The year’s just starting but it seems like some major decisions have been made by several artists–both popular ones and not-so-well-known ones. All the same, we will have to wait and see what those decisions will lead those artists to. Of course, there are other changes that could not be avoided but those involved will have to make the best of it nonetheless.
First off, Sweety fans will be happy to know that the band has reunited and even appeared on The Million Singers together on the December 26th’s show. (That is if you haven’t watched or noticed it yet.) Moreover, Esther Liu seems to be back in Taiwan and is more actively involved having appeared on various variety shows to promote her book called Pari, Le temps qui compte to which the book only shows a sophisticated picture of her with a nice backdrop–not slapping on the impression of releasing a book just for the sake of showing off beautiful pictures. Whether a coincidence or not, Esther’s Mainland drama, Strange Tales of Liao Zhai 2–her second collaboration with Eddie Peng, has been released on DVD recently though it was several years ago that she filmed that. Meanwhile, Joanne’s Love Buffet should resume filming soon since it has been delayed due to the weather conditions last year. It has also caused the delay of the airing date, which was supposedly the end of last year.
Secondly, the talks of several J-Stars artists leaving the agency finally came through since Ehlo Huang was said to have not renewed his contract with the agency while Ming Dao finally made his decision recently to leave as well. Ming Dao has been establishing himself in many dramas already, so he won’t have any trouble pursuing his career. On the other hand, Ehlo has been well-received (though not enough recognition or opportunities), hopefully, he will have more opportunities in the future. All of these also means that it is now undeniable that 183 Club is officially over. (Though it still might not be for some avid fans who have followed them since the very first days.) What will Sam Wang do? He still has 5566 so that’s not a loss for him at all, considering how he’s also concentrating on his business. He’s too hardworking at times anyway. It might be less of a burden on him.
Thirdly, Jacky Chu announced on his blog in mid-December of last year in regard to his appearance on Golden Melodies’ Super Stars (金曲超級星), which fans excitedly waited for the event to unfold and even showed their support when the segments finally aired. A close call in the first round almost cost him a loss because of a brief freeze (possibly due to nerves), causing him to forget his lyrics just for a few seconds. He immediately recovered and sang on, earning some points from the judges thus they resurrected him. Last weekend’s performance, he appeared alongside his brother, James Chu, once again and sang “You’ve Always Been Here” (你一直都在) together. It was indeed another touching performance by the Chu siblings. Indeed, he had pulled himself together once again and had not disappointed the judges thus receiving a 91% overall score.
Another surprising turn–to those who have not paid attention or heard of it before–is his fellow Tangerine colleague, Justine Ji Wen Hui, also appeared on the show and has been well received by the audience and judges alike, allowing her to pass numerous times. Justine earned a 91% overall score like Jacky. In fact, they were the only two who scored the highest last weekend for their performances. Some of their friends are also on it and are quite impressive as well.
While all these are going on, let’s hope the best for all with their careers moving forward for the better. (Best wishes to the other artists as well, not just those who were listed above.)
*All images were captured by DTLCT
*Courtesy of cajuputte @ Ehlo Huang’s AF thread for finding the article linked above
It’s great to see some Tangerine artists back in the limelight, even as so many others are deserting the J-Stars. I’m hoping Jacky’s three appearances on Jin Qu Chao Ji Xing indicate that he is at last increasing the momentum of his comeback!
I saw a repeat episode of Sweety on Bai Wan Da Ge Xing when I was in Taipei in January. They looked very appealing and sang very well.
I think Yan Yan did better on that BWDGX episode than her previous one (since can’t blame her because her idol was there that other time). Qiao Qiao was just wacko though. I really like how they’re still getting along like old times. If you’ve watch the old episodes of them on variety shows, you’ll know what I mean.
Regarding JQCJX – hope so. I’m actually rooting for several singers so it’s really exciting to see who wins in the end.