Filming wraps for Royal Nirvana led by Luo Jin and Li Yitong

You don't know how many times I instinctively typed Nirvana in Fire while writing this post. Why must they choose similar titles? 

Royal Nirvana 鹤唳华亭 has officially wrapped after 216 days of filming that took the cast and crew to the studios of Xiang Shan and the vast regions of Dunhuang and Xinjiang. Most of the cast including both leads completed their scenes days earlier. Leading lady Li Yitong wrapped more than a week ago. I don't know how this drama flew under the radar for me, but it's actually shaping up to be quite promising given the cast. Seven months of filming also puts this in the category of bigger budget productions nowadays that seem to be spending more time and effort to make what is hopefully, a decent drama. 

Luo Jin plays the tragic hero who has no one to rely on in the face of a distant father, a treacherous brother and a distrustful king. 

After Li Yitong's breakthrough performance in Bloody Romance, I'm sure she can handle whatever challenge thrown her way. She plays a woman who assumes another identity to get revenge. 

Did I say that Jin Han is no longer playing villains? I lied. It turns out he's one of the baddies as a cowardly character who has his eyes set on the throne. Frankly, that sounds like the worst kind of villain. His outfit reminds me of Princess Agents. 

Xin Peng plays another baddie with enough cunning to match his grandiose ambition to take the throne.

Veteran actor Wang Jinsong never disappoints, and I'd expect nothing less. 

Zheng Yecheng's in the cast too!

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Jin Han to headline new drama Hello Prosecutor opposite Sun Yi

After charming the audiences with his first leading role in Our Glamorous Time 你和我的倾城时光, it looks like Jin Han can bid his days as a villain goodbye as he lands another leading role in Hello Prosecutor 你好检查官.

Sun Yi plays the heroine who will foray into the justice system as a young prosecutor.  It's a pair that I wouldn't have thought of, but one that could prove to have wonderful chemistry. A big part of what made Jin Han so convincing as the leading man was how perfect he was for the role of Li Zhicheng. I feel that playing a man of authority in a story about prosecutors seems right up his alley whereas Sun Yi has already won me over since Siege in Fog. 

There were previous rumors of the main couple being Hu Ge and Sandra Ma, but didn't pan out due to schedule conflicts. While that would have given a different feel altogether, I'm onboard with this younger cast. They're both 25 years old and born 3 days apart. Cast announcements have yet to be made official, so we wait. 

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Three Young Male Artists to Pay Attention to in 2019

I go through phases where I spend months switching between American television and Chinese dramas. Having just spent the last six months catching up on Chinese dramas from the past few years, I can’t help but notice a few young male artists that need to be on everyone’s watchlist.

1. Wu Lei

I first saw him as the simple Fei Liu in Nirvana in Fire. It’s hard to steal a scene when you have next to zero lines, but he had great chemistry with Hu Ge and definitely draws your attention in any scene that has him. 

I next saw him as the lead role in Battle Through the Heavens. The drama faced a lot of criticisms and I think the plot line and character development could definitely be improved. Wu Lei does a decent job playing the hero trying to prove himself and avenge his family’s honor. I have to remind myself that he is only 18 years old, so I don’t think the failure of the drama is his fault. Given that he is only 18 years old, I expect a lot more to come from him, so I would definitely keep an eye out.

2. Liu Haoran

Liu Haoran played the lead role in Nirvana in Fire 2, next to Huang Xiao Ming. I had no idea who he was and had it not been for the fact I loved Nirvana in Fire and Huang Xiao Ming, I would not have bothered watching the sequel. However, I was blown away by his portrayal as Xiao Ping Jing. 

He starts the show as a young and carefree wanderer who grew up under the protection and guidance of his older brother but matures into a great general and leader. His character undergoes a lot of changes and development, but I thought he was convincing from beginning to end. He also holds his own against the more seasoned Huang Xiao Ming. At age 21, this is a great start to a promising career. Fun fact: He is good friends with Wu Lei.

3. Jin Han

Rounding out the list is Jin Han. He is the oldest of the three (at only age 25!), but I think he has the most potential. He just starred in Our Glamorous Time, where he plays the cool, calm and collected ex-military special agent that returns home after the death of his older brother to save his family business and care for his aging father. 

Through the process, he wins the heart and love of the talented and ambitious fashion designer, portrayed by Zhao Li Ying, and defeats his business competitors. I am sure his antics captured the hearts of many viewers. He was sincere and devoted to Lin Qian, but calculated against his enemies. 

It took me awhile to recognize him, but he also played the evil Zhao Xi Feng in Princess Agents. It is usually easier to go from playing the good guy to playing the bad guy, but much harder to be equally convincing as a bad guy first and then a good guy. This is the main primary reason why I think he has the most potential. He also sings one of the songs in Our Glamorous Time and is really good! Good looks, acting and singing skills? Sounds like a recipe for success. 

Do you have others in mind that didn’t make the list? Were you surprised by my choices? Please comment below - I would love to hear other input.

Our Glamorous Time viewers complain about lack of screen time for leads, Cao Xiwen responds

Our Glamorous Time 你和我的倾城时光 has been trending lately for the wrong reasons. Many viewers have been complaining about the lack of screen time for the main leads Zhao Liying and Jin Han and pointing out that too much screen time has been given to supporting characters played by Cao Xiwen and Zhang Junning.  

Much of the criticism is specifically directed at Cao Xiwen from viewers who claim that her character Grace has edged out Zhao Liying's Lin Qian for screen time. 

Cao Xiwen took to weibo to respond to her bashers online, "Are my scenes really as many as you say? Based on my judgment, definitely not! If you don't believe, you can count the number of scenes. I am not sure why you will write such long posts to insult me. As an actress, my job is to act well. Working everyday from morning until evening and studying the character until 1 or 2 in the morning, I have no intention to smear anyone nor the heart to step on anyone. If I am really such a person, then I won't have to wait until I became, based on your words, the middle-aged auntie, before trying such tactics. If there is something wrong with my acting, I hope to hear your valuable opinions, but please lessen the personal attacks.

The amount of complications during filming is unimaginable. Got sick with fever and hematuria from emotional exhaustion, was sent to the hospital and wanted to give up on filming...... Saying this is not to make an excuse, but just to say that every actor and staff in Our Glamorous Time had a difficult time and gave a lot. For the drama to achieve the ratings is really through everyone's hard work and consideration. Please don't make wild guesses, okay? Thank you everyone. If there is really dissatisfaction over the storyline, request everyone's understanding that at the time, the screenwriter, the actors and the staff have tried their best..... Thank you, have a good night. P.S. In the future, I will continue to work hard to be a good actress, hope to move a little forward from the 38 (a derogatory term that she's been called) line."