A personal take on the King of Mandopop, incorporating pics, vids and links to relevant websites and forums.
NB: Absolutely no copyright infringement (of pics) intended.
What a wonderful 34th birthday it has been for His Royal DIAOness, who received LOADS of well wishes and tributes on Facebook, starting on the dot of 18 January at midnight and continuing well into the day!
I'm pretty sure weibo and Chinese websites had a field day (or night) too but one thing was certain:
My Facebook News Feed had a continuous stream of updates from the groups, Pages and what-have-you which kept me up till 2am 'cos I just wanted to read everything that was posted!
Not to mention writing my own blog post and forum post on JCS for his big day. :)
Here are some highlights from 18 January 2013:
He was presented with a beautiful Rooftop cake from his staff:
NB: He's too hardworking! Poor staff want to go home too, Jay! But kudos to your passion and dedication for this movie....can't wait to watch it in June!!
Gary Yang also posted on his Facebook Page:
Jay got to fulfill his wish of being a deejay...specifically, AIYO DJ on Hit FM radio in Taipei.
Here's the link for the audio, in which there are birthday wishes for
Jay from Vincent, Selina Jen and Matilda Tao; he also introduces Cosmo
and they sing a slow version of Gong Gong Pian Tou Tong...lol!
This fangirl had a wonderful karaoke session with fellow Jay-maniacs, complete with wearing a pink top and eating a pink Jay cake:
We had a hilarious attempt at the Gong Gong dance...it's NOT easy! ;)
And just sang his songs for three hours....heavenly!
The lone guy amongst us was also the best, mimicking Jay very well and even singing his own version at times!
Here's a fanmade video tribute to Jay using Sweetness (tian tian de) from an independent company, SEITEN TAISEI. They make their own cover MVs from Jay's songs...love it!!
More info about them in this forum link on JCS, where they explain about themselves and provide link to their youtube channel and Facebook Page:
I'm quite blown away by their passion and dedication and I'm pretty sure His Royal DIAOness would be too!
Here are some cute cartoon images I saw on Facebook:
And I shall end off with four new images of Mr Chou from Metersbonwe, which are technically NOT birthday-related but my friend posted them on Facebook and I simply HAVE to post them here 'cos he looks TOO DARN DIAO!!
Recognise that face?
It's one of my favourite caricatures of His Royal DIAOness, taken from the teeshirt he wore in the MV for I'm Not Worthy. My dear dear cousin was kind enough to bake a cake for me to celebrate his birthday on 18 January 2013 and she bravely gave this a go....successfully, I might add!
It's simply too cute to eat!
Confession: I'm quite hopeless in the kitchen, something I want to rectify some day... ;)
Anyway, it's already 18 January where I am (and where Jay is in Taiwan) so here's my birthday letter to Mr Chou:
Dearest Jay,
I just want to thank you for being the awesome dude you have been all these years.
Although I only got to know you two years ago, I feel like I know you so well!
Ok, perhaps I have been a tad obsessive...ok, ok...I've been obsessively obsessive and compulsive and you know what? I have absolutely no regrets!
This blog is a result of all that OCD behaviour and I'm still having loads of fun going at it!
Being your fan has definitely been the most rewarding experience ever!
Partly because I've already gotten to see you three times in Sg over the past two years, gotten to take a group photo with you and am looking forward to more encounters in 2013!
Partly because you're such a hardworking and passionate star, who delights in facing new challenges and doing new things to 'shock' your loyal fans.
Partly because I love how you have resolutely resisted having a weibo and instead chose to share stuff with us via your trusty and loveable friends.
Partly because you're such a down-to-earth celeb without any diva-esque behaviour like when you come to Singapore for your concerts, all you care about is that the rehearsals are done well so that the show goes on smoothly to make your fans happy. And reporters have always been impressed by how no-airs you are. :)
Here's wishing you a very happy and fulfilling birthday spent with your loved ones and friends!
Thank you for the music, the movies, the MVs, for being the marvellous multi-hyphenate that you are!
I'm sure you know that your millions of fans love you lots but we also worry about you lots when we see you working so hard and looking a little too skinny of late.
Please remember to take care of your health, get enough sleep and may God bless you always in His keeping!
I'll be having a karaoke session tonight with my friends and we're going to sing only your songs in celebration of your birthday and eat that cute cake in the photo. :)
Isn't he soooo HANDSOME there??
His hair is just about perfect, with that brownish tint. :)
That was at his autograph signing session in Taipei on 12 January.
