The first episode in a new series, watch as the comical Wang Fujing wanders from place to place meeting many interesting people along the way.

首发一个新的系列，看滑稽的王府井流浪地点见面许多有趣的人在道路上。

Here is an alternate link in case YouTube doesn’t work:
下面是一个候补链接如果YouTube的情况下不正常工作：
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/y66gil7jdF0/

Perhaps you have noticed Jeremy Miller’s 《杰里米 米勒》 fame in China such as here, here or here. Jeremy played “Ben”《本》 on the Growing Pains 《成长的烦恼》 sitcom. In the late 1980’s Growing Pains and Garrison’s Gorillas were the only two foreign TV shows allowed into China. As such, you can expect they left a big impression on the TV watching audience. Garrison’s Gorillas was from 1967 featuring a group of convicts recruited into the U.S. Army that function as commandos. If that doesn’t make you watch it, well… I guess I’m not going to watch it.

Jeremy Miller is circulating around the Chinese publications these days, as we finished filming Milk and Fashion 《牛奶时尚》. The film is unique that it is produced by a US production company, based in Shanghai, with a majority foreign cast, all speaking Chinese, with the film intended for Chinese audiences. Jeremy Miller’s Chinese is, of course, an exception, though he does have a few short lines in Chinese.

The other Hollywood starlet that was brought in for this film was Vanessa Branch (Chinese link here). Her Chinese as well as French speaking skills are outstanding, not to mention her acting skills. Unlike Jeremy she is virtually unknown in the Chinese market, but in Hollywood her most recent notable appearances are in Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2.

Kyle Rothstein has some exposure in China, as an actor as well as a fluent Chinese speaker. Impressive, considering he is only 16 years old.

As for me, my best Chinese is spoken after downing a few beers. Though, everyone in the film performed wonderfully and I look forward to seeing the finished result.
The film is now in post production, but expected release date is around July 2007, so look for all of us in theaters then. Until then, enjoy the pictures below:

Shots on the set:

Alas, since it was a show about fashion, there were plenty of models about. Here are a few shots for you to peruse.
Models:

I have always enjoyed acting. From a small stage play to a big movie, it is always fun to take on a role, a new identity. The thing is, though, that is acting is fun, but most of the time spent is usually not doing that. In my experience, and (I seem to say this often) especially in China, that schedules are often floating and you spend many hours waiting for the next shot.

In the last movie I was filming, we had days as long as 16 hours, with only 2-3 hours of actual shooting. Unfortunately that is typical for the industry in China. Though, there is always something fun you can occupy yourself with. Some people have games, some books, or even sleep. Once you have memorized your script many times over, there is still a lot of time you have to practice your basket weaving.

Though the danger of immersing yourself in a book or some other activity is that when you are called up for your scene, you have to quickly get back into character and remember the lines and the scene. Next time, how about some more accurate schedules guys?

Anyhow, we did have an outstanding team of actors (Jeremy Miller, Vanessa Branch, Faith, and Li-Tong), as well as a great Director (Roy Chin 金国钊) and Director of Photography (Jeffrey Chu).

What does it take to make a celebrity in China. There are many elements, but I can one thing for sure, and that is good PR and Marketing. Upon doing the Artistry tour, one of the artists I had to contend with was Hu Yanbin (胡彦斌) as well as the band Hua er (花儿). Now, I am not going to say anything about what my opinion of his music is, but I can say that he seems to enjoy what he is doing and people (at least some) like what he is doing. In short, he is popular so people are happy. What I do wonder though, is how long does this popularity last, and how much of it comes from the singer/talent himself?

What I have seen, especially in the Asian celebrity scene is celebrity performers which seem to be controlled far too much by their respective managers and companies. It seems as if these companies see the talent as just another product to be packaged, and when this one is no longer interesting, cast it off and find some other new one. Unfortunately, I think this formula, while it does showcase some good talent, all too often burns out great talent.

Perhaps instead of focusing on churning out the temporary super-pop hits, focus on creating entertainment with more longevity, albeit perhaps without the immediate popularity and immediate money stream. Perhaps this all comes back to the culture I have experienced here in China, where the focus is on making as much as you can now, and not concerning yourself with long term gains.

