JoleCole's Station

I have always been quite envious of Xinyue and Mo Xun's shippers because they have quite a few MVs entirely dedicated to their fanship. Well...I can finally be one happy shipper now that a 5-minute MV just released and it's filled with goody scenes between Xinyue and Wei Wuji.  The vibes in this MV is a contrast to the previous two MVs where the focus was on Mo Xun. Xinyue and Mo Xun's relationship is repressed and constrained. Mo Xun.  Xinyue and Wei Wuji's relationship reminds me of two lovebirds constantly pecking at each other. Their scenes definitely exude uninhibited fun.

Great news for people who don't want to wait until October 1st to catch a glimpse of Sound of the Desert. Tencent, one of the largest web portal in China, procured the rights to broadcast a "sneak peek" version of the series starting September 28, 2014 (12:00 a.m.) Beijing time, which means the first chapter is already available for preview. "Sneak peek" version of the drama is Tencent's cut   of each episode into a 20-minute-long segment. If you want to watch the full episode, you would still have to wait for the Hunan TV broadcast on Wednesday.

Wei Wuji vigilantly stays at Xinyue's bedside when she fell unconscious either after her difficult labor or after falling into the icy water.  A fellow Sound of Desert follower, Ironfinger, thoughtfully informed me of this teaser earlier today. I refrained from posting about it until a higher quality version of the video was available. The higher quality version has finally arrived and I can fangirl all the scenes that got unveiled in this short teaser. I must say I am loving every scene of Eddie Peng's Wei Wuji in this drama. He is definitely a very very charismatic general in beautifully embroidered robes. Hahaha.

Although the first minute or so of this 14-minute  trailer is a cut from a previously released trailer, this new trailer contains a few of my most anticipated scenes in Sound of the Desert.One scene shows Xinyue's "less-than-happy" confrontation with Wei Wuji about his "not-so-noble" action in hiding her whereabouts from Mo Xun.

The magic date of October 1st is fast approaching for Sound of the Desert aficionados! Eight more days to go! Muahahaha! In the meantime, lots of promotional photos, videos, and leaked clips have surfaced on the internet. I have been busy scavenging whatever leaked online because I just do not want to wait for the snail pace release of the series.  It always feels so good to get an early glimpse of anything related to this series. If you want to remain spoiler-free, don't watch the leaked clips.

Top Left to Right : Prince Jing + Lady Liu, Prince Jing + Princess Nihuang Bottom Left to Right : Mei Changsu+Gong Yu, Princess Nihuang + Mei Changsu One of the  burning questions for those who are unfamiliar with the story of Nirvana in Fire is whether the drama adaptation will expand on the romance element. Specifically, will a love triangle exist between the three main leads, Mei Changsu (Hu Ge), Princess Nihuang (Liu Tao), and Prince Jing (Wang Kai)? How faithful will the production team remain to the novel? Will they spice things up to attract female viewers? Conceptual equation of my most anticipated pairing

As the official release date is approaching, the Chinese large online media providers are bombarding us with new stills and teaser trailers. Besides the 22-minute long trailer, two additional short trailers have been released this month: 3-minute version and 1-minute version. One of my favorite shots in the 3-minute trailer is Wei Wuji (Eddie Peng) biting Xinyue(Liu Shi Shi)'s neck. A second shot that I really really like is Wei Wuji combing his lover's hair. Tang Ren Entertainment is totally remaining faithful to the original novel. All the juicy, spicy, hotness between the main leads are playing out onscreen.

It's finally official! I think. Multiple sources have confirmed that Sound of the Desert will officially broadcast on October 1, 2014. It's eight days earlier than the original forecast date. Can we give a sign of relief?! After two long years of waiting and waiting, the anticipation can finally be fruitful. On a side note, the Chinese name for Sound of the Desert has changed again. The original novel is titled Da Mo Yao ("Ballad of the Desert"), later due to some political sensitivity, the production team changed it to Xing Yue Chuan Qi ("Legend of Moon and Star"). Just before the broadcast, they decided to give the drama another title change. It's now officially called Feng Zhong Qi Yuan ("Fate in the Wind"). I heard Feng Zhong Qi Yuan sounds like the Chinese name for Pocahontas. LOL.

A producer of Shandong Film and TV Group once labeled the story of  Nirvana in Fire  as the Chinese version of the revenge novel  The Count of Monte Cristo  by Alexandre Dumas. Although I am familiar with the story of this French novel and even attended the play adaptation, my brick head never made the connection between these two works. Now that the analogy is made, I can totally see the similarities! My initial impression of  Nirvana in Fire  is a fictitious but very telling account of imperial power struggle in dynastic China. Brother is pited against brother. Father is pited against son. Yet among all the intense rivalries and breakdown of familial bond, a strong sense of brotherhood can still exist. It is this brotherhood between the two male leads that captivated me.

After two years of being shoved under the carpet, Legend of Moon and Sta r, or better known as Da Mao Yao , may be seeing some daylight! An executive from Hunan TV just announced on weibo that Legend of Moon and Star will be broadcast following the Li Yifeng and Yang Mi's  Legend of Ancient Swords (Gu Jian Qi Tan) on its "Diamond Timeslot" starting at 10 p.m. Beijing time. The long awaited release date is scheduled to be October 8, 2014.

If you only watch this official MV of Yun Zhong Ge without knowing much about the story, you will be seriously misled by its contents. The entire MV is compilation of random scenes that do not accurately depict the story. Liu Bingyi played by Chen Xiao seems to be torn by three women in the series: Yun Ge, Huo Chengjun, and Xu Pingjun. Although he is linked with all three women in the series, but his relationship with Yun Ge is not nearing the level of romance the MV seems to imply.

After watching Battle of Changsha , I became an loyal fan of the company that produced it - Shandong Film and TV Group. This production company is highly respected and praised in the Chinese entertainment industry for its ability combine great storytelling with execution in dramas. When I heard the famous online novel, Nirvana in Fire or Lang Ya Bang, was going to get adapted into a TV series starring Hu Ge and Liu Tao, it didn't strike much excitement. When I heard the production company was Shandong Film and TV Group, however, my eyes went blink blink blink. The more research I did into Shandong Film and TV Group and Lang Ya Bang, the more emotionally immersed I became into the story, particularly into one character - Prince Jing 靖王 or Xiao Jingyan 萧景琰, the seventh prince of the Southern Liang Dyansty. Prince Jing is the second leading character in this story who emerges as the dark horse in the succession battle and ultimately wins the throne. In contrast to many TV dram...