Monday 31 August 2015

Rainie Yang 楊丞琳 graces the August cover of Marie Claire Taiwan 美麗佳人

I really like these shots of Rainie for Marie Claire Taiwan, which depict her in an Americana setting, looking cool and collected, posing which a vintage car. Rainie has long been my favourite in terms of fashion, film clips and dramas. I also think that she's becoming more and more of a style icon as the years ago by. She's less crazy experimental these days and more chic and slick. All I can say is I'm loving it :)








Magazine Scans: Jasper Liu 劉以豪 for the August issue of Girl 愛女生 Magazine

I like Jasper's photo shoot for Girl Magazine for a number of reasons. I think he looks cute and the photos play on Jasper's natural warm and happy-go-lucky charm. They reflect Summer, the season in Taiwan. And lastly, I guess I just love pineapples. 




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Friday 28 August 2015

When I see You Again 他看她的第2眼 SPOP 華流 August Photo Shoot Behind the Scenes translations

SPOP have released the behind the scenes footage of Jasper and Mandy doing their photo shoot for the August issue of the magazine. It's shorter than a lot of SPOP BTS videos, but maybe because the a lot of the shoot took place at night, so the stars were kind of tired? Nonetheless Jasper is always cute, so it's always worth translating his videos to see what antics he gets up to.

 

This is my favourite part of the video, by the way...Now let's start translations...


Commentator: August SPOP cover page figures, When I See You Again male and female leading stars, Jasper Liu and Mandy Wei have finally, in the drama, intimately come closer a step for a kiss. (Their) body movements are increasingly getting into a common rhythm. For the SPOP shoot that is full of tricks, is it still possible to keep calm in the chaos?

-Cuts to Jasper looking out a night window-
He's swaying and clicking his fingers and humming an old Chinese song tune-
The camera is slowly getting close to him
Jasper, in a singsong voice [green and pink caption]: Don't go thinking that I haven't seen you...
Jasper spins around, dangles his arms.
Jasper to camera person: What are you doing, eh?
Camera person: What were you just performing?
Jasper [Gold caption]: Best of the old songs

-Cuts to Jasper lying down on a raised glass platform-
Mandy, from a distance: Good night! I'll go find you in a minute
Jasper laughs

-Cuts to Mandy coming down to Jasper's level-
She's making growling dinosaur sounds and doing dinosaur arms.
Jasper is grinning [Red caption: Really loves play-acting]
Mandy to SPOP staff: I only have to throw the top half of my body over him, ok yeah?
SPOP staff: Right, You only to with the top half of your body
Mandy is crouched right next to Jasper and starts tickling him under his chin
Mandy, making tickling sounds: Coochie Coochie Coo


Jasper turns his head, laughing.
Mandy: (We're) Extremely close ---She means in terms of the phyiscal space between them---
Mandy: ...I'm shy
SPOP staff, [Blue and red captions]: You guys are the male and female leads, eh! Give us a bit of passion!
Mandy is limply laying on Jasper and a make-up person is fixing her hair.

-Cuts to Mandy half laying on Jasper, limply, about to get into proper position-
SPOP staff: Breath a bit
Mandy is taking some obvious deep breaths
SPOP staff: Are you nervous?
Mandy then takes one deep breath and throws herself down onto Jasper's chest.
Jasper does a fake gasp and a silly face.
Mandy gets up onto her side position again.
SPOP staff: We still haven't shot (the photo)
SPOP staff: Ok ready...come now...

-Cuts to Mandy looking like she's laying on top of Jasper, doing the photoshoot-
SPOP staff: Mandy's face might need to move forward a bit
SPOP staff to Mandy: You need to collapse forward a bit more (onto Jasper)
Mandy is nervously grinning as she tries to follow instruction
Mandy [Blue, white and pink caption]: Jasper Liu, I'm sorry, I need to crush your chest
Jasper: Ok, Chest is getting crushed big-time, right?
Mandy puts her weight on him and they both pose for the cameras.
SPOP staff: Good. Very good.
Mandy gets off him as soon she it's over, starting to laugh [Red and white caption: Laughing session]

-Cuts to a different pose, Mandy sitting and Jasper sitting facing towards her from behind-
SPOP staff: Very good
Jasper starts yawning.
SPOP staff [Yellow, white and blue caption]: Jasper Ge, don't yawn
Jasper closes he mouth and smiles with his dimples.


