The Beijing Olympics are finally here!!!

I'm re-posting this official Olympic anthem 'cause I'm SOOOOooooo excited to watch the Opening Ceremony tonight, and anyhow, I can't get this song out of my head, so why even try? The first time I posted this song, it was edited down and didn't have any subtitles. The first version below is full and is fully translated. After seeing the meaning behind the song, I definitely think that the lyrics are both inspiring and extremely poetic, which is very much in line with how Chinese poetry flows. It is a very patriotic song, but how can you blame China? - they are a very patriotic nation.

Anyhow, enjoy the song. I wonder if it will be performed at the ceremony. Also, I listed two versions because the 2nd version has a different ending, where they actually show the athletes in action. I think this will be one of the best Summer Olympics yet!

reggaeton wannabes

The full video for Hayden Panettiere's new single "Wake Up Call" finally dropped. After several viewings, I started to realize which song this reminded me of. It's, gulp, a lot like Paris Hilton's "Stars are Blind." I don't think they sound exactly alike, but for some reason, that was my first thought. Go figure.





I need to stop listening to crappy pop songs sung by wannabes. Sigh...

Hayden wants to sing for you

"Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere is trying to break out of the small screen and become a singer. In a cross-promotion with Candie's for Kohl's, which she has been a spokesperson for some time now, in her latest TV ad, she debuts a snippet of her first single, "Wake Up Call."



The song isn't bad, although it has a mostly reggae vibe to it, which doesn't strike me as her style, per se. I can't say that her voice is spectacular, either, but at least she's actually singing on-key, so I guess that's a good sign. (I know, we have low expectations for today's pop stars/wannabes, don't we?) Hayden is one of those young celebs who isn't too tarty or too clean, so she's in an interesting gray area that allows her to explore many avenues of creativity. I would say that she shouldn't give up her day job, but the song, which can be heard in its entirety here, does grow on you after awhile.

In addition, she also did a series of print ads which will run in magazines. Notice the music theme throughout the campaign...?


Click below to see behind-the-scenes of her filming the ad.

Trust me, I can sing!

I'm definitely the wrong target demographic for this campaign, so while I'm not holding my breath for any of these fashions, or her CD, I can't wait til "Heroes" returns! :D

over excessive use of the word "love" in this post

I've been trying to catch up on my TVB viewing (one of my guilty pleasures, as no friends of mine even watch them anymore!), and the series I'm currently watching is "The Seventh Day" (最美麗的第七天). I'm halfway through the series, and although I accidentally read a spoiler (D'oh!), I'm still enjoying the series. The parts w/ Bosco and Natalie are way too goofy, but I loved the build-up of the romance between Niki and Kevin.

Anyhow, I am also in love with the two theme songs for the series, esp. the duet between Kev and Nik. Several months ago, I wrote about how I hated Kevin's solo main theme...I really thought it was horrendous. But after multiple exposure, it is now in my good graces. I think the music has a nice, moody, haunting feel to it, so it's not so bad.

Kevin Cheng 鄭嘉穎 - The Most Beautiful Seventh Day ("The Seventh Day" theme) 最美麗的第七天 (最美麗的第七天 主題曲)


Here is the same song sang by Vincy Chan 泳兒. I'm not sure which version I like more...she's an ok singer.



As for the duet...LOVE IT!!!!! I can't stop listening to it. The chorus, the chorus, I luuuuuuv the chorus! Will a CD version ever come out?!? Why doesn't TVB do the smart and obvious thing and release all of these songs on a CD/DVD package? I would buy them all up!

Kevin Cheng 鄭嘉穎 and Niki Chow 周麗淇 - Embracing the Air 抱著空氣


For the music critics out there, I know, I have very simple taste in music...haha...these aren't mind-blowing audiophiles, but I appreciate a good melody, one that I can just hum or sing to. Sometimes, good music only needs that. So anyhow, enjoy these two songs, while I sadly comb through the world wide web to find a version worthy of putting on my iPod. I hope the duet comes out on CD. :( Hoping, hoping....maybe it'll be on Niki's next CD...

luxury sounds for your ears

While I am anticipating the arrival of the Chanel mobile museum, another French fashion house worked on some cutting edge, unexpected marketing of their own. Louis Vuitton is working in collaboration with Soundwalk to bring to you 3 urban soundtracks designed for self-guided tours through three cities in China.

