[03.24.04] “Catch Asia’s hearts” YAMAHA sponsoring motor-sports TV program 2004/03/08 Response of Japan Yamaha Motor announced that it is helping producing a TV drama, "Mars" , which is scheduled to be aired in Asia in summer of 2004, and will provide a motor-sports information variety show, called "Vic's Motor Sport World FUN FAN RUN". Mars is produced in Taiwan and scheduled to be broadcasted in Taiwan CTS, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China. Mars consists of 20 episodes, 60 minutes each. It is the story of a rider starting from the all-Japanese road race and striving towards the challenging of Motor Grand Prix. "FUN FAN RUN" is an information variety program produced by YAMAHA and has 12 episodes, 30 minutes each. It will be hosted by Taiwan-based Okinawa talent AiSa and Vic, and road racer Noribumi Abu. The motor sports program will be aimed at the young generation of Asian countries and will be aired in the same areas as Mars. Yamaha will provide the program with the machines for filming, race information, and know-how. Its broadcast schedule in Japan has not yet been decided.

F4 MAY Be Breaking Up Posted: March 25, 2004     Beautiful Dreamers Boyband F4 is (almost) dead. Long live Meteor Garden. Three years after the Taiwanese idol drama phenomenon hit our shores, idol drama series are still going strong. What explains their continued success and what can local drama makers learn from their popularity? By Ho Ai Li F4 MAY be breaking up, but the passion for idol-drama serials which the Taiwan boyband helped to pioneer remains hot. LACKLUSTRE: Local series Fantasy with Michelle Saram and Chen Hanwei failed to take off. In 2001, their trailblazing Meteor Garden revitalised Taiwanese TV drama serials and made the quartet - Jerry Yen, Vic Chou, Vanness Wu and Ken Chu - household names from China to the Philippines. Naysayers at first said Meteor Garden, which spawned a successful sequel in 2002, was merely a passing fad. But three years later, idol dramas, which are targetted at viewers in their teens to the 20s, are still going strong. Mr Paul Chan, SPH MediaWorks' senior vice-president (programming, branding and promotions), links their hit formula to 'beautiful faces, beautiful shooting locations, catchy soundtracks and fairy-tale plots'. 'Youth at this stage in life are making dreams. Never mind if such 'dreams' are practical or not, they're part of growing up. Idol dramas are really about dreams,' he says. The genre has gone on to spawn copycats in China like Beach (2003), starring top Chinese actors Li Yapeng and Zhou Xun. It has also spun off Taiwanese-Korean collaborations like Scent Of Love (2003), and Taiwanese-Singapore efforts like Westside Story (2003), now airing on Channel U. Whereas the early efforts were a sugary confection of youthful dreams and fantasies, the latest hit idol drama in Taiwan mixes in social realism, exploring teen gangs with young and swoonsome leads. Called The Outsiders or Tou-yu, the series, which is sold as VCD sets here, stars newcomer Guo Pin-chao and Lu Ming-chun. =============================================== Source: The StraitsTimes Asia http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/stor...,241920,00.html

JERRY NEWS: THE TRUTH BETWEEN THE CONTRACT OF JERRY AND TO BABY SHAMPOO- IMPORTANT Source : TAIWAN APPLE DAILY 2004-3-23 Thanks To : "lavander_ice77" of http://groups.yahoo.com/group/onlyjerry/ Note : I translated the above portion of the news only¡. the portion where the manager of Jerry reiterated what really happened between the contract of Jerry and ¡°to baby¡± shampoo¡ Translation : Jerry Yan¡¯s manager Mr. Chi denied the accusation of Jerry being replaced because of some negative things. He said the truth is because both sides DID NOT REACH AN AGREEMENT THAT REALLY CAUSED THE END OF THE CONTRACT. Mr. Chi said: ¡° All the while, the advertiser (to baby) really wants Jerry to be their endorser again. The advertiser wants to renew the contract and that they are asking the contract to be the same as two years ago. Of course that is impossible. They should not equate Jerry¡¯s status now and when he was still new in the industry.¡± Mr. Chi(CHI XIANG LI) also said : ¡°Regarding the terms and conditions in the contract of course we are asking for the salary to be a little higher. To be sure of the quality, we hope to specify the director, cameraman etc. Then they(to baby company) asked : ¡°why before there¡¯s no need to be like that¡±. Since both sides have vast differences and cannot reach an agreement¡then never mind.¡± Translated by : Lavander_ice77