-Cuts to the end of posing for that shoot-
Jasper moves away from Mandy and lies down.
Jasper [Purple and orange and white caption]: Doing a pose and was told off (for) yawning
SPOP staff: Ok, wait a moment...
Mandy is grinning at the camera [Pink and blue caption]: His smile has evolved into a yawn

-Cuts to Mandy standing behind Jasper sitting smugly in a chair-
Mandy: (When he has) a slight smile (it) just doesn't (suit) his character
SPOP staff: So at that time you didn't dare to speak to him?
Mandy: That's right. I just thought, "What's up with this person?!"
Jasper raises an eyebrow.
Mandy, starts to tickle the side of his face: Coochie Coochie
Mandy gets into the pose of the shoot crouching behind Jasper and putting her arms around him.


SPOP staff: Right. Coochie Coochie.
Another SPOP staff member laughs.

-Cuts to the shoot in the same pose-
SPOP staff: Let's...Play with this one ---This pose---
Another SPOP staff: Right
Camera pans onto Jasper and Mandy in pose
SPOP staff [Blue and pink caption]: Jasper Ge, don't make your expression too sissy
Jasper starts grinning.
Mandy is imitating the coy face that Jasper was making.
SPOP staff: Too coy!
SPOP staff: It's a bit too girly...

-Cuts to a montage of Jasper and Mandy shooting-
Commentator: SPOP (shot) late into the night using the combination of a transparent house style for it's cover page photo shoot. The shooting crew trembled with fear because this transparent floor board could only hold 5 people. Surpassing that, there is the possibility of danger.


-Cuts to Mandy rushing towards the camera-
Mandy: Hey, hey, hey...there's already 4 people. I want to come over (to a safer spot).
Everyone laughing
SPOP staff: (You're being) Too nervous!
Jasper sits up all hesitant. [Black caption on Jasper: Scared!]
SPOP staff, repeating Mandy's words laughingly:...There's already 4 people!
Jasper: I'll sit here in the middle first
Mandy or other SPOP staff in the background: The limit is 5 people
SPOP staff: Otherwise, why don't you first lie over here and have a look first?
Other SPOP staff: We'll go tidy the rooms first...
Commentator: Aiya! This "romance" really has a burden. But it's also not hard to see the male and female leads' intimate coordinating movements. No longer shy, they're (or their relationship) is growing up quickly. Let us reminisce when Jasper and Mandy were both doing their first costume test, that awkward screen encounter.

-Cuts to Jasper and Mandy's first shoot together-
Jasper [Blue and red caption]: My habit is that I turn into wood (He means that he's stiff and not a great poser when he takes photos with girls. For more about this, Check out his SPOP Pleasantly Surprised BTS last year)
Jasper laughs
Jasper: I don't know what I should do
Jasper and Mandy laugh
Photographer: This one (this photograph), you're being too careful and timid


Photographer: Make it a bit sweeter (between you two)
Photographer: Make it a bit sweeter, ok?
Mandy: On one side, it's like this
Mandy pretends to put a leg up on Jasper
Jasper laughs and slaps his thigh
Photographer [White, pink and blue caption]: Make it a bit sweeter!
Jasper moves awkwardly closer and has his hand half-heartedly on Mandy's back.
Photographer: Make it a bit sweeter!
Mandy turns towards Jasper and raises her arms to put around his neck. He extends his arms too,
[Black captions around Jasper and Mandy: Nervous, nervous]
Mandy has her arms loosely around Jasper's shoulders and Jasper has one arm around her waist.

-Cuts to a break from shooting that first lot of photos-
SPOP staff [White caption]: Why is it still the same (level of) stiffness?
Jasper to the SPOP staff member jokingly: Why have you appeared again?! Very annoying!
Mandy is laughing
SPOP staff: Why haven't you improved?
Jasper: (You're) So bad!
Jasper comes over to put a hand over the camera
SPOP staff, joking: Throwing a tantrum!
Jasper: So I need to become like the role I have inside the drama, do I? ---meaning that he has to act cold and grumpy like the initial Xia You Qian---
Jasper marches back and puts one arm awkwardly around Mandy and grabs her other hand,
----Here I cringe because it's a pretty awkward pose! Hahahaha----
SPOP staff, jokingly consoling him [Yellow, white and red captions]: You've improved, you've improved
Mandy puts her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing at the banter


