Tag Archives: jay chou

ASUS + Jay Chou (周杰伦) = Perfect Blend of Technology and Art

Jay Chou (周杰伦) fans alert!

ASUS + Jay Chou!
ASUS + Jay Chou! (all pictures provided by ASUS)

ASUS held a media conference in Taipei on 29 June (Wed), noon, to announce the launch its latest limited edition N-series notebook. Jay Chou, one of my all-time favourite singer-songwriter, was appointed by ASUS as Chief Designer for this limited edition notebook, and the special collaboration was unveiled during the conference.

Jay Chou with ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih
Jay Chou with ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih

I usually do not blog based on media release or on events I did not attend in person, but I will make this an exception because it’s ASUS + JAY CHOU! My favourite laptop brand and Jay Chou; how can I not be excited. 🙂

The Jay Chou designed, limited edition Asus N-series netbook
The Jay Chou designed, limited edition Asus N-series laptop

With this collaboration, the laptop sees the perfect blend of design inspiration and the latest technological breakthroughs, such as the ASUS SonicMaster Audio technology.

More details are available via the media release below:

ASUS announced the launch of a special edition of the N Series notebook designed by renowned artist and songwriter Jay Chou at a press event in Taipei today. The event opened with a symphony conducted by ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih and an orchestra consisting of notebooks along with piano by Jay Chou. The combination of classical music with digital remix demonstrates the latest breakthrough in ASUS SonicMaster Audio technology.

“Design inspiration has always been a part of ASUS’ DNA, and we’re honored to appoint a talented singer and songwriter like Jay Chou to infuse new elements of design into our N series notebook. But design is not all we have to offer. This special edition of the N series notebook is powered by the latest Intel innovations. I believe this strong partnership will continue to bring more exciting products to our customers”, said Jonney Shih, ASUS Chairman.

“The audio experience delivered by the N3 is truly remarkable and it’s made even better by the stunning visual experience delivered by Intel’s 2nd generation Core processors. The combination of superior sound and sight is what I call an incredible experience”, added Sean Maloney, Chairman of Intel® China.

Unique design inspired by traditional and modern motifs

Jay Chou transformed his passion and devotion for music into innovative notebook design by using music notes, sheet music, piano concepts and other musical icons as inspiration for a truly unique notebook. The combination of modern “J-style” text-wrapping with a classical Chinese blue and white porcelain finish infuses the notebook with strong and diverse Asian aesthetics. “It has been a tremendous pleasure to work with the ASUS Design Center. They were able to translate and transform my musical inspirations onto the N series notebook product design and functionality. Every detail on the N series perfectly portrays my personal taste and multimedia lifestyle,” said Jay Chou.

Intel® Core™ technology for better notebook experiences

ASUS and Intel® have cooperated closely on this campaign, creating all-new branding for N Series notebooks using the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors and Sandy Bridge architecture which enhance both graphics and multitasking performance. These portable PCs upgrade graphics and boost flexible multitasking performance while optimizing power consumption for a perfectly balanced and rewarding computing experience.

Setting new standards in notebook audio

Last year, ASUS redefined top-of-the-line audio with N Series notebooks with the development of its exclusive SonicMaster audio technology. Co-developed by a dedicated ASUS team and leading sound experts from Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®, SonicMaster incorporates grand, theater-like acoustics with the constrained physical dimensions of a notebook PC.

ASUS has also worked with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® on creating the SonicMaster sound certification, which also debuted on N Series notebooks. SonicMaster is now available on all N Series notebooks and presents enhanced audio technology that delivers the clearest treble and most resonant bass on any portable PC. SonicMaster also enables the widest-reaching and most powerful surround effects, creating theater-grade and highly lifelike audio. Combined with exclusive design by Jay Chou, the special edition N Series notebook is a genuine collector’s item

Specifications

Model: N43SL
Processor: Intel Core i5-2410M (2.3GHz)
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Chipset: Mobile Intel HM65 Express chipsets
RAM: 4GB DDR3 RAM
HDD: 640GB SATA HDD (5400rpm)
Display: 14.0” LED-Backlit (1366×768)
VGA: NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M with 2GB dedicated VRAM
ODD: SuperMulti Double Layer
WLAN: Integrated 802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth
Audio: Audio by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower & SonicMaster technology
Weight: 2.4Kg (with 6-cell battery)
Dimension: 35.0(W) x 24.0(D) x 