JoleCole's Station

SORRY READERS!! After a public announcement on weibo yesterday saying Legend of Lu Zhen would be the next drama to get aired, Hunan TV decided to flush their professional integrity down the toilet and pull out Legend of Lu Zhen from their March time slot. Chinese netizens on Sina weibo are fuming mad. I am furious beyond words and just wanted to tear them to pieces for giving us false hope. Everything seems so finalized yesterday. The weekly schedule on the official website was even updated to reflect Legend of Lu Zhen's episode broadcast. Numerous articles were released today to confirm this broadcast. I just can't believe they have the audacity to make such last minute changes. From now on, I'm not going to trust any public announcement from Hunan TV until I see the series actually gets aired!! I don't to make the same mistake for the third time!

Just when I was prying for more news on Legend of Lu Zhen, the newly released 11-minute Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils trailer caught my attention.

Rumors having been circulating wildly online after a major internet broadcaster Teng Xun announced that Legend of Lu Zhen will air in mid-March and even posted a "March 19th" release date. Then the official Hunan TV microblog refuted the claim and said the TV station had no intention of releasing Legend of Lu Zhen as its next primetime drama. Fortunately after some back and forth confusion today, Hunan TV microblog finally corrected itself and said chances of Legend of Lu Zhen airing this month is very HIGH!

After digging into Wallace Chung's latest adaptation of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, I became nostalgic of the older versions. Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is filled with a multitude of colorful characters and many story arcs. The story is a bit too complicated to summarize in a few words for those who aren't familiar with this classic Louis Cha's wuxia novel (Louis Cha is also known as Jin Yong 金庸). Like many others, I inadvertently learned a lot of my Song Dynasty foreign relations history from watching Louis Cha's wuxia dramas. LOL.

Some of you are probably aware of this upcoming remake of the classic wuxia story Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, starring Wallace Chung, Kim Ki-bum, and Han Dong as the three male leads.  Despite being  open to remakes of my favorite classic wuxia series, I am still very apprehensive of miscast and poor adaptations - think Yu Zheng's Swordsman. However, there are still some very successful remakes. I always want to see new "good" interpretations and upgraded visual arts of some classic stories. The new Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils shows some promise in the casting decisions of a few female characters, such as A'zhu, A'zi, Madam Ma, and some minor characters. Unfortunately, the fact that this remake is produced by the same people who made Tian Ya Mng Yue Dao and cumbersomely bland costumes are keeping my expectations low.

Mandarin title : The Swordsman/ Xiao Ao Jiang Hu / 新笑傲江湖 # Episode : Genre : Wuxia Release date : February 6, 2013 Broadcasting Compan y: Hunan TV Cast: Wallace Huo as Ling Huchong, Chen Qiao En as Dongfang Bu Bai, Yuan Shan Shan as Ren Ying Ying, Yang Rong as Yue Lingshan, Chen Xiao as Lin Pingzi

Gu Qingming shields his young pregnant wife, Xiang Xiang, from the impact of aerial bombing Today marks the end of shooting for the cast and crew of Battle of Changsha after three months of hard work. According to the main lead actress, Yang Zi, we should expect to see the release of this World War II family epic next year.

Mandarin title : Su Dongpo/苏东坡 # Episode : 44 Genre : Historical, biographical Director : Wang Wenjie Release date : May 16, 2012 Broadcasting Compan y: Various Cast: Lu Yi as Su Shi/Su Dongpo, Lu Yi as Su Shi/Su Dongpo, Ruby Lin as Wang Fu, He Wei as Wang Anshi, Han Yuqin as Wang Runzhi, Niu Piao as Su Xun, Liu Wenzhi as Sima Guang, Song Haolin as Su Zhe, Shen Junyi as Fan Zhen, Wang Xiaochen as Wang Zhaoyun, Wang Shihuai as Ouyang Xiu

Sorry readers! I have some discouraging news for you. Apparently the release date of Female Prime Minister still hasn't been finalized yet. Now opens the possibility of a April release date and not January anymore. *CRIES*  According to Yu Zheng (again), a new SARFT rule has been adopted prohibiting  major provincial TV stations to broadcast two period dramas consecutively. Hunan TV is currently airing the Sui and Tang Dynasty Heroes. Thus, the next series needs to a modern drama and the the next series to succeed the modern drama is believed to be Wallace Huo's Swordsman. What's up with all these stupid SARFT rules?!

If anyone has been reading the comments I've been posting lately, you are probably aware of my great disappointment and utter frustration in the development of the much anticipated coupledom Hailanzhu and Hong Taiji. Though I'm quite upset over their poor story development, or to be more correctly, "lack" of story development, I was not too surprised at the poor writing of this drama series. To clarify some confusion, the writer of this drama series is not the infamous Yu Zheng, but scriptwriter from a Hong Kong named Shen Zhi Ning 沈芷凝. I heard she was also a student of the famous Taiwanese writer Qiong Yao. So don't blame Yu Zheng for the poor writing in this series. He's just a producer. I blame him for hiring her.

Title : In Love with Power / Beauties without Tears/ 山河恋 /美人无泪 # Episode : 39 Genre : Historical Melodrama, Court Intrigue Broadcasting Compan y: Jiangsu TV Cast: Yuan Shan Shan as Dayu'er, Hawick Lau as Hong Taiji, Han Dong as Prince Dorgon, Zhang Meng as Hailanzhu, Ada Choi as Zhe Zhe Release Dat e: December 17, 2012

OMG! I just literally squealed in excitement after looking at these stills. Battle of Changsha is looking promising! Wallace Huo still manages to retain his dashing handsomeness despite his new war-torn look in this drama series.