The soundtracks are an hour long, and each city is narrated by a different Chinese actress: Gong Li 鞏俐 for Beijing, Shu Qi 舒淇 for Hong Kong, and Joan Chen 陳冲 for Shanghai.

In Beijing, Gong Li re-visits the Central Academy of Drama while telling an old love story between two young students.


Shu Qi narrates the sights and sounds along the tour path starting at Luk Yu Tea House, along Stanley Street in Central, Hong Kong.


Chinese-American actress and director Joan Chen takes travelers through the quaint French Concession area in Shanghai.


Original soundtracks composed by Kubert Leung and Albert Yu. Shan Sa (”The Girl Who Played Go”) and Mei Feng (up-and-coming young Chinese author), have written these journeys much like film scripts — subtly blending reality and fiction to offer a cinematic experience in the heart of the city.

Stylish travelers can download Louis Vuitton Soundwalk for iPod, mp3 players and mobile phones on www.louisvuittonsoundwalk.com or www.louisvuitton.com. It is available in six languages, English, French, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean. Each audio guide costs $17 and comes with a map.

While these were obviously designed to run in conjunction with the upcoming Beijing Olympics, I find this project intriguing and refreshing. Even if I can't go to Asia, to be able to listen to the soundtracks themselves sounds like a lovely blend of art, music, and travel, and because it's a product of Vuitton, there is almost a guaranteed level of sophistication in terms of the final product.

In viewing the trailers, I'm actually surprised by how well Shu Qi speaks in English; there is almost a slight British lilt in her pronunciation. Gong Li is new to English, and her voice is very harsh, so I don't know if I would enjoy listening to her. Joan Chen speaks with an American accent; no surprise there. I wonder what the other languages sound like, since the trailers are only in English; do these ladies narrate in all 6 languages?

View all three trailers below. The soundtracks sound really beautiful; I wonder if they will be available for sale outside of the Soundwalk guides?







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The Chinese Go Green

Chinese actress Zhou Xun 周迅 is featured on the cover of Elle HK for their July issue. (Not loving that weird 'fro on her head, but she's still very pretty.) It's very interesting to me that they are doing a "Green Issue," as both Hong Kong and China are notorious for their smog issues, but at least there is awareness now to counter those issues, among other eco-friendly prerogatives.

Here Zhou Xun talks about the issue below. I actually enjoyed this clip a lot. For those not in the know, she is a huge star in China (although she hasn't made the leap to international stardom just yet), so for her to lead this initiative is akin to a Cameron Diaz or Charlize Theron showing you how cool it is to live green. I like how they talk about not owning too much clothing (this ties in a lot to that long blurb I wrote last week), or too much of anything, so that with less consumerism, comes less harm to the environment. I also like her story about Jackie Chan traveling to 5 different countries, and although he's mega rich, he carried one bar of soap with him so that he isn't wasteful. That's dedication!



You can also click here to see some behind-the-scenes footage from Elle HK.

The same issue also features actor Takeshi Kaneshiro 金城武; he's so yummy!


Incidentally, both he and Zhou Xun starred in a musical called "Perhaps Love," which I haven't seen yet, but have been dying to. You can see a romantic singing sequence between the two of them here. So cute together!



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Scarlett trying to fulfill her dream (aren't we all?)

Scarlett Johansson is the current cover girl of Nylon mag, and despite the fact that this is a MUSIC issue, and that I think her singing is horrendous, her photos are, of course, gorgeous.


She talks candidly about loving music, and while I don't doubt her passion for the art, I think she has to either choose some better songs, or really polish up on the vocals. (Stage fright should be the least of her concerns...) She is just lucky that she is famous enough for someone to want to indulge her on her passion; many really great performers would die for this opportunity that she has.



Also, in case you were curious about what's on her iPod, you can hear snippets of it below.



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Coldplay's a thief?

While I've been waxing poetic about Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," some guy on YouTube is claiming that they copied his song. There are some minor notes that are similar, and the arrangement of the verses are set up in a similar manner, but I wouldn't have confused them as the same song.