SPOP staff, referring to Jasper: We've taught Junior
Jasper, using their words against them: Throwing a  tantrum!
Mandy [Blue, white and pink caption]: Taking photos with this "little brother", I'm very shy
----Haha, some explaining for this comment: Jasper is not her little brother, obviously. That would be gross. But that's what you teasingly call a guy who's younger than you and Mandy is a few years older than Jasper. Also those characters for little brother are not the proper characters, but they're a playful homophone...the sounds are being used to emphasize the adorableness of the "little brother"---
Photographer laughs
Commentator: The Jasper Ge and Mandy of 4 months ago (are gone). They have honestly gotten over their shyness. Let's have a look again at them now...Wow! Bodily touching is as natural as breathing!


-Cuts to a photo pose with Mandy putting a finger under Jasper's chin-
Jasper just takes Mandy's hand and places it jokingly on his chest and pretends to stroke it, much to the surprise of an unprepared Mandy.
[Red caption: Stroke, stroke]


Jasper can't contain himself and starts laughing. Mandy laughs too.


SPOP staff, laughing: You keep making your own expressions...what does this mean?
Jasper [Red caption]: It's me "enjoying"
Mandy to the camera: I'm really (feeling) awkward. I don't know whether I want to "enjoy" or laugh.
Jasper, being mockingly sad [Red caption]: You don't need to "enjoy"...
SPOP staff member laughs: You don't need to enjoy...you don't need to enjoy...
Mandy hears what's being said and laughs, causing her hat to fall off.

-Cuts to Jasper and Mandy actually shooting those photos-
Jasper is serious for a bit and then puts his hand over his chest, as if touching himself.
[Pink caption: Self-touching]


SPOP staff: Joking/laughing again!
Another SPOP staff: This way you seem to acting (or pretending) to be a drama idol
Mandy laughs.


-Cuts to shooting a close up photo of Mandy with a finger under Jasper's chin-


They take a few shots...


Then Jasper grabs her finger...and acting silly again, pretends to eat it.
[Pink and white thinking bubble caption: Wants to bite]


SPOP staff: This move again!

-Cuts to a different styling with Mandy and Jasper doing photos on the stairs-
Mandy, having grabbed Jasper's face [Red and yellow caption]: My god! His face is so small!
-Cuts to the next shot-
Mandy, checking instructions: We have to back-to-back embrace? How exactly do you do a back-to-back embrace?
Jasper and her loop her arms awkwardly back-to-back, much to the laughter of the SPOP crew.
SPOP staff: Right, right, right....(That's) How exactly you do a back-to-back embrace.
Mandy and Jasper then do several photos rocking back and forth in their awkward back hug pose.


SPOP staff: Very good!
Jasper, laughing from the rocking: What kind of concept is this?...Just what kind of concept is this?

-Cuts to Mandy knocking on the wall-
SPOP staff: Pinning-against-the-wall move? ---This move refers when a guy (generally) corners a girl by leaning over her against a wall---
Mandy: We are...doing the pinning-against-the-wall move?
SPOP staff to Mandy: You should do the pinning-against-the-wall move to him
SPOP staff to Mandy: The girl pinning the boy against the wall.
Jasper looks jokingly comfortable to do this and Mandy points at him laughing
Mandy: He's use to having the pinning-against-the-wall move pulled on him!


SPOP staff: He's too use to it!
Mandy: He already first prepares...
Jasper makes a pose against the wall


Mandy pokes him, saying: He already first prepares his own expressions
SPOP staff: My god!
Another SPOP staff member: He really enjoys it!
Mandy, making a suggestion: The Cover-your-mouth move
SPOP staff laughs: Very anime-like
Jasper chips in: Don't say any anything
SPOP staff: Nonsense not allowed
Mandy puts a finger seductively on Jasper's lips.
SPOP staff: Ssshhhhh...
Jasper shudders and turns away, laughing.


Mandy slaps his shoulder and points, laughing at him
SPOP staff: Very uncomfortable (for him)!

-Cuts to Jasper laughing and Mandy rolling her eyes-
Commentator: The mutual playfulness of these two is not a problem...But SPOP, this time, has added two big doggies to do a photo shoot together. Wow! This cover page jumps off, after the romance between the male-female leads, turning extremely cool.


-Cuts to Mandy dancing with the giant dog to some cool music-
Mandy is laughing
SPOP staff: You're very tired/tiring!
Mandy, turning the dog around: Do you have any other dance steps?
But it's difficult, so they just turn the dog costume head around.
[Red caption]: Extremely flexible!
SPOP staff: His head is turning...turning, turning...head is turning...

-Cuts to Mandy posing with the dog, next to Jasper who also has a dog next to him-
An SPOP staff member is motioning them to get closer in.
[Blue thinking bubble caption from the dog: Can't see!]
-Cut to the crew re-arranging everyone-
[Yellow and black moving captions: The positions are hard to figure out...]
SPOP staff to the staff moving the dog: If you go to the back, you won't show the face
SPOP staff: It's too short! What to do?

-Cuts to Mandy and Jasper posing with the two doggies-
[Blue thinking bubble caption from the grey dog: Digging out from the bottom]
[Blue thinking bubble caption from the brown dog: Very crowded!]


They all pose for a couple of photos.
[Green bubble captions: Ill at ease/Embarrassed!]
SPOP staff: The male-female leads in the middle should have a bit of emotional affection, that would be better
SPOP staff: You should have a bit of...Chemistry! ---Hahaha, I like how she said the word Chemistry in English---
Mandy, intimates Jasper's cross-armed pose: I want to say, him acting like this is...(not adding to the chemistry...)

-Cuts to Mandy and Jasper doing a spy pose with the doggies-
SPOP staff: I think Mandy you should play with the dog behind you. Play with it's hand


Jasper, meanwhile is having fun playing with his doggie.
[Black and yellow caption: Finally found the (posing) feeling...]
Jasper and Mandy are laughing.

-Cuts to taking photos of the four-
SPOP staff: Good...what else is there?
Photographer on the pose: Good. Wait a moment.
On a pause, the poor person in the doggie suit lifts up their head mask and gives a give sigh.
SPOP staff: Very good!
SPOP staff: Mandy. look at the camera lens...
Mandy does a pout with her doggie friend
SPOP staff: Right, right right! This is just the feeling (we were going for)!
SPOP staff: Jasper Ge, hurry up and follow her lead (her steps)
Jasper turns behind to see what Mandy is doing...and then tries to sort himself out. He casually puts an arm over his dog.
SPOP staff laugh: He's taken a moment to look
SPOP staff: Ok. Good, good, good...
SPOP staff: Jasper Ge, grab that one...the one next to you...
Mandy and Jasper shuffle into their poses
SPOP staff: Are you ready? Good
Jasper lifts up the dog's ear [brown poo caption]: Scooping out earwax


Jasper laughs.
Commentator: The two show-stealing big doggies almost made out leading male-female stars to go mad. Really couldn't relax while doing the SPOP shoot....At any time, could face a new playful test!


End of Translation. Hope you enjoyed my translation of the shoot between Jasper and Mandy!

Jasper's 劉以豪 other drama I am Sorry I Love You 我的鬼基友 is out now and released on Viki today

I haven't talked much about Jasper's other drama, I am Sorry, I Love You 我的鬼基友, have I? (The show was previously known by its literal translation, My Ghost Friend.) Jasper announced that he would be part of the project straight after Pleasantly Surprised 喜歡·一個人 and filmed all it before he began filming for When I see You Again 他看她的第2眼. But it's only just finished post-production and coming onto screens this month, with Viki releasing the first episode today!

In this drama, Jasper isn't (strictly speaking) the sole love interest, although he does have a love story with the leading lady, Han Si Yi, (Andrea Chen). He plays the boyfriend, Lin Hong Pei, who dies in a car accident and comes back as a ghost, with the task of helping nerdy guy, Wang Shu Hai (Bryant Chang) win over his old love interest (who happens to be his old girlfriend). Sounds like an awesome story with a lot of humour and angst, right? 