China has some amazing talent out there. Let’s just hope some more make it through the giant marketing machine of the industry to create some new classic entertainment.

Here are some more of my pictures from the Hennessy Artistry tour:

I recently had the pleasure of having Soler perform at one of my events for Hennessy. They are an interesting mix of ethnicities that would make your head spin. Their passion has always been for the music, and you can tell in the way they play. They are one of the very few bands to make it big in Hong Kong/China that has real talent.

It is refreshing to see a group of this caliber that are truly passionate about their music and not just after fame and glory. Upon talking with them you learn just how charming and humble these guys really are. All in all, a refreshing break from the norm around here.
Also of notable mention are the DJs from Union music, hailing from around the world, but now finding themselves around the world. They quickly learned what the Chinese expect and play what Chinese people like, yet still manage to play really good music in my opinion. Anybody that has been in the DJ business knows that is sometimes a hard line to ride.

It seems you can’t have a weekend these days without some brand doing some event somewhere. Big brands have the money to flaunt to throw a big bash, so other people, who also have excess cash can throw it at buying the brand. The bottom line is generally these parties have better DJs, VJs, performers, decoration and everything. Is the experience better? Things that are “branded” have money behind them, so you can generally expect better things. Put an ad on something, it gets more money so it can be better. Simplicity.

Then you have the party brands, Resistance Asia, Antidote, Rennaissance and the like. They focus on making the party itself a brand name. These parties are driven by teams of elite DJs encompassing a general theme for the party.

So which is better? I would say they are one in the same. Branded parties have the money to get the top DJs and themes, but party brands focus exclusivley on the DJs and themes, so it is just a matter of your personal preference. Either way, you can expect to party all night long.

Here are some pics from a recent Hennessy party on their “This is Me Tour”. They brought in the amazing live act Spirit Catcher, as well as renowned DJs Jef K and Sasse who ripped up the tracks like there was no tomorrow. Also, the VJ team factoid mesmerized the crowd with their mind warping visuals.

It is easy to criticize the contestant on the show from the audience side. This time, let’s take a look at it from the contestant’s perspective.

Bantering with the contestants, it was easy to understand their take on the whole event. They are all really nice and friendly guys with attractive personalities. Most of them seem to realize the relative impermanence of their fame, and are glad just to have this opportunity. Given the criticism they receive from some people and media, I think they themselves are aware that that they may not be the most talented people, but are grateful to have such an opportunity.

In contrast, the backup dancers, especially the female ones seem to all have quite a big head. They give the impression of “I am a superstar, I am so special”, which was quite the opposite of the main contestants. I have found this throughout my experience that the main stars are usually the humble ones.

There exists a condition that seems overly prevalent in entertainment. Once a person is in front of the camera, they are on a higher level than normal people. This is one of the reasons the marketing for shows like this works so well. Get a reasonably good looking guy or girl, package them up in marketing, and they will be an idol, talent or not.

One way or another these boys got very lucky and are riding the giant marketing train of Dragon TV until such time as they are discarded for the next packaged idol. At that time, I think most of them will be happy to go back to their hometown and return to a normal life.

Here are some more behind the scenes shots:

It seems China is copying everything nowadays. Whether it is DVDs, designer labels or songs, you can find a copy of everything in China. This time though, they have copied the popular “American Idol” show. Though, unlike the American Idol show, the success of the men is apparently not judged on their talents.

The name of this show? My Hero! The Chinese version being 加油好男儿, meaning “Come on Good men”. (加油 literally means “Add oil” which is a expression like “come on!”) The show has raised a lot of controversy because the men boys are seen as simply pretty boys, with no real talent other than to look good on TV.

Watching show is sometimes hazardous to your health I think, but it is one of the highest rated shows on Chinese TV, with a recent 5.3% rating, beating out ever the Supergirls show.

Here are some shots from the other day while on the set at a rehearsal:

One way or another, I think it shows the power of marketing in China. There is a lot of genuine talent out there, but with a good marketing team singers don’t need to know how to sing, actors don’t need to know how to act, all they need is a pretty face and a good marketing strategy.
Everything lives and dies by marketing in China. That’s why I chose it as my profession here. Especially in entertainment.