Click below to hear and judge for yourself, but if frontman Chris Martin did really absorb the song from a random viewing of the band while they played live, it wouldn't be strange either, as musicians tend to absorb notes and melodies very easily, and it could've have all been subconsciously done. I'm not trying to justify alleged plagiarism, I'm just sayin'. :P

Leon Lai - Sichuan charity song

In an update to the Leon Lai 黎明 charity song CD that is being sold in Hong Kong to benefit the Sichuan Redevelopment Project in China, here is the music video.

Click below to hear a part of the song. It is sweet, and if you are in HK, please purchase the CD for a good cause to help all those who survived the China earthquake!!! The CD will only cost $10HKD. (If anyone can pick one up for me, I will gladly pay you back!!!)

music to help the children

UNICEF's goodwill ambassador Leon Lai 黎明 has recorded a charity song CD, called "You Won't Be Alone <你不會孤單>, with proceeds to benefit the Sichuan Redevelopment Project in China. The emphasis is on the children, which is what the title of the song was meant to convey, that they are not alone. Only 25,000 copies of the one song CD will be sold in Hong Kong, and they will be sold in jewelry stores, because he said that people shop more in jewelry stores than in CD stores. (HAH! Must be all of those pirated copies going around).

I haven't heard any music from Leon in a long time, mainly because he chose to stay out of the spotlight after peaking for several years in terms of his fame, so I thought it was nice for him to do this, especially since he didn't really have to do anything, he could've just stuck his face on a poster and ask for donations, but he made an effort to keep ppl engaged in the cause.

I was hoping that someone had the song posted online, as they had also filmed a music video for it, but nothing is available yet. It's too bad I can't buy a copy here, as I would love to have contributed to the cause. Hear more about what Leon had to say about the project. (Sorry, clip is only in Cantonese!)



Anyhow, if anyone out there is in HK, can you help me buy a copy, and I'll pay you back? Please email me if you can help me with this favor. Thanks! :D Better yet, you should buy some copies for the cause, too!

Keira Knightley Singing "Blue Tahitian Moon"

Remember when I wondered if Keira Knightley would be singing for real in the film "The Edge of Love?" It appears that yes, she is singing for real! "I did some lessons with a voice coach because I can't sing," the actress recently said. "It was live. There were 100 extras and John [Maybury, the director] was like, 'Now you're going to sing.' I've never been so frightened in my entire life." I must say, I'm much impressed! It really does that have retro-feel in her voice, nothing modern, and her singing voice is higher and, dare I say, a much sweeter sound than her speaking voice. Take a listen. :)

love those Coldplayers!

I've been obsessing over the new Coldplay song "Viva la Vida" ever since I saw the Apple iTunes ad last week. The album's not out yet (at least, not for another couple of weeks), so I've had to make do by watching Youtube tributes to hear the entire song. By far, the best of the batch is this Coldplay tribute band, "The Coldplayers." The lead singer's voice is beautiful, perfectly clear and stunning; in some ways, I think he even out-sings Chris Martin!

Check out all the videos below; they are all fantastic. I secretly wish that there is a full video of the Apple version, 'cause the graphics and the colors look so perfectly dreamy for the song. I have a feeling that the official video will look nothing like, this, though. In the meanwhile, both versions of the song from the tribute band are just perfect; they really should come out w/ their own material and claim some fame for themselves! Enjoy! :D







Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends - Coldplay - to be released on June 17, 2008

David Cook won American Idol!

YAY!!! :)

The Edge of Love

While summers are about blockbuster films, I am a big fan of period dramas, and until I saw this trailer, I must confess I wasn't that excited when I first read about it, but this film looks potentially interesting. (OK, is it me, or were some of the lines and scenes lifted straight from "Atonement?!?!?!?!")




"The Edge of Love" stars Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller (I barely recognized her in the trailer), Cillian Murphy, and Matthew Rhys. According to Wikipedia, "originally titled The Best Time of Our Lives, the story concerns the famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (played by Rhys), his wife Caitlin MacNamara (played by Miller) and their married friends, the Killicks (played by Knightley and Murphy)." I don't know the story (I avoided reading the plot on purpose), or how it ends, but the trailer promises a lush film about love and maybe even some tragedy?