The trailers have showed a lot of comedy and bromance between the two male leads, Jasper and Bryant, as well as sad, touching love scenes between Jasper and Andrea. The closing song is Aaron Yan's 'Your Happiness is my Happiness' and Jasper and Andrea feature in the music video as their characters. View all the trailers and MV below:

Humourous trailer with Jasper and Bryant (4 mins)



Love story trailer with Bryant and Andrea (1 min)


Love story trailer with Jasper and Andrea (1 min)



Special extended trailer over Chinese video website, Youku (5 mins)


Your Happiness is my Happiness MV



Sunday 23 August 2015

Instagram Updates: Puff Kuo 郭雪芙 and Jasper Liu 劉以豪 hanging out and recent Pleasantly Surprised 喜歡·一個人 mini crew reunions

Although I'm a big Puff and Jasper shipper, I'm by no means a crazy fan girl where I believe every time two celebrities hang out they're going out. But I'm posting about this because I just love how just love how the friendship has continued to extend between Puff, Jasper and the rest of the Pleasantly Surprised crew. I also feel like I haven't written much about Pleasantly Surprised recently, despite a lot of catch-ups and collaborations...I guess there's just always so much news going on with Jasper and Puff that it's kind of hard to pick and choose what to share sometimes!

So about 3 weeks ago when Jasper's photo book Dogs and Cats Persons was released. a photo was shared by Puff on Facebook and Jasper on Instagram, of Puff, Jasper and Manbo hanging out at night, each hiding behind a copy of his book (A lot of people mistook that guy to be Aaron, but it's pretty clear it's Jasper's amazing photographer friend, Manbo if you look at his Facebook page). Since there's no reference to a specific event, it's nice to see that they still catch up from time to time and it was awesome of Puff to help give a shout out to Jasper's book

Jasper's Instagram

Caption: Rolling into a big...good night


Puff's Facebook

Caption: Dogs and Cats Persons


Jasper recently had a reunion with the boys of 4Ever from Pleasantly Surprised (Jolin, Deyn and Yorke). Oh, I miss these guys and the bromance between Jasper and Jolin! (Haha, Jolin moved onto a bromance with Danson when they were filming Murphy's Law of Love. Jasper's also got strong bromance game going on in his new series I'm Sorry, I Love You with Bryant Chang! And in When I See You Again with Jet Chao...) 


And they got Jasper's photo book...to always look at him when they miss him, eh? :D



As you know, Jasper is currently still working with Deyn and Zooey on When I See You Again, so they still hang quite a bit...and get up to their usual mischief!






With the conclusion of Murphy's Law of Love, Verna recently paid a set visit to When I See You Again and caught up with old friends....


I think this shot is especially cute with Zooey. In the caption, Verna still calls her Linda :D


Puff on the other hand, hasn't been filming dramas this year after her hectic schedule for the last two years. But she has been doing a lot of commercials and magazine shoots. She did a commercial with Deyn earlier in the year for a Sony phone. 


Outside of filming and work related gatherings, Puff is also a great social friend. Aside from hanging out with Jasper, she also hung out with Zooey, Deyn and Stanley, amongst other friends, a few days ago for Chinese Valentines day.


A few months ago, she also caught up with all the guys from 4Ever. They run in the same circle of friends and the guys see Puff pretty regularly.


There are so many 4Ever photos that I'm going to skip most of those for more of the cross-cast catch-ups. Also, as a band, it's obvious that they've spent a lot of time together outside of Pleasantly Surprised. But these guys are cute and it's good to see that they have a more genuine friendship, rather than the more toxic kind that existed between the members of Fahrenheit (I mean I like Jiro and Aaron, but it got really uncivil towards the end). But here's a cute one of Jolin poking Yorke's cheek when they were doing promo stuff for the band.



As I mentioned before, Murphy's Law of Love recently tied up (Really sorry, Murphy fans...been meaning to write up on that.) During the show, Jolin had THE CUTEST reunion with Mason, who he was always close to as Xiao Yi in Pleasantly Surprised. Mason had a cameo as a troubled kid who bonded with Danson over family issues.


Mason sure is going up fast! I'm really glad they got to see each other...this is probably one of my favourite Pleasantly reunions to date!


As regular casts of the show, Verna and Jolin hung out a lot too and got up to some silly fun times.







Stanley Mei catches up with Jolin as a gym buddie and the two sometimes take selfies together. He also went to the wedding of their 4Eva band mate and hung out with Deyn and Yorke.





Stanley is represented by Eelin talent agency, who also look after Jasper and Lene, so he runs into them on the regular too! This is a cute selfie from quite a few months ago. Jasper and Lene also did an interview and photo shoot together at the end of last year/ start of this year that I never got around to posting about. I'll try and find the link sometime.


If you liked this post, there's also my other Pleasantly Surprised group catch-ups post and the Happy One Year Pleasantly Surprised post . I just love the friendship between these guys. Don't you? Let me know if I've missed out on any pictures/ Pleasantly gatherings!