45th Golden Bell Awards~

So exciting~ It’s been such a long time since I’ve watched a legit Chinese show on TV~ I basically flipped when I saw Ella Chen, Jerry Yan, and Show Luo on TV. I actually did not recognize Rainie Yang at first (dunno what happened there) and got a little sad when Ella/Jerry/ Down With Love didn’t reappear in the program, but that’s besides the point. It was still SUCH a good way to end Thanksgiving.

And now for the results (I didn’t really pay that much attention to the other awards but here are the main ones that I was interested in):
* Best Variety Program: 百万小学唐 (Million Dollar Class)
Nominations:
全民最大党 (The Biggest Political Party)
超级星光大道 (One Million Star)
超级偶像 (Super Idol)
钻石夜总会 (Diamond Club)

* Best Variety Programme Host: 猪哥亮、侯以君 – 猪式会社 (Chu Ge Liang, Rene Hou Yi Chun – The Chu Show)
Nominations:
利菁 – 超级偶像 (Ling Jing – Super Idol)
张菲 – 综艺大哥大 (Chang Fei – Variety Big Brother)
陶晶莹 – 超级星光大道 (Matilda Tao – One Million Star)
庾澄庆 – 百万大歌星 (Harlem Yu – Million Singer)

* Best Drama Series: 情义月光 (Brotherhood Moonlight)
Nominations:
那年，雨不停国 (Year of the Rain)
牵纸鹞的手 (The Hand that Leads the Paper Crane)
海派甜心 (Hi My Sweetheart)
摇滚保母 (Rock Baby)

* Best Director – Drama Series: 陈慧翎 – 那年，雨不停国 (Chen Hui Ling – Year of the Rain)

* Best Actor – Drama Series: 吳政迪 – 情义月光 (Wu Zheng Di – Brotherhood Moonlight)–>a 15-year-old boy. Guess that’s a pretty cool accomplishment from his perspective (not sure if he deserved it), but I’d hate to be one of the other nominees.
Nominations:
吴中天 – 牵纸鹞的手 (Matt Wu – The Hand that Leads the Paper Crane)
温升豪 – 那一年的幸福时光 (James Wen – The Year of Happiness and Love)
罗志祥 – 海派甜心 (Show Luo – Hi My Sweetheart)

* Best Actress – Drama Series: 杨丞琳 – 海派甜心(Rainie Yang – Hi, My Sweetheart)–>absolutely love her acting skills! So pro~ And check out the drama if you haven’t already. It’s one of my favorites ^^…I should blog about that sometime soon… >.>
Nominations:
白歆惠 – 闪亮的日子 (Bianca Bai – The Shinning Days)
高慧君 – 曙光 (Francesca Kao – Dawn)
郭采洁 – 那一年的幸福时光 (Amber Kuo – The Year of Happiness and Love)
简嫚书 – 那年，雨不停国 (Jian Man Shu – Year of the Rain)

* Best Supporting Actor – Drama Series: 巫建和 – 牵纸鹤的手 (Wu Chien He – The Hand Holding the Paper Crane)

* Best Supporting Actress – Drama Series: 高慧君 – 芳草碧连天 (Kao Hui Chun – Fang Cao Bi Lian Tian)

Random commentary:
Introduction and “Welcoming Ceremony”: Lovely little cheesy 10 minute video clip and dance performance that apparently took them a month to prepare. But, I guess it worked. Within the thick layer of cheese were Ella Chen, Jerry Yan, and Show Lo, and I definitely got super excited when I saw them (don’t ask my why. I’m just special like that). And as a last note, the two main hosts did a…well, let’s just say an extravagant live dance performance. Clearly a lot of thought and effort were put into these 10 minutes, and I must say, the results were decent (it could have been worse >.>)

三大男(难)高音: A trio of famous male Taiwanese stars (康康 (Kang Kang)、吴宗宪 (Jacky Wu)、高凌风 (Frankie Kao)) who, in my opinion, provided a much needed comic break in between the many awards. They do it so expertly and effortlessly, providing humor and entertainment…for the viewers at least, and I’m pretty sure for all the nervous nominees, too.

Overall, it was a long program, but there’s nothing like watching some of your favorite stars all dressed up and waiting in agony to know whether or not they won the award or not.

Song of the Week: Angela by Super Junior

I recently discovered this and almost immediately became addicted (like all the other bouncy, happy kpop I listen to). This particular song dates back to 2009 when Super Junior released their 3rd album, Sorry, Sorry.

Anyways, Kyuhyun, Donghae, and Ryewook start off this song and in my opinion, they’re all one of the best vocalists in the group. I love how their beautiful, high-pitched voices are used to illustrate an innocent, sincere heart that has fallen deeply in an unrequited love. What a lovely introduction to a song about an impossible, bittersweet romance ~ ^^

Although usually unrequited love songs are slow songs, filled with pain and the desire to be noticed, this one is different. As I mentioned before, it is a rather bouncy, happy song depicting satisfaction with just staying as friends and watching from afar. They easily express genuine feelings, which complements and influences the overall mood of the song.

I’m not sure why (maybe because I’m getting too obsessed), but the vocals of this song seem to fit a lot better than other songs. Donghae, Ryewook, Yesung, and Kyuhyun’s parts seem to shine brightly in this song. It is their vocals parts that seem to be carrying the sorrow, depressed emotions that are subtly hidden within the song while everyone else seems to contribute in the chorus and the overall cheerful, optimistic mood.

