Sunday 31 May 2015

Jay Chou's Bodyguards


Face it. 
When one is the King of Mandopop and the second richest on Forbes' China celebrity list, safety and security become important  issues, especially when travelling to countries with crowds of fans who are just dying to catch a glimpse, cop a feel or take whatever photos they can manage with their mobiles. 

Pics of Jay arriving in and departing from airports, train stations, hotels and what-have-you frequently show up on weibo and over the years, his entourage of  staff and security guards have become familiar faces to fans and onlookers alike. 
Their job is to look fierce, act tough yet not to aggravate whilst protecting Jay and getting him safely to where he is supposed to arrive at, in one piece. 
For that, I am immensely grateful to them. 

I only know the name of his most prominent guard, Xia Ban Zhang (夏班长).
He is the tall strong-jawed guy with the ponytail (see if you can recognise him in the pics below!), who is ever-present beside Jay, most usually when he is in China. 








One of the most endearing images ever caught was of Xia Ban Zhang holding the umbrella for Jay during a rain-soaked concert in China in 2013. The fans loved it!




And another umbrella shot during a rehearsal, also in China.



More familiar faces




Jay does not hesitate to show his appreciation for them and has often been seen celebrating their birthdays if the dates coincide with their assignments for him. 



****************


So those were the official bodyguards. 

We now come to two 'unofficial' guards, Jay's personal trainers who have become his friends, fellow performers in his concerts and MVs and also help in protecting him on his frequent travels.

This hottie here is Hulk 浩克, but don't for a moment think he is anything like the green monster in The Avengers. 
I've had the pleasure of meeting him at the airport and chatting with him and he is one of the sweetest guys ever, not to mention also having a most adorable dimple! 
Hulk was also one of Jay's groomsmen at his wedding in Selby Abbey. :)




I have not found out the other guy's name but he is equally hunky; just a little more shy. ;)




Watch them in the MV for Ukulele:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QqpEvN2Xd8

And in Opus Jay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu3QV3rFz2s


Catch Hulk in the fairytale wedding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s34fl3eFYMc


                                                                 ********



Anyway, Jay has just arrived in Shanghai, flanked by, yup, Xia Ban Zhang:

https://www.facebook.com/jaychoudiaoness/posts/678597228911617

He is there to record for The Voice of China, where he will be one of the mentors.
Due for broadcast in July, fans everywhere are eagerly waiting to see him on that stage in this new role.

Keep watching the Page!


Wednesday 20 May 2015

Diaoness Updates: 10,000 Miles, lawsuit, GMAs, shopping

Press conference for 10,000 Miles

This was held on 11 May 2015 in Ximending, with Jay and Kevin in attendance with the director, Simon Hung and the two leads from the movie.
In a departure from his usual actor/director roles, Jay has taken on the post of producer for this movie with Kevin Lin.
He joked that this should be a more successful venture for him (alluding to his past movie, The Rooftop) as he would not be in it and neither would it have his good friends in the cast.

As at the HOT event previously, Jay appeared for his requisite moments on stage to talk about the movie, took the usual photos with the others and immediately took off, not staying back for the usual Q and A with reporters (you know, when they surround him with their microphones and pepper him with questions).
He was clearly not keen to be asked about his wife and the impending birth of Baby Chou.
And I don't blame him!
Hannah, on the other hand, has been somewhat more forthcoming at events, so I guess he prefers to let his Missus do the talking...lol!

Link to playlist of vids:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbHLPahX3mJ4e-nuEbUs1tQBuHSAhqODu


Link to article and pics:
http://www.msn.com/en-my/entertainment/asianbuzz/jay-chou-and-kevin-lin-promote-new-movie/ss-BBjDRw3#image=1


Link to FB album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.671795842925089.1073742074.399217090182967&type=3




                                                                      *************


JVR reply to lawsuit


There was some confusion regarding a lawsuit apparently initiated by the hotel management in Xitang, which alleged that Jay and Co had not paid their bills for expenses incurred when they were there to shoot the MV for The Traveller in late 2014.
JVR had to step in with an official statement to clarify matters.

Link to article:

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/jay-chous-management-clarifies-lawsuit-issue-063800515.html


                   
                                                                           ************


Golden Melody Award nominations


Jay has been nominated for two categories:

1. Best Album
2. Best Album Producer

A third is for Best Album Packaging but that is more a technical award and not for him per se.

He was apparently also in the running for Best Singer in a toss-up with Jacky Cheung but the jury eventually ruled in favour of the more veteran performer who has released an album after a hiatus of seven years.
I'm sure Jay would not mind losing out to Jacky, though!
Plus he has so much happening in his life now that the GMAs are probably not as big a deal for him anymore, considering how many times he has walked up that stage over the past 14 years.

Link to news article:
http://news.yahoo.com/jacky-cheung-happy-nominated-041200960.html          


                                                           **************

Now for something more lighthearted....


Shopping with Jayannah! 

The happy couple was spotted in Taichung and Tainan night markets the past two nights, with Jay all togged up like a ninja (which made many fans wonder how hot he must have felt!) but his wife was, thankfully, dressed more sensibly....lol!



                         


And here's a belated post of a Mother's Day pic which Jay shared on Mr J, saying that his Mum was held up and thus he celebrated with the other two Mums viz Hannah and her Mum.

Love this pic!


Sunday 10 May 2015