In the meanwhile, Amazon UK already posted an early link for the movie's soundtrack. I love the song in the trailer, but not sure if it will be on the CD. Hope to hear a sample soon when the soundtrack comes out.


Here is the discography:

1. Lovers Lie Abed
2. Overture/Blue Tahitian Moon
3. Underground Shelter
4. Hang Out The Stars In Indiana
5. After The Bombing/Hang Out The Stars In Indiana
6. Stranger Has Come
7. Fire To The Stars
8. Careless Talk
9. Careless Love
10. Love
11. Careless Talk
12. Drifting And Dreaming
13. Home Movies
14. Under Fire
15. Maybe It's Because (I Love You Too Much)
16. Vera Begs Dylan
17. Vera's Theme
18. Holding Rowatt
19. Careless Love
20. Caitlin's Theme

With all the promo shots of Keira as a singer, I wonder if she will actually sing on the soundtrack?


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second single from Sex and the City movie soundtrack

Jennifer Hudson's new song, "All Dressed in Love," was just released. This is the 2nd original song from the "Sex and the City" movie soundtrack.



I don't know, I'm not really feeling the 70's disco vibe of the song. It doesn't feel like it ties in with the series itself in terms of musical context. Not only that, but this is so far removed from the Fergie single that I have a bad feeling about the overall soundtrack as an album. Am I the only one confused by these diverging song styles?

Scarlett should stick to her day job

I think she's beautiful and has a lot of potential as an actress, but the singing, ayah, so bad!!!



The video is cute in that it shows a "day in the life," but the song, her voice, blech, horrible. Scarlett Johansson has a new CD coming out, but this song is already so bad I'm not even going to bother to find out what else she's singing. At least the cover art for the album looks nice. :P


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new single from Sex and the City movie soundtrack

Fergie's "Labels or Love," the movie theme for the film version of "Sex and the City" was just released, and you can hear it here.



Have to say, it took a couple of hearings for the song to grow on me. It's nice that they did an homage to the original theme score, but I don't like it when Fergie talks through portions of the song. It's somewhere between a marching chant and rapping in slo-mo. I'm usually very polarized when it comes to Fergie's music. Having seen her perform live at a BEP concert once, she can definitely sing, but her music choices are never very reflective of her talent, and anyhow, maybe I'm getting old, but this song started to give me a headache half way in.

What do you think?

The entire discography for the soundtrack is below, and it's slated to be released on May 27th.

Sex and the City Original Motion Picture Soundtrack:
1. "Labels or Love" -- Fergie
2. "All Dressed In Love" -- Jennifer Hudson
3. "The Look Of Love" (Madison Park vs Lenny B Remix) -- Nina Simone
4. "New York Girls" -- Morningwood
5. "All This Beauty" -- The Weepies
6. "I Like The Way" -- Kaskade
7. "It's Amazing" -- Jem
8. "How Deep Is Your Love" -- The Bird & The Bee
9. "The Heart Of The Matter" -- India.Arie
10. "Auld Lang Syne" -- Mairi Campbell & Dave Francis
11. "Kissing" -- Bliss
12. "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" -- Al Green featuring Joss Stone
13. "Walk This Way" -- Run-D.M.C. featuring Steve Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith
14. "Sex and the City Movie Theme" -- The Pfeifer Broz. Orchestra


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in love with TVB themes

Every few months I go on a Cantopop CD frenzy and buy them in batches from sites like YesAsia. While everyone has gone the age of technology and either d/l their music or buy from iTunes, I still like having the original hardcopy in my hands. Esp. for Chinese CDs, I never really know what's good out there as I'm out of touch in terms of the latest music charts, but places like YouTube are a great place to sample music before I commit, and I generally like to support the artists.

I purchased 6 new CDs online awhile ago, and they just arrived over the weekend, so will be listening to them and maybe sharing some thoughts I have about the songs in the coming weeks.