His kindergarten teacher also brought a whole bunch of kids to the event...can you tell which cute fella is he in the old photo?? Hint: watermelon hair ;)
At Kaohsiung:
At Taichung:
Now for some magazine covers!
As usual, His Royal DIAOness was all over the mags and yup, they're mine..all mine!!
All painstakingly collected and on my bookshelf now.
Milk was bought in Taipei when I was there in December, thanks to a tipoff from a friend in Singapore and I had to go to two different shops to find the two covers.
The rest were acquired from Kinokuniya in Sg, with me occasionally hounding the nice staff there...lol!
Latest additions:
He has also been on quite a few entertainment shows, of which this is one of my faves, where the host is the gong gong from his MV and it's set in ancient China's Imperial Court, Ming dynasty, complete with
Emperor (fat guy in yellow) and Empress (the lady beside him).
The
main host in red is the Chief Eunuch (who is
played by the same guy who was the Gong Gong in the MV).
And the guys and gals with the huge headpieces are the concubines.
They're performing various skits and acts for Jay to judge viz singing, magic, parodying Secret, etc. :)
An absolute hoot from start to finish, with my faves being the male 'concubines'...lol!
And our Jay looks VERY VERY HANDSOME in the show, 'cos he was totally smiling and laughing all the way...le sigh...
He was also on Kangxi Lai Le, where he appeared with Kevin Lin, the Taiwanese marathoner and his good friend. Kevin was featured in the MV for Dreams Activate, together with Lang Lang. Loads of ribbing about Hannah and Xiao S just cannot keep her hands off Jay!
Another entertainment show, where they teach how to do the Gong Gong dance!
Jay was a guest on 100% Entertainment for his OPUS 12 promotion.
This show is usually hosted by Show Luo and Xiao Gui but this episode had William (from Lollipop F) in place of Show.
It features:
1) more fruity piano-playing from Jay (Vid 1)
2) Gary and Lara performing (Vid 1)
3) Xiao Mai and Xue Gao teaching the steps for A Larger Cello (Vid 2)
4) Magic performances by fans. Watch Jay do his own trick after the first fan has done his! (Vids 2 and 3)
5) A lovely tribute to Jay by a fan singing and playing a ukelele....Jay was visibly moved. :) (Vid 4)
Jay also guested with Lara and Gary on the University show, featuring songs, dances and a very funny skit!
I think the music segments speak for themselves but here's a translation of the hilarious skit and a link to a JCS news article about the programme:
The two goofball thugs (let's call them Pants and Shorts) have kidnapped
two people...or rather Shorts kidnapped them and have them held
prisoner.
The female is unveiled and Shorts says it's Jolin.
Anyway, Pants does not believe but then Shorts says look at her G-cups...lol!
When
'Jolin' gets up to dance with Pants, Shorts whacks him and states that
"Only Jay Chou can hug her!" at 27:05...which is what Jay was laughing
at. :)
Then they get round to the guy, whom Shorts claims he saw speeding down Zhongxiao East Road in his Batmobile!
Blondie says he's NOT Jay Chou and 'Jolin' also agrees that he's not, after she semi-danced with him.
Shorts insists that he IS Jay Chou 'cos of his blond hair and abs (as according to the poster).
Then Shorts says another way to check is that Jay usually has back pain.
After
which Shorts whacks 'Jay' who naturally screams in pain and the two of
them are convinced that he IS Jay Chou...lol! Watch Jay laughing away!!
But 'Jay' protests that the way he was whacked, anyone would be in pain.
Pants and Shorts then confer and decide that he is NOT Jay.
They
then ask him who he is and he says he is Wu Kexun (Kenji Wu), another
popular Taiwanese singer and he performs a song...at which point Jay is
convulsed with laughter again!
Doorbell rings and Jay delivers a
parcel...they realise it's the REAL Jay and 'Jolin' of course pounces on
him! Which thoroughly embarrasses Jay!
"Hello,
everyone quieten down! I'm Jay Chou and I'm obviously not bluffing you!
I'm obviously going to be a DJ! After 18 Jan, every Friday nite from 10
to 11! Is there a DJ feel? Yes! I, Jay Chou am HitFM's AIYO DJ! Have I
scared you silly?"
Can't wait to tune in and see what songs he spins and how he talks on air. :)
Another HUGE piece of news was the announcement of the stops for his upcoming World Tour, something tremendously anticipated by the Jay Chou fandom!