Beautiful dreamers Boyband F4 is (almost) dead. Long live Meteor Garden. Three years after the Taiwanese idol drama phenomenon hit our shores, idol drama series are still going strong. What explains their continued success and what can local drama makers learn from their popularity? By Ho Ai Li F4 MAY be breaking up, but the passion for idol-drama serials which the Taiwan boyband helped to pioneer remains hot. In 2001, their trailblazing Meteor Garden revitalised Taiwanese TV drama serials and made the quartet - Jerry Yen, Vic Chou, Vanness Wu and Ken Chu - household names from China to the Philippines. Naysayers at first said Meteor Garden, which spawned a successful sequel in 2002, was merely a passing fad. But three years later, idol dramas, which are targetted at viewers in their teens to the 20s, are still going strong. Mr Paul Chan, SPH MediaWorks' senior vice-president (programming, branding and promotions), links their hit formula to 'beautiful faces, beautiful shooting locations, catchy soundtracks and fairy-tale plots'. 'Youth at this stage in life are making dreams. Never mind if such 'dreams' are practical or not, they're part of growing up. Idol dramas are really about dreams,' he says. The genre has gone on to spawn copycats in China like Beach (2003), starring top Chinese actors Li Yapeng and Zhou Xun. It has also spun off Taiwanese-Korean collaborations like Scent Of Love (2003), and Taiwanese-Singapore efforts like Westside Story (2003), now airing on Channel U. Whereas the early efforts were a sugary confection of youthful dreams and fantasies, the latest hit idol drama in Taiwan mixes in social realism, exploring teen gangs with young and swoonsome leads. Called The Outsiders or Tou-yu, the series, which is sold as VCD sets here, stars newcomer Guo Pin-chao and Lu Ming-chun. MANGA-INSPIRED TAIWANESE dramas screened here used to be mainly overwrought period melodramas, like Ghost Husband or Xue Ke. Usually adapted from the novels of bestselling Taiwanese author Qiong Yao, they were long on histrionics and short on the hip factor. This changed in 2001 with Meteor Garden, which producer Angie Tsai adapted from Japanese manga or comics, which often boasts romantic storylines and characters. Tsai, whose production company Comic Ritz went on to churn out other idol dramas like Marmalade Boy (2002) and The Rose (2003), had set out to appeal to young female viewers specifically. She auditioned 300 guys before she found her four dream men for Meteor Garden. With a Cinderella-like plot which sees the girl-next-door protagonist falling in love with the spoilt-brat hero and classy production values, it has paved the way for Taiwan idol dramas to rival the trendy Japanese ones. They have struck a chord with Asia's young and restless. Meteor Garden and subsequent series like Westside Garden are hits even in non-Chinese markets like the Philippines. There, they have sparked a thirst for chinovelas - drama series from East Asia - in place of the usual Spanish and Mexican fare called telenovelas. Idol dramas have also become entrenched here, making up as much as 25 per cent of programming on StarHub's Chinese entertainment Channel 56, up to 10 per cent on Channel 8 and about 5 per cent on Channel U. But their audience remains a niche one. These shows are often shown outside primetime on the local free-to-air channels. Even hits like Meteor Garden have average ratings of only 8 per cent, lower than top homegrown family dramas like Holland V, which score almost 18 per cent. But they fare better at VCD stores like Poh Kim where they make up as much as 40 per cent of the drama box sets sold. Top titles, like Meteor Garden I and II as well as Westside Story, can sell 10,000 to 20,000 copies. But success has led to a proliferation of teen shows, with standards varying widely. As Ms Ho Soo Fung, MediaCorp TV Channel 8's vice-president of network programming and promotions, says, 'there are too many these days, and they only appeal to a certain group of viewers'. But Mr Daniel Tan, the marketing manager of home entertainment company Alliance Entertainment, feels the genre will stay so long as fresh elements are injected. 'As long as they remain fresh, it will always have its appeal,' he says, citing the popular The Rose, which is about a dysfunctional family. The drama, starring the trio from popular girl group S.H.E., was a hit last year in Taiwan and made pin-ups of its male leads Jerry Huang and Cheng Yuen-chang. LOCAL IDOLS DOES the success of idol dramas hold any lessons for TV productions here? Veteran actor Zhu Houren, now a director and producer with Gateway Entertainment, says: 'Idol dramas are about idols, not dramas. You remember the idols, but not the dramas.' He stresses that such shows are part of the idol-manufacturing industry which includes albums, appearances on game shows and pictorial books. Singapore just does not have the idols or market size to create the same buzz. Sun Koh, an independent film director, however, feels that idol dramas underline the importance of knowing one's target audience well. What are the chances of a hit local version? The track record so far does not inspire confidence. Quasi-idol drama series, Looking For Stars (2000) which starred Fann Wong, 33, and Christopher Lee, 32, and Fantasy (2002) with Michelle Saram, 29, and Chen Hanwei, 34, did not do well. Neither did What A Beauty (2002), which starred Phyllis Quek, 31. Their relative non-youthful ages may explain their lack of appeal to young viewers. In contrast, the stars in Taiwan's idol dramas are typically in their early 20s. But given the right talent and conditions, MediaCorp says it is open to making such shows. It is reportedly planning a youth drama about swimmers. But Mr Chan thinks it is unlikely that local idol dramas will take precedence over family shows. 'Resources are mainly devoted to the production of more family-oriented dramas which appeal to a broader spectrum of viewers,' he says. Not that the young viewers here will feel deprived. After all, they can look forward to catching The Rose and Meteor Garden II on channels U and 8 respectively later this year. Meteor Garden II airs on Saturdays, 7pm on E City, StarHub Ch 56, Westside Story on Mondays, 10.45pm on Channel U and idol drama Sonic Youth on Saturdays at noon on Channel 8 Send your comments to stlife@sph.com.sg