Anyways, check it out! I love it~
P.S. I recommend watching the live version even though I personally don’t usually watch live. But for this song, they look like little kids having a great time on a playground ^^. It’s so cute and helped me appreciate the song more.

It’s almost Thanksgivings! Can’t wait for that stuffing/turkey/biscuit/other delicious food all over the world~ I hope y’all have an awesome break!

Song of the Week: Bye Bye by SS501

One of the older SS501 songs, dating all the way back to 2006~ But it’s still good; yeah, still good ^^

This is definitely one of the more bouncy, sweet love songs from SS501. It’s just…depressing to think that it’s not one of their more well-known popular songs.

Well, anyways, if you’re looking for a nice bouncy song to brighten your day, look no more because this is it! Super catchy, and super cute lyrics (about the sweet separation of a couple after a date), as expected from SS501. I personally find it hard to be stay down in the dumps after listening to it, but, maybe that’s only because I’m pretty obsessed with them. Or, maybe it’s because they sound so lively when they sing, almost like a reflection of their own feelings that portrays an image of their innocent, boyish childhood.

Well, whatever the reason, make sure you check it out! You won’t regret it…unless you’re not into five flower boys singing up-beat love songs…

P.S. SS501 coming back with an album in 2011! Who else is excited, raise your hands! ^^

ShoutOut: Fahrenheit…WTH HAPPENED?!

…Is it just me, or do these people NOT look like 30 to you guys (ignore Aaron Yan’s age. I know he’s not 30…YET)?

But, that’s not the reason why I’m writing today. Sorry Fahrenheit fans, I’m here to criticize and bash them up. Don’t like it? Fine by me~

I’m glad that Fahrenheit is becoming popular and branching out in foreign countries, but their new image kind of depresses me. Gone are the years of a boy-ish childhood; gone are the times of innocence and little-kid cuteness. And here to stay, for a seemingly very very long time, is a future of…up-beat, catchy, hip-hop style of music.

Don’t get me wrong. Girls go crazy for up-beat music, especially when accompanied with hot, sexy, shirtless approach guys. Besides, which girl wouldn’t want a man with a broad chest and strong arms to protect her? It’s nice and all, but sadly, it seems like that’s the only thing Fahrenheit has nowadays. It’s nice to know that they’ve developed muscles and are proud to show them off, but…is that the only thing you’ve got? Don’t forget, you guys are not only celebrities, but also singers and actors. So, wear a shirt sometimes and concentrate on your job more than your physical appearance. You don’t have to become a stripper to attract attention; real talent always has a way of shining through no matter what.

Speaking of talent, they all have beautiful vocals…that is, when they allow it to show through above the background music. That’s probably why I love their slow songs more than their up-beat, catchy hip-hop songs (but sadly, it’s the up-beat music that get a sexy music video, which is probably why the slow songs are often times over looked and forgotten). Not that I’m against up-beat music (I love it actually), but is it really necessary to make music videos with flashy, extravagant side effects and use techno to hide the vocals? After all, I would think a singer’s voice is the most precious…part…of his…body. Why would you ever choose to hide it when you don’t have to? Besides, the excessive vocal and visual additions just shows me how fake you are. I can’t hear the honest, heart-felt emotions that singers express in their vocals. 😦

But, on a brighter note, the music videos have become better in terms of flashy-ness; the dances…exist! and are more extravagant; and there is a nice balance between up-beat, catchy songs and slow songs that remind fans of the group’s charisma and popularity.

Song of the Week: Oasis by B2ST

“I believe [in] dream[s] for you and me. You are the long [a]waited rain in my draughty day. You soaked my heart and gave me courage. You made me fly and smile again, Coming into my arms and silently giving [me] happiness just like a rainbow after a shower”

Cute? Thought so. Now wouldn’t it be nice if we all had a significant other who serenaded this to us? But, for those of us who don’t (sadness), imagining six cute guys (or girls if you’re a guy) singing to us is quite satisfying in itself.

The song starts off with a catchy beat accompanied with a beautiful piano instrumental (top two ways to catch my attention~): the catchy beat to ensure addiction to the song, and the instrumental to imply a sense of appreciate that stems from the bottom of your heart. Three seconds have already passed, and I’m liking the song already!

Then comes in the vocals~ Clear and high enough to matches the background music. I love how all of their voices alternate to bring out each individual singer’s strengths and create depth to the song. Sadly, I do not know the group well enough to be able to differentiate between their individual voices…YET, so I can’t overly obsess about them in that general area.

And of course, since I’m not Korean, I wouldn’t have a clue about what they were singing about at first. But how can such a beautiful song ever possibly be about the worse side of life? Just from the bits of English phrases, the happy-ful instrumental, and the sincerity in their voice is enough to communicate their feelings of appreciation and gratitude to their listeners. Nevertheless, knowing what they were actually singing about always helps me fall in love with the song all over again. After all, who could possibly hate a sweet and cute song that is meant to be sung from the bottom of your heart? (Now, all they have to do is improve their English skills…but whatevs!I could care less at this point ^^ )

Enjoy~ Hope this was worth your time.