JAY CHOU 2013 MAGICAL HEAVENLY WORLD TOUR
(UNOFFICIAL ENGLISH NAME) CITY LIST: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou,
Tianjin, Cheng Du, Chong Qing, Nanning, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shenzhen,
Xi'an, Luoyang, Fu Zhou, Wuhan, Guiyang, Changsha, Hefei, (Jinan,
Qingdao, Wuxi pending), Wenzhou, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore,
Indonesia, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Vancouver, Toronto, New York, California,
Sydney, Melbourne...
Glad to say he has two nights in Sg and I fully intend to go for both if I can get tickets! Maybe he'll add a third if the demand is as overwhelming as it was in 2010!!
Jay's philosophy:
I shall end off with some beautiful pics of His Royal DIAOness:
What's the next big thing happening in Jay's life??
Any self-respecting Jay fan should know what 18 January means and for certain, I have plans to celebrate and pay tribute to him in my own way. :)
JVR has just released the official MV for A Larger Cello!!
Featuring His Royal DIAOness' own inimitable stamp on 1920s big band music, it is a thoroughly enjoyable song which makes me want to get up and join in the fun!
Jay slaps, twirls and plays a mean double bass and his dancing is really sharp, not to mention his outfits and hats. His totally cool demeanour and attitude just complete the whole package.
And I love that he got Lara and Gary involved in this MV too...I could not recognise Gary at first.
Their performance is quite a breakthrough for them too as I've never seen either of them dance so much. ;)
Here's the link to the article about this MV from Jay Chou Studio:
And here's the BTS of the MV, where Jay introduces Lara and Gary, who both appreciate the opportunity which Jay gave them to be in the MV, portraying very different characters from their real selves and getting to dance! Gary says he only had two hours of practice on the day of shooting and Jay says jokingly that it is obvious...lol!
This has got to be THE MOST DIAO MV on OPUS 12 so far!
This post will be about my other Jay-related moments and experiences in Taiwan last December.
First up, I went to Deja Vu, Jay's magic-themed restaurant which was at Huashan Creative Park, a short taxi ride from our hotel. This was on the first evening we arrived, a Saturday. I had wanted to go on a weekend as I had read that there would be live music and magic performances.
As it turned out, there was more than magic and music going on that night; an elaborate marriage proposal, complete with slideshow was in progress when we arrived.
When I had emailed my reservation a month before, the staff had explained that they could not let me have the tables nearest the stage and I could finally understand why, as the proposal guests were all occupying the front. ;)
Nonetheless, the helpful manager had promised us the table as near as possible to the stage and that's what we got. :)
The Batmobile was near our table and so was the antique piano and out in the foyer, was the Pandamen motorbike! (some pics from Now News):
The young magician performing was pretty cool and I actually saw him on Taiwanese TV a few days later!
Food was good and service attentive and helpful.
After dinner, we wandered around the park and there was a free concert going on, with an all-female troupe playing traditional Chinese instruments. And to my great delight, they played Jay's Qing Hua Ci! :))
Another significant Jay-related outing was to Danshui, where Secret was filmed and where I got to visit Jay's alma mater, Tam Kang High School.
We got directions from a stallholder in Gongming Street and soon came to this:
It was then another walk up the slope to get to the school. I was really excited to see the signboard and think that this was exactly where His Royal DIAOness must have walked or cycled to get to class. :)
Here are some pics of the school grounds, which were pretty much open to the public. That speaks a lot for the security and safety of this little town.
AHH! The famous facade from the movie!!!
There were students practising marching drills and dance routines on the school grounds and also other tourists taking photos; I think it's safe to say most of them should have been fans of Jay and/or Secret. ;)
I also checked out Jay's fashion store, PHANTACi and bought a nice comfortable pair of Nike pumps:
And I found a huge stash of Jay posters in a little shop in Keelung, where initially, all I saw were posters of Show Luo and Kpop stars. I asked the shopkeeper for Jay and lo and behold! At NTD$25 each, they were a steal and I happily bought about twenty! No matter if I did not have anywhere to put them up yet; I could just take them out to look at occasionally. ;)
1. Four Seasons Train (四季列車) (si ji lie che)
2. Sign Language (手語) (shou yu)
3. Eunuchs Tend To Have Headaches (公公偏頭痛) (gong gong pian tou tong)
4. Obviously (明明就) (ming ming jiu)
5. Giggle (傻笑) (sha xiao)
6. A Rather Large Cello (比較大的大提琴) (bi jiao da de da ti qin)
7. Love You No Different (愛你沒差) (ai ni mei cha)
8. Worldly Tavern (紅塵客棧) (hong chen ke zhan)
9. Dream Activated (夢想啟動) (meng xiang qi dong)
10. Big Ben (大笨鐘) (da ben zhong)
11. You Are Everywhere (哪裡都是你) (na li dou shi ni)
12. Ukulele (烏克麗麗) (wu ke li li)
For
starters, Four Seasons Train 四季列车 (si ji lie che) is THE best Track 1 of all, amongst the
last three albums (or which the title tracks did not really engage me). It's classic Jay with the sound of the train and the
haunting background music, coupled with his awesome rapping. I have the
same grouse that it's too short but there's nothing we can do about that.
