JoleCole's Station

I heard from unofficial sources that the Daylight Entertainment, specifically Director Kong Sheng, was fuming mad at iQiyi, the web-streaming network that invested in Nirvana in Fire 2, for haphazardly re-editing the later episodes. Many Chinese netizens blamed the production company for the lack of good editing in later episodes, especially Episode 41 and 42.  A member of the Nirvana in Fire 2 production team privately revealed in a chat group for fans that iQiyi completely re-edited what the two directors had originally cut for the drama. Director Kong Sheng's daughter also revealed on Sina weibo that Daylight Entertainment had originally cut 68 episodes but iQiyi trimmed it down to 50 episodes. And supposedly a 68-episode version will be released for oversea broadcast in Japan and Korea. I checked out the first four episodes currently released in South Korea and confirmed that each episode is approximately 45 minutes, which is the same length as the Chinese episodes. If what...

Rarely do I spent this much time listing all the outfits of a male lead character in a TV drama series. I'm usually more interested in the women's costumes. The last drama I felt passionately about a male character's costumes was for Chen  Xiao's character, Gao Zhan, in The Legend of Lu Zhen. In Nirvana in Fire 2, I absolutely love the outfits worn by Liu Haoran's character, Xiao Pingjing. He undoubtedly has the most varied and greatest number of costume in the entire series. The fact that Liu Haoran is over six feet tall also help how the costumes look on the character.  Xiao Pingjing's wardrobe is dominated by a multitude of blue, cream and gray shades. Occasionally, a pop of red gets a cameo in his outfits, especially for his New Year looks. This post mainly focuses on his outfits from the first half of the series. Episode 27 marks a transition period for the character; thence, his wardrobe also experiences a gradual shift toward formality and matu...

I love original novel of The Story of Ming Lan and didn't feel too disappointed with the casting decision of Zhao Liying as the titular character Ming Lan. However, the casting of Feng Shaofeng or William Feng as Ming Lan's husband, Gu Ting Ye , was a huge disappointment for me. In my mind, Gu Ting Ye should be played by someone is oozing with onscreen masculinity like Wang Kai or Eddie Peng. Gu Ting Ye comes from a military background and actually established himself politically in the battlefield by supporting the next successor to the throne. I can't imagine William Feng as convincing accomplished military general. The interesting tidbits about the Story of Ming Lan are the supporting characters. The original novel was super long and filled with different story arcs. I may root for the story of a minor character instead. LOL Even if I can't bank on William Feng's Gu Ting Ye to give me a poignant portrayal, I can at least count on Daylight Entertainment to g...

The Chinese online video streaming platform YouKu recently released the first seven episodes of Beauties in the Closet or Gui Zhong Mei Ren starring Vic Zhou, Hu Bingqing and Chen Yao. This drama is slated to be a weekly web drama with  a seven-episode released every Thursday for VIP members. Beauties in the Closet is a historical fusion drama that doesn't take traditional Chinese code of conduct and court etiquette very seriously.  I recently finished watching Nirvana in Fire 2, which paid minute details to the historical context and court etiquette. While Nirvana in Fire 2 had a professional master of etiquette to be onset to ensure that the actors had proper body language to show the social hierarchy and relationships of that era, I felt the actors in Beauties in the Closet just adorned some pretty costumes and acted like they live in a democratic society. Beauties in the Closet definitely tested my patience in terms of lacking the historical feel and social...

The Rise of the Phoenixes is perhaps my most anticipated Chinese TV drama of 2018 because of the high production value and the return of one of the most renowned Chinese movie actor Chen Kun to the small screen after a seven-year hiatus. This drama is also based on a popular multi-volume novel but I read that the drama adaptation will be told in the male protagonist's perspective than the female protagonist. The production recently wrapped up filming and I hope to get to see its release by the end of this year or early next year.  I never expected The Flowers of War actress Ni Ni to look so lovely and innocent in simple period attire. She always strike me as someone who's more suitable to play a seductress than a damsel. First Trailer  Wiki Synopsis ( Credit) Ning Yi (Chen Kun) is the calculating and ambitious sixth prince of the ruling kingdom, yet has learnt to hide his true personality behind a carefree facade after his beloved older brother...