CLASH OF THE IDOLS Don't Know Your Meteor Garden from Westside Story or The Rose? Here's help. Meteor Garden (2001) In A Nutshell: Meteor Garden showed that Taiwan dramas are not just Qiong Yao weepies but can be as hip as their Japanese cousins. Adapted from manga, it appeals to young girls and their fantasies with its plot of poor girl meets rich boy. Stars: F4 and Barbie Hsu (left, with Jerry Yen) Show And Tell: F4 members graduated to the big screen - Yen in Magic Kitchen (2003), Ken Chu in Sky Of Love (2003) and Vanness Wu in Star Runner (2003) - but without success. Now, idol-drama pioneer Angie Tsai is casting Chou for new show God Of War. He is set to be the top-earning idol-drama actor, getting about S$10,000 per episode. It's Love, Stupid: Tsai once said: 'Why are idol dramas all about love? Other than love, what else do youngsters understand?' Westside Story (2003) In A Nutshell: Boyband 5566 members play a bunch of teens who hang out at Taipei's Hsimenting. SPH MediaWorks' Kym Ng plays the mother of 5566 leader Tony Sun. The plot is a mess, but hey, you can see Sun doing stunts. Stars: Bad boy Sun, motor-mouth Zax Wang, hunky Sam Wang and former pudgy boy Jason Hsu from 5566. Lesser-known actors include CynDi Wang, Wallace Huo and Liu Pin-yan. Show And Tell: The show is more bentu (Mandarin for indigenous) than polished. The garish Hawaiian shirts worn by the show's leads are a nightmare. No wonder many top-class designers reportedly refuse to dress 5566. Still, many love the boys' commoner image. Their manager bowed to thank fans who turned up to see the group at an autograph-signing session in Singapore last month. Taiwan Rocks: Westside hails from the bentu school. No manga needed - the show spawned a comic book instead. The Rose (2003) In A Nutshell: Ella Chen (below left with Cheng Yuen-chang) from top Taiwanese girl group S.H.E. plays a girl caught in a love triangle with her two brothers (Jerry Huang and Cheng) in this manga-based series. No hint of incest can derail the story of a plain Jane who snags a prince, and wins over frosty relatives too. Stars: Eurasian-looking Huang and Cheng, who steal the show from Chen's babbling heroine character. Selina and Hebe from S.H.E. have minor parts too. Show And Tell: Models-turned-idols are the next wave. Cheng is so popular that he has come out with three picture essay books. He and Lu Ming-chun (who plays Chen's sister) show that they can act too. No R(A)-R(A) show: The show breaks boundaries with kissing scenes between male leads Huang and Cheng. But Chen says this does not reflect incestuous, homosexual desire. 'It's more a kind of concern and love for one's kin,' she says.

3/24 Pepsi's Views Towards F4 Posted: March 24, 2004 Source: Pepsi China Website   Jerry Yan Jerry is a pepsi star that we hate and love. He looks for perfection, the serious him always look foward to Pepsi with believe and trust. The chasing and security duing any events are always exciting and nervous, coming back from risks. Jerry, " Very happy that i can work together with Pepsi once again. Last year, we had many events together, and got the support from many fans around, making me feel very happy. Especially when during the Pepsi Blue Party by the Pepsi Family, it left me a deep impression. In this new year, i hope to have new challenges when working with Pepsi." The past and future, Pepsi has the same goal with Jerry, "Successful Challenges, To Hope Infinity". Vanness Wu Among the Pepsi Family, Vanness can be said to be one of the most energetic. The one who cannot slow down all the time, is also everyone's Kai Xin Guo(Makes everyone happy). Behind the camera, this "action" superstar , also holds the same seriousness at times. Regarding his music, appearence and performances, he never jokes about it. Vanness, " Working with Pepsi last year was fun, Pepsi is a good brand, and nice to drink. Working with them gives me a kind of push. In future, we would be giving everyone a different Pepsi, a different F4. This is because all the 4 of us has differents smells, gives a different feeling to everyone, therefore, Pepsi4-ever. The energy that has been on on Vanness, has gave Pepsi lots more of energy and feelings. Vic Zhou Name is like the person. Zaizai's Pepsi's little baobei among the Pepsi Superstar. Humourous and kind, love to examine new merchandise. When not speaking, his lazy eye _expression is the coolest. Although it's often mentioned that Zaizai love to sleep, he is very punctual in his work, and puts in effort to finish every request. Vic Zhou, " Very happy! The first year, and we have already got a manufacturer who sees our events so importantly. From the concert to taking photos, i could feel their efforts. I really thank them! Now, being part of the member of Pepsi Family, and to help Pepsi , to move foward with Pepsi , and to go on to the infinity dreams!" Pepsi also hopes that this young Pepsi Star would move foward, support each other, to feel the colours of being young. Ken Chu Sometimes he's quiet and mature, sometimes he's wild. Ken gives Pepsi a 2 different feeling at the same time. Holding on to the guitar on his hands, singing and playing at the same time, enjoying life, craving for freedoom. Our working together is just like lyrics, "Gan Jue Xiang Guan Yi Kou Mao Zhe Bao De Kuai Le"(line in Ask For More) Ken, " This is the 2nd year that we are working with Pepsi, and feeling very happy. This time, the 4 of us would be doing the shooting in our individual ways. Hoping to show a different F4, and also to thank Pepsi for the effort put in to arrange. Hope to have a better works to show everyone! Thanks to Pepsi-cola China webby. Credits to Xiujuan of http://onlyf4.proboards4.com *thanks to RUBY PURPLE of FAITHFUL4EVER

Zaizai, the highest paid actor posted: March 24, 2004   Comparison among actors besides their selling albums/ box office, how many rewards they get, their contract fees, is also their pricetags, according to the mainland news, the investigation which does in view of Hong Kong upper circles of society, a how high prices male entertainer wants? The newest actor sale price order list, unexpectedly is Taiwan handsome male Zhou Yumin dominates the list, with 60,000,000 Hong Kong dollars (approximately 2 hundred million) to buy Zai Zai for year approximately. The rich guys kept a lady already not strange, but with the surges of the feminine principle, nowadays rich women also may do the same. An investigation in Hong Kong most popular rich events, result showing in the 80's, they most loves Zhang Guorong, because his appearance is delicate and pretty, the price reached as high as 10,000,000 Hong Kong dollars.. But in the 90's, the record price was beaten by Guo Fuch'eng, aapproximately had 16.000.000 Kong dollars a year. But present quotation champion successor, which is helped by "the booming of meteor garden" in Hong Kong, Zhou Yumin, the famous sale price 60.000.000 compare to 10 year ago (6 times higher), perhaps you can ask that, why ZZ worth such high price? It's because of his shy male image, which most occupies the superiority 1., this certificate that macho-tough male not necessarily popular now. As for 2nd place, the candidates are, Jerry Yan 30.600.000 Hong Kong dollars and Zhou Chiehlun 40.800.000 Hong Kong dollars. Comparing ZZ with Jerry Yan, it is the talent wins, that is why higher price. Source : http://udn.com/NEWS/ENTERTAINMENT/ENT1/1914427.shtml   *thanks to CRISSY of FAITHFUL4EVER