I can't stop going "Wu wu" and "Du
du"...lol! 9/10
Jay promised more piano ballads and he delivered!
Three to be exact! You Are Everywhere, Obviously and No Difference Loving You.
Each is incredibly romantic and tears at my heart when I listen.
You Are Everywhere 哪里都是你(na li dou shi ni)is very heartfelt and I can so see myself crying when it's played during The Rooftop.
True,
Jay's high notes can get a little pitchy but it's raw and emotional and
the melody is beautiful, not to mention the lyrics. 9/10
Obviously 明明就 (ming ming jiu) is the best of the three, for me.
Strong
yet simple melody, marvellous rendition and I just love the ending
where he goes into "ming ming jiu, ming ming jiu, ming ming jiu"...gives
me goosebumps! 9.5/10
No Difference Loving You 爱你没差 (ai ni mei cha) is just classic Jay; reminds me a little of I Weep, My Emotions are In Bits and Pieces from The Era. 9/10
He
also gave us a beautiful zhong guo feng song in Worldly Tavern 红尘客栈 hong chen ke zhan), which I
love but it still cannot surpass Ju Hua Tai (Chrysanthemum Flower Bed), Qing Hua Ci (Blue and White Porcelain) and Fa Ru Xue (Hair Like Snow) for me. 8/10
As
for Gong Gong Has Headache公公偏 头痛(gong gong pian tou tong)..haha...hilarious song with funny steps
which Jay choreographed and I've been mimicking...lol! Thumbs up for a
cheeky irreverent take on ancient China! 8.5/10
Uniquely Jay song
for this album is of course, A Bigger Cello 比较大的大提琴 (bi jiao da de da ti qin) in which he puts his own
inimitable stamp on 1920s big band music and the MV is AMAZING! The
melody is infectious and gets me moving without a doubt.
It's on par with Free Instructional Video for me, amongst his quirky songs. :) 9.5/10
Lively, breezy and uplifting songs form the rest of the album.
Giggle 傻笑 (sha xiao),with Cindy is a nice duet, which works for me. 8.5/10
Ukelele 乌克丽丽 (wu ke li li) is really cute and kawai, yet not too childish. This little instrument seems to have seen an upsurge in its popularity in recent years and in fact, I've been wondering if Jay would play this soon, since he can play guitar. I can't wait for this MV and to see him playing it during his next round of solo concerts. :) 8.5/10
Big
Ben 大笨钟(da ben zhong) is a catchy, jaunty number which is very enjoyable and Jay looks really impish in the MV. :) 8/10
Dreams Start 梦想启动 (meng xiang qi dong), is an uplifting song, featuring Jay, Lang Lang and Taiwanese marathoner, Kevin Lin! With that Rachmaninoff piano intro
(played by Lang Lang, no less!), this song definitely makes me "Go go go!"...watch for this MV! 8/10
Trivia: The piano excerpt is from Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto in C minor, Opus 18, Moderato.
Sign
Language手语(shou yu) with its totally romantic and Jay-ish lyrics just makes me smile and this
is another one which the MV should be interesting to watch. I think he
managed the autotune nicely without overdoing it. This song reminds me
of Mine Mine and Love Is Sweet (which he wrote for Super Junior) but it
still stands well on its own. 8.5/10
Come to think of it, I love every single song on this album, unlike most
of his other albums where there would be one or more tracks which I
would fast forward if listening to the album as a whole.
I think there should be a Golden Melody Award or two somewhere in there. :)
Jay performed on New Year's Eve in Jiangsu, China, together with a host of other big names like Jacky Cheung, Karen Mok and Wang Lee Hom.
He sang five songs in all and for added delight, played piano with an apple for the intro to Worldly Tavern...something he gave credit to Lang Lang for teaching him...lol!
Methinks it was a sly dig at the Apple Daily pappz too,perchance? ;)
His hair remained black and upswept for this concert...doesn't he look sooo handsome in that photo on top?
He expressed his happiness at being there and got the fans even more excited when he threw his gloves into the crowd, provoking huge cries of "I want! Give me!", as heard in the background of the vids below. :)
Here is the link to the vid of Jay's performance:
And here is another greeting from Jay via dear Nini:
