Tiger Woods' Jesus shot

This is just too funny!



Sorry for the lack of posts, but real life has kept me very busy, and many things are going on. That being said, I've also been glued to the TV, watching the Olympics practically every night. Michael Phelps is my new hero!!! Anyhow, maybe when things die down in mid-Sep., I will be back in posting mood, but I will expect that my posts will unfortunately be few and far.

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!

Christian the Hugging Lion

OMG, watching this video made me want to weep like a baby, but my heart swelled at the same time. I am such an animal lover that seeing a wild animal recognizing his former masters and giving them such loving hugs really touched me in that weird, maternal way (and, no, I have no children so I really couldn't relate!). Anyhow, if you haven't already seen this video, check out the whole story from the "Today Show. " It's so sweet!!!



Below are some "home photos" of the lion while he was living with his human family before he outgrew them. So cute!!!


In addition, this lion cub made such an impression that he inspired a wildlife preservation called the George Adamson Trust. Learn more and support their conservation efforts here.

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Zhang Ziyi vs. Lucy Liu

With the Beijing Olympics upon us in a matter of weeks, there was bound to be additional coverage, as was the case for the August issues of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.

In terms of coverage, who wins? On this side of the ring, Zhang Ziyi 章子怡 had a glowing article about her rise to stardom, starting with her humble beginnings to her now international fame and new engagement to international tycoon and venture capitalist Aviv "Vivi" Nevo. Her photo shoot wasn't too bad, although the styles they paired her with were rather harsh, mostly in terms of the make-up and hair (feels like they were trying to claim the '80s?). I don't have scans of the pics, but you can see her video below as she talks about the photo shoot. And of course, she was featured in Vogue, the mother of all fashion mags. However, other than the fact that she is Beijing-born, nothing in the article or photos link her at all to the Olympics (ok, she was one of the Olympic torchbearers, but that was hardly emphasized).



On the other side of the ring, Lucy Liu had a more Olympic-inspired photo shoot, which was fairly creative, and her pictorial spread was much larger. However, there was not a word about her, not even a blurb on anything she was potentially promoting, so it looked like they borrowed her to model for the mere fact that she is Chinese-American (and thus, she's really Team USA). Her photos were in Harper's Bazaar, which as of late has been more inspiring for me to pick through than Vogue has been, so it's not THE best, but pretty up there in my mind.


So who wins? I say.....NEITHER! Assuming that the fashion world is embracing all things from China, and the Beijing Olympics being such a platform (note that a lot of design houses even created special, limited-edition pieces for the Asian market BECAUSE of the Olympics), I find it terribly defeating that neither could make the covers.

For Vogue, Kate Moss was on the cover, which makes sense seeing that she is 1) a supermodel, and 2) promoting her fashion empire, but her photos weren't even that great (see article and photos here). They could've put her on the cover of the September issue, since that's when the new Topshop will debut in the US (she being one of the coveted lines in the brand, it would have made sense in that case). Zhang Ziyi could easily have been on the cover, and no one would have thought it strange. She's been seen on the red carpet very frequently, wearing all the new designers, so she is already known for embracing fashion. I would have loved to see a beautiful spread of her in China, w/ maybe the Olympic stadiums or ye ole' temples or modern skyscrapers in the backdrop. How lush would it have been to see her in gorgeous gowns and showing the beauty of Beijing behind her? I don't particularly think that Ziyi is a great actress either, but she is def. on the A-list, and Americans do recognize that she is a "star," so why not the cover?

For Harper's Bazaar, there was a boring article about Jessica Biel (who has never done anything great except a GQ cover and dating Justin Timberlake, IMHO), and some lame photos of her "dancing" with designers like Vera Wang and Zac Posen. The photo qualities were mediocre, and if you were to compare her to Lucy Liu, she didn't have anything in particular to promote either, so how'd she make the cover? Lucy had some cool photos, and while they weren't shot in Beijing, they were cute in trying to blend fashion with athleticism. I don't know if Lucy is still big enough to land a cover, but isn't it a little sad if she was only able to land the photo shoot 'cause she was Chinese-American, and for no other reason? Like, some editor in some glossy magazine cubicle sat there and said, "Beijing Olympics are coming up, we need to put a Chinese person in this shoot, quick, how many well-known Chinese actresses are there that we can land for this? They don't even need to be promoting anything, or talk, 'cause we're not going to bother interviewing them. Just make sure they're Chinese."

Anyhow, maybe I should be happy any Asians get their own coverage, but it pains me that no Asian one can land the cover yet. One would have thought that this time, this would have been a great opportunity to do more than just the norms. Do you have any thoughts?

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...

I was Team Jason all the way...

I wrote about "The Bachelorette" awhile ago, and while I haven't written anything about it lately, like weekly updates, it all finally ended this past Monday. I've been biting my tongue all week, but can I just say, I'm STILL shocked that DeAnna didn't pick Jason! I mean, she's obviously very happy w/ Jesse, but IMHO, Jason was the better choice. He was loving and a family man (he loved his young son; ok, maybe being a stepmom was not her thing), original and romantic (LOVED that board game he created for her), and def. easy on the eyes! Jesse, for me, was missing something.

This was by far the best season I've ever seen from the franchise. ABC got smart; they didn't drag this thing out for months on end. Every Monday was a 2-hour cheese-fest of unrealistic pining and overzealous admissions of love and excitement, and it came down to a very (sad - for me!) entertaining ending, where there were many tears every episode. Yes, I'm a big mush ball when it comes to these types of shows. My family mocks me for watching this, but we all want love, we all want others to find love, it's a very universal thing, so why not be voyeuristic about it?

Anyhow, here is the very sad ending. I hope that Jason finds some lucky girl out there soon; he is aching to be in love, poor guy.



But the best thing about the finale for me? DeAnna's dress! It's so gorgeous! It reminds me of something Ariel would wear if she had legs...the deep blue color up top feigns the coolness of the ocean, and the green at the bottom like a glittery tail of a mermaid.


Alas, the dress, by Badgley Mischka, is sold out, but what a beautiful outfit to be engaged in! A great season, a bittersweet ending at the end, but maybe they'll make Jason the next Bachelor? It's either him or Jeremy, but Jeremy was a little scary at the end... I mean, talk about sour grapes...



And yes, I deliberately didn't post the proposal w/ Jesse, 'cause I just don't understand it! :P

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the dancing man

I'm prolly very behind in terms of these viral videos, but I love it! I couldn't stop watching them, if only because this guy, Matt, has come up w/ the cutest, coolest, and goofiest way to document his travels around the world. I like his earlier works, before the masses of ppl joined him, as it seems a bit too commercialized and takes away from the original, but they're still fun videos to watch over and over again.

I'm sooooo jealous that he's been to so many places around the world. He gives me hope that I too can one day travel the entire world. My personal fave is the video from 2006; there are some amazing locations that he dances in...!

I posted them below, from the newest video to the oldest. Just watching these videos really made me want to dance! :D

2008


2006


2004


You can learn more about how this video project started through this nice little article from the NYT. There is also a website on the videos at wherethehellismatt.com. :)

Lucky Leighton

Leighton Meester graces the August 2008 issue of Lucky magazine. I like this pic of her 'cause she looks very beautiful even with the more natural make-up. Also, she's not too stylized like some of her other pictorials, so it's refreshing to see.

I haven't picked up a copy of Lucky in ages 'cause it's a dangerous mag; it has so many goodies inside I start to covet, so the less I see, the less I'm tempted. However, on the inside of the mag, you can see some of Leighton's personal fashion picks.


See a quickie interview during her photo shoot below. I think she's kinda funny in interviews, 'cause she comes off talking like a tomboy, not very girly at all, which is how she's portrayed on "Gossip Girls."



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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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Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 found in...Spain?!?

I don't talk about this at all, but "Lost" is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. In fact, I follow the series very closely, and after each episode, I always read up on the latest theories, and it's such a cerebral show with a great cast and acting and storyline that I can't stop watching it. I guess I don't blog on it much 'cause it doesn't really allow for a lot of fawning in terms of their wardrobes or soundtrack or whatnot, as I'm not aiming to discuss Kate's hair, or you know, Sawyer's hair, for that matter, but whatev.