The first CD I started listening to was the compilation album "In Love With Drama (TVB Latest Theme Songs)." This album is sort of a joke because the way it's done is that in order to save money, TVB will have their own acting artists sing the theme songs instead of hiring real singers. There is usually a mixed bag of talent in there. If the actor/actress is also an established artist, then great, the vocals and arrangements are of much higher caliber. Then there are the wannabes, the ones forced by TVB to expand into music, whether or not they can sing. As a studio album, that can pass w/ some muster, but I absolutely cringe when they try to sing live. I have to make absolutely sure that there is at least 50% of songs that I like before I buy the CD, or maybe, a really good song that I love that I can't find anywhere else for albums like these.


01. 講不出聲 (溏心風暴 主題曲) - 關菊英 : Speechless ("Heart of Greed" theme) - Susanna Kwan
02. 只得一次 (同事三分親 主題曲) - 關淑怡 : Only Once ("Best Selling Secrets" theme) - Shirley Kwan
03. 最美麗的第七天 (最美麗的第七天 主題曲) - 鄭嘉穎 : The Most Beautiful Seventh Day ("The Seventh Day" theme) - Kevin Cheng
04. 禁戀 (鳳凰四重奏 插曲) - 佘詩曼 : Forbidden Love ("Maidens' Vow" subtheme) - Charmaine Sheh
05. 明成皇后 (明成皇后 主題曲) - 汪明荃 : The Last Empress ("The Last Empress" theme) - Liza Wang
06. 心領 (溏心風暴 插曲) - 林峰/ 鍾嘉欣 : Appreciated ("Heart of Greed" subtheme) - Raymond Lam/Linda Chung
07. 灰色錯對 (奪命真夫 主題曲) - 林保怡 : Right or Wrong's Grey Area ("Misleading Track" theme) - Bowie Lam
08. 第幾天 (賭場風雲 插曲) - 黃宗澤 : Which Day ("Dicey Business" subtheme) - Bosco Wong
09. I'm So In Love With You (舞動全城 主題曲) - 廖碧兒 : ("Steps" theme) - Bernice Liu
10. 金剛 (男人之苦 插曲) - 吳卓羲 : Golden Strong ("Men in Pain" theme) - Ron Ng

Songs performed by real singers (sang before TV ever came along) are tracks 1, 2, 3, and 5. The rest are performed by actors/actresses.

Songs I Most Enjoyed:

Track 6: I can't stand Linda's singing, but Raymond really saves the song, and I enjoy his singing in this very upbeat song. I wish I could just take out Linda's vocals and make it a solo piece. She has no air when she sings, she's reaching for those notes all the time, it's very annoying to listen to. That's the only thing I can't stand in the song, but I kept this as a fave 'cause I really like this song on its own.



Track 8: I could barely tell that this was Bosco singing, but I like that he tried to inject some emo in the song. In the past, I really raised an eyebrow when he tried to sing, but this is a big improvement, and the song is enjoyable.



Track 9: Bernice's Spanish-flavored song sounds perfect as a romantic ballad, and even though she's not a real recording artist, I think she should have her own album, her vocals are so strong.



Track 10: This song was the main reason I bought this CD. I think Ron's singing has improved a LOT since he first started to sing, and while I didn't like his first album (the songs and singing were really subpar there), I think he's worked really hard to be less nasally and although I don't know if he can perform live well yet, this was a song I listened to over and over again.



The worst of the bunch, in terms of vocals and just plain crappy song, has to go to tracks 3 (sorry, Kevin!) and 7.

Track 3: OK, I love Kevin, but he really needs to stop singing these slow, absolutely dreary tunes that are not aligned with his image or persona at all. Why couldn't he get a recording contract like Raymond? He's a real singer, and can perform live, but he isn't given the hip, romantic songs that would get him more notice. This song is absolutely depressing to listen to, the tempo at a turtle's pace.



Track 7: Bowie can't sing!!! Skip this piece of crap. It sucks! It's horrible. He can't project, the song is a throwaway track, don't even bother. I hate this song. It's like he's talking through this song. Horrible, bad, terrible, gross. :p



That being said, I would say that the overall album is not bad. I think the song choices could have been better, as there are many TVB themes that I love but were never released. Obviously, this compilation was based on the popularity of the artists, and less about the quality of the music. Take a listen and rate for yourself.

Up coming posts on my other CDs include a different TVB compilation album that came out several years ago, and solo albums by Raymond Lam, Alex Fong, and Janice Vidal. Stay tuned!

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