I would say it’s been a great year for TW-actress Chen Qiao En (Joe Chen) as she successfully transitioned to the elder stateswoman role of evil stepmom in hit C-drama The Double and also got married. She’s 45 years old so playing the mom/aunt role isn’t a stretch it’s just that most of us remember her as the fresh ingenue … Continue reading →
The dueling Mama-sans were out leading the red carpet charge at the 2022 Golden Bell Awards in Taipei this weekend, with the TW-drama Light the Night with the most nominations with 11 and leads Ruby Lin and Cheryl Yang taking their onscreen “competition” offscreen with both up for Best Actress. Sadly all of Light the Night was swept out as … Continue reading →
There are quite a lot of big TW-dramas in development and production for 2021 but none as star-studded as Blue Hour (華燈初上) set in 1988 Taipei Red Light District about the lives, loves, and struggles of the club madam, their hostess ladies, and the men in and out of their lives. Ruby Lin is producing and plays one of the … Continue reading →
I know the key word right now is “social distancing” to keep safe from viral spread but Taiwan has been getting kudos for the early and vigilant response to the COVID-19 spread since end of December. I would know, I was there and it was immediate and noticeable. That means cases remain low and everyone is careful with life mostly … Continue reading →
Indulge me for once because I truly felt like I was back around 1999. That’s during the heyday of the Four Sky Kings and honestly the last period I even paid attention to Hong Kong’s most famous stars who all acted and sang. Fast forward 20 years (!) and over 50 years old Aaron Kwok is still holding a star-packed … Continue reading →
Maybe it’s the fall weather and the recent seismic shift in Asian drama viewing options but I’m in a nostalgic mood and one of the classic eras that passed naturally was the Taiwan idol dramas of the 2000s. Starting from Meteor Garden which was remade by a new cast this year in 2018 who may have just been born when … Continue reading →
A new flagship store for a major fashion couture house is sure to get the stars in attendance and there were plenty of Taiwan entertainers at hand for the grand opening of the new Christian Dior boutique in Taipei. But it was Korean actress-singer Suzy that stole the limelight, proving yet again how big Hallyu is and how popular she … Continue reading →
K-drama fans in the last year must’ve truly understood first hand the acquisition power of Mainland China in dictating the entertainment outputs of some of it’s neighbors. Folks in Taiwan have known that for decades but it’s taken an unofficial ban on K-dramas in K-pop in the last year due to the THAAD political beef to show how much Hallyu … Continue reading →
The Beijing wedding of C-actor Chen Xiao to TW-actress Michelle Chen was indeed as star-studded as fans expected considering how well liked and sociable the newlyweds are in the Chinese-speaking entertainment industry. Closest friends like Joe Cheng and Wilbur Pan got to take official pictures with the wedded couple, but most of the star sightings was at the banquet reception. … Continue reading →
A walk down is always welcome when it comes to my favorite dramas, those that linger forever like a soft imprint on the narrative soul. The stories that resonated seem a bit timeless even as the people playing the characters move on. One of Taiwan’s most popular and beloved dramas is indisputably It Started with a Kiss, the adaptation of … Continue reading →
A new period C-drama started filming this week and is most notable for not starring the usual suspects. TW-actor Joe Cheng reunited with C-actress Wang Li Kun after working together on thriller romance movie The Beloved (The Rebirth of Love), but this time they take their romance back nearly two thousand years to the North Qi dynasty. They are headlining … Continue reading →
It appears variety shows in China have truly crossed the line to mainstream and star-studded. Fans of TW-drama It Started with a Kiss (and maybe of the sequel They Kiss Again) were reawakened last week from years of slumber waiting for a third go around between leads Ariel Lin and Joe Cheng. Pictures of Joe and Ariel together started making … Continue reading →
It’s been a decade since Tangren produced fantasy wuxia C-drama Chinese Paladin and launched the careers of Hu Ge, Crystal Liu, and Ady An, and more than five years since the just as popular second helping with Chinese Paladin 3 which is credited for putting Wallace Huo, Tang Yan, and Yang Mi on the map. The CP series were all based … Continue reading →