Anyhow, here in the US, we don't really do much to promote the show. The actors aren't rock stars by any means, the ratings have fallen, and with an end running date of 2010, fans are just counting down until the whole series is over, when all the answers have been revealed (we hope). That's why I was tickled by this promo for the show's 3rd season in Spain. It's just so cool!


OK, maybe no one really wants to see the tail end of a plane that appears to have crashed, but the setting looks really great, even if there's not much context there if you know nothing about the show. Just for reference, the whole scenario behind the series is that this plane crashed onto an island, and the survivors have to figure out how to get off the island and go home. From there, mayhem ensues! This is why seeing this tail here is so significant to the show.

Set in the Atocha train station in Madrid, the fictional Oceanic Airlines plane was built by 20 people in 600 hours. Plopped into the garden area of the station, which with all of its tropical greenery, this setting really evokes the feeling of a jungle.




I won't be heading to Spain anytime soon, but if you're a fan of the show, and you'll be there through the summer, go check it out, as I believe it will be exhibited there until September.

You can watch a video of how the plane was put together and installed at Bungalow25's website, which is the agency behind this promotion.


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kawaii! white tiger babies...!

This is just too cute. Rare triplet white tiger cubs were born in Japan just a month ago, and they are now the star attraction. White tigers are almost extinct in the wild, so it's great that there is more awareness of these animals, and that they are procreating in captivity, but I also think it's sad that there's no way to reverse this pattern so that they can live in the wild as they were meant to.

There is no narration to this video; just enjoy their cute little faces! ;)

What's sexy for Gossip Girl guy Dan?

"Gossip Girl" star Penn Badgely talks about what's sexy to him. I always find the topic of someone trying to describe "sexy" unsexy, 'cause sexiness is a mystique, a chemistry, a feeling that one gets. I don't think it's a very tangible idea, much like how one would try to describe attraction, or even lust.

Anyhow, this is eye candy for any fan of Penn, although I found the incessant list of sexy things he had to list a little ad nauseum, but those who love him will enjoy this very much. And he's my fave guy on the show, so can't complain too much. :P

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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from reality-scripted to acting...!

15-minute-famers rejoice, you CAN live on in infamy (or at least, cash out while your minutes are still hot), as Lauren "LC" Conrad and Brody Jenner can attest. Don't get me wrong, I love "The Hills" for all the wrong reasons, but even I can admit that they don't really deserve the amount of coverage that they get. Regardless, I thought that this ad was cheeky and totally plays into the "are they or aren't they?" faux-relationship between the two stars from the show, so what else can I do but to share this little video with you?

The ad is actually for AT&T's LG Shine cell phone, and the way they market the phone is pretty smart, considering their target market.

Will try to find a better quality version when it's available. For now, enjoy...

"The Edge of Love" premieres...

"The Edge of Love" premieres are this weekend, and both Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller are on a fast-running PR train, promoting the film in the UK and Scotland. When I first heard the synopsis of the film, the last thing I would associate with this movie was the word fashion. Maybe words like sordid affairs, tragedy, and confused souls come to mind, but def. not fashion.

Anyhow, I LOVE what Keira has worn to her premieres. She appeared in a purple frock at an Elle event in London, in a TopShop blouse at the daytime photocall in Edinburgh, and at night, head to toe in Chanel.


I like Sienna's risk in her fashion choices, but I'm slightly baffled by the strange concoctions she's put together, at least for Edinburgh. (See Elle UK video below to see her in a beautiful red dress.) I am definitely more wowed by Keira's wardrobe (so much so I am gaming to get that TopShop top!).

As you can see from the Elle UK clip, the movie focuses a lot on the fashion as well, which looks really lovely in its old-fashioned, prim and proper romantic way. I really can't wait to see this film. :)

Here's another view of the trailer...



A video of the Edinburgh premiere...



And some interesting/fun interviews...!





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