Jerry in Bangkok,but keeps up with elections After casting his vote, Jerry flew to Thailand to participate in yesterday’s Pepsi Meet the Fans Session held in Bangkok. This event attracted 3,000 fans from all over the world. Suspended by the elections back in Taiwan, in the two days, his friend kept him up to date about them. His mood was astonished and nervous, he kept on saying, “Can’t be in confusion, must have peace, must have safetry.” This year, only Jerry and Ken voted. Zai Zai filmed “Mars” and Vanness is an American citizen so he can’t vote. But everyone cares for the results of the election. When Jerry arrived in Thailand in the evening he contacted with his Taiwan friend, his mood following the ups and downs of the election. When the results came out, he actually was a bit shocked. Yesterday, he returned to Taipei from Bangkok. He read all kinds of news on the elections on the plane. Once he arrived he immediately called home to tell them he safely landed. Broker, Zhi Xiang Li said that he had the butterflies with tremendous ups and downs. He only wanted Taiwan to be stable and didn’t think about anything else. In the coming days, Jerry’s main focus will be his album. Source: Lian He Bao Translated by Amy of http://f4ever.azn.nu

Ken is going to do a mini-series for GMA 7. They are trying to fly him in during Van's concert for the contract signing. If he will be able to come, he will attend Van's concert on the 27th and just wave to the crowd. He will not sing though. source: kenmania yahoo groups thnx to nina of xt fellows. credit: Onlyf4.com

Zai Zai praised by a Japanese racer that he has hidden quality For his new drama "Mars," Vic Zhou traveled to Xian Tai to film and cooperated with well-known Japanese racer, Chang Shan Zhong Yu. Zai Zai, who set foot on a racetrack for the first time, was praised to have a hidden quality to be a true racer. Earlier, Zai Zai and Da S traveled to Xian Tai, Japan to film  "Mars." In order to film a series of racing scenes, the team especially went to a real racetrack, Sugo, to take scenery. Even more, they invited Yamaha motorcycle advisor A Bu Dian Shi to guide Zai Zai in his racing scenes. What's more is that Zai Zai had the opportunity to work with well-known Japanese racer, Chang Shan Zhong Yu. Despite the language barrier, under the aid of translators, Zai Zai was still able to frequently gain knowledge from the other party. Chang Shan Zhong Yu, having had more than 10 years of experience, had a very good impression on Zai Zai. A few days ago, he wrote his thoughts about working together with Zai Zai on his personal website. He greatly praised that Zai Zai took his work seriously, knew the appropriate times to control the speed limit and has a hidden quality for a racer. Furthermore, he said that the two had a pleasant time working together and hopes that they will have a chance to work together again someday. The team stayed at Xian Tai for almost a week. Because the weather was unsteady, they couldn't shoot any scenes since the shooting location always accumulated snow. All Zai Zai could do was shoot some motorcycle scenes indoors. Fortunately, the weather was better during the last two days. Zai Zai was finally able to drive a motorcycle on the racetrack and complete the series of racing scenes smoothly. In order to fit the "unruly" image of the lead role, Zai Zai need hair extensions. His hair is about 5 inches longer. Zai Zai laughingly said that it was most inconvenient when eating because he frequently ate his own hair. But the benefit of his longer hair is that it keeps him warmer so he doesn't need to wear a scarf. This time Zai Zai lived in Xian Tai's famous Hotsprings Hotel SugoCircuit. Zai Zai, who originally wanted to go to the hot springs, didn't find out that there were about 100 fans until he reached the hotel. Because the hot spring was outside of the room, to avoid fans peeping, Zai Zai gave up the chance of enjoying the hot springs. Source: Sing Tao Translated by Amy of http://f4ever.azn.nu