Chou Style: Mr J Channel

After songwriting, singing, acting, directing....what would Mr Chou try next?

Hosting his own talkshow, that's what!

I suppose after guesting on COUNTLESS talkshows over the years since his debut, he was keen to turn the tables, so to speak and be the interviewer rather than the interview-ee. ;)
Jay also wanted to challenge himself to improve his conversational and speaking abilities, as he had always been known as a man of few words since his early years in showbiz.

He, of course, had his own ideas about how to go about things and before long, rolled out Mr J Channel, where he would appear together with another FOUR co-hosts.
They were his makeup artiste and good friend, Du Ge; choreographers Ice Cream (Xuegao) and Xiao Mai; and Eri Otoguro, a Japanese starlet who had previously appeared on one of the Drifters' MVs with Jay.

"These people grew up with me and we are very familiar with what makes each other laugh. We have chemistry. The interaction will be very natural and the humour won't be fake," said Chou of the cast (save for Eri)

He also said:

"When I started out [in showbiz], I may have been a little worried. But after a decade in the entertainment industry, I am quite confident in my speaking ability now and I am not afraid of any awkward moments."

He, however, stated explicitly that every episode would follow his strict policy of 'three don'ts' – he would not sing, dance or act.(haha)



http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1081560/1/.html


From the Jay Chou Studio archives, here are some articles about his preparations:

http://www.jaychoustudio.com/archives/mr.-j-invites-j-girls-director-chou-calls-patty-hou-to-come-on/1274

http://www.jaychoustudio.com/archives/jay-chous-new-show-has-a-lot-of-rules-if-you-want-to-see-jolin-tsai-wait-till-next-century/1280


However, the premier would eventually air with Jay's old friend, Show Luo as guest but with less than stellar ratings and reviews.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1091107/1/.html

For the uninitiated, Show Luo himself is a very popular talkshow host who has also worked his way up in the Taiwanese entertainment industry, with his share of ups and downs.
He and Jay have been friends from their early days in Alfa Music but some time ago, there were rumours that they had fallen out, which Jay cleverly put paid to by getting Show to be his first guest.

Here is the pilot episode from youtube in three parts, with English subs....watch it and judge for yourselves:

I found the episode very entertaining, but have to admit that Show was the main reason with his witty personality which played off Jay's awkwardness, being his first time as a host.
Show delights in taking the mickey out of Jay and it's always very fun to watch the two of them together on other shows as well. :)

It has to be said that with Jay's stature as a mega pop star, taking on a hosting role was never going to be easy and would inevitably invite loads of criticisms from his detractors and tabloids eager to bring him down, if for anything just to boost their circulation.

Here's a link to an article about feedback on the show and Jay's/JVR's responses:

http://www.cpopaccess.com/2010/11/jay-chou-expresses-anger-towards-medias.html


Mr J Channel ran thirteen episodes with guests like Jody Chiang, A-mei, Kevin Tsai, JJ Lin, Lin Chiling and Jay's friends, Nan Quan Ma Ma.

My personal take on Mr J Channel:
 
I have watched all the episodes and found them quite enjoyable on the whole, with Jay gradually improving in his hosting skills over time.

He, however, has many frequent mannerisms, such as flicking his fringe and covering his mouth when he laughs, which are probably nervous habits. Nonetheless, they should not happen when one is the host as it is rather distracting for the audience.

I also felt that it was not necessary to have five people hosting the show. I mean, it's nice of Jay to want to let his friends share the stage and limelight. Perhaps he was also nervous and needed the support of his friends whilst being a newbie host..
But it could get quite confusing when more than two of them talked at the same time. Or one or more might not say anything and so appear utterly redundant...most notable example being Eri, The language barrier was obvious and I felt for her as the rest them bantered on endlessly sometimes.

Although Jay had mentioned that he would not sing, dance or act on the show, being the performer that he is, there was really no way he could have refrained from crooning and playing the piano, whether as an accompanist, improvisator or entertainer. It's just such an innate trait of his.

Yes, as a fan, I loved the show for its colourful sets and pianos, Jay's often-times outlandish clothes, the funny side-comments onscreen (which are a typical part of all Taiwanese talkshows) and the equally funny music snippets which accompany said comments....thoroughly entertaining.
I loved seeing Jay let his hair down (metaphorically), joking and being teased as it showed another side of him.

BUT:

It is for those very same reasons I mentioned which probably turned off many other viewers as well; viewers who were not fans of Jay, as there were many in-jokes and references to Jay's works.

As such, the ratings were not great and after one season, Jay decided not to continue the show, citing lack of time and a full schedule.
Planning and recording a weekly talkshow is extremely time-consuming and with his numerous other commitments in film, music, commercials and performances at many venues in China, it was no wonder he would find it tremendously difficult to keep up with Mr J Channel.

http://www.jaychoustudio.com/archives/jay-chou-resigns-from-presenting-job-on-mr.-j-channel-says-reason-was-schedule-being-full/1309


However, Jay's experience on the show definitely improved his speaking skills (as he had hoped it would!) as can be seen, where he interacts so much more easily with the audience and his guests on stage at his concerts subsequently, like during his performance with Nicholas Tse in Gaoxiong. 
And also for public appearances and promotions, where he gets thrown all sorts of questions....he has become much more verbal but at the same time, able to make self-deprecating and witty remarks. He has also become quite adept at side-stepping tricky and potentially embarrassing queries about his love life...eg during the Harry Winston gala dinner recently.
And of course, his cute yet wise words at the Golden Melody Awards in June. :)

So His Royal DIAOness accomplished *something* and Mr J Channel was not an utter fail after all!

And who knows, perhaps Jay will find time for another season later on when his schedule allows and I'm pretty sure he would be a much better host then. :)

Here's hoping!