese companies show that also in the way artists develop their own workshops and sub-companies. Actors like Eva Huang and Huang Xiaoming go on to produce their own movies and TV shows, and singers like Yu.Quan and Jane Zhang begin their own music companies, bringing their knowledge and expertise to a new generation of artists.

Ms. Lane Crawford (composer:  Laure Shang, Zhang Yadong) MV:

Where there is love, there is hope; Where there hope, never give up.

Hate her or love her, Li Yuchun is one of the most recognizable symbols of Chinese entertainment. Top ten influential Chinese of the past decade, number one baidu tieba, most popular artist, and record album sales are only some of the things that characterize her. While it is always hard for us non-fans to determine what makes her such an icon, it is not hard to discern what makes her fans so attractive. This often overlooked group is undeniably a major key to her success. Other than the pure fanaticism and amount of money spent on her, it is also what the fans chose to use their love for her on that makes them distinguished. While volunteering and charity is not unique to the Yumi’s, as her fans are called, it has never reached the organization and scale that Li Yuchun’s fans made it have.

The Yumi Love Fund is the only Red Cross Fund started and owned by a fanclub. To this date, the Yumi Love Fund has raised over 6 million yuan. Other than direct donations to help children with leukemia, the Yumi Love Fund has been done to set up five Yumi Love Health Centers in rural regions in Sichuan (3), Anhui and Gansu, with one more in construction in Henan The health centers are mostly staffed by Yumi volunteers, and helps to provide basic health care to the locals.  After a flood ruined the Sichuan town of Nanchong, Yumi Love fund and volunteers helped to rebuild the town – causing the town to be renamed Yumi Town. Yumi’s also set up the active tieba named “if there’s hope, then don’t give up,” which allows Yumi’s to auction off their goods for charity.

A video about the Yumi Love Fund and Volunteers, followed by Li Yuchun’s performance of their theme song – “We’re all the same” at her 2009 Why Me Concert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQWSDQ5TIPA

Meanwhile, the Yumi Volunteering Group focuses on organized or solo volunteer work. Over the past three years, there have been 300 volunteering activities by thousands of volunteers in about 70 cities, and that’s not counting those who do regular volunteering. Some of them are just one person initiatives, while others draw near a hundred fans and friends. Glimpses of Yumi Volunteers are everywhere, even two CNN report on the anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake showed Yumi volunteers singing the Yumi Love theme song – “Same As You” (although CNN seems to believe that the Yumi volunteers were grieving parents angry at the government).

Each year, too, at her Why Me concert, Li Yuchun recognized some of those volunteers. I teared up watching last year’s concert, when several Yumi’s were featured for their goodworks. It made me tear to learn of Miss Xiao,  the Yumi who left her high-paying job as a lawyer to teach children in rural Xinjiang. For those Uyghur children who knew little to no Chinese, the first Chinese song they learned was “Same As You.”There are many, many others who do this, and she probably would’ve done the same with Li Yuchun. But what Li Yuchun inspired in these people is something beautiful. Li Yuchun’s fans use their love for her as a power to better themselves. Whether Li Yuchun is admirable in talent or not, she succeeded in creating a positive change in the world through her fans, and she’s respected for that.

Happy Birthday, Li Yuchun.
But even more importantly, Happy Birthday, Yumi Volunteers.

We’re all the same lyrics:

who patted my back when I needed it the most
who is willing to share my joys when I’m the happiest
time will go on
and I’ll be by your side
watching you grow fills me with power

who can forget the past that we have walked together
the pains we have have endured
who could predict in the faraway future
where you’ll be
with a smile on my face
same as you
singing loudly and clapping for ourselves,

I’m the same as you
the same in strength
the same in our determination to chase our dreams
even if we’ll get hurt
even if there are whirlpools
only after the storm can we truly shine

I’m the same as you
same in our kindness
same in our wish to create a heaven for those in need
my voice are the wings
that sing for hope
all our sacrifices come from the power of love
same as you

who can forget the past that we have walked together
the pains we have have endured
who could predict in faraway future
where you’ll be
with a smile on my face
same as you
singing loudly and clapping for ourselves

I’m the same as you
the same in strength
the same in our determination to chase our dreams
even if we’ll get hurt
even if there are whirlpools
only after the storm can we truly shine

I’m the same as you
same in our kindness
same in our wish to create a heaven for those in need
my voice are the wings
that sing for hope
all our sacrifices come from the power of love

we’re all the same
same in determination
same youth that can shine the brightest rays
even if we’re hurt
even if there are whirlpools
only after the storm will there be sunshine

we’re all the same
same in our kindness
same in our wish to create a heaven for those in need
my voice are the wings
that sing for hope
all our sacrifices come from the power of love
same as you

we’re all the same

who patted my back when I needed it the most
who is willing to share my joys when I’m the happiest
time will go on
and I’ll be by your side
watching you grow
and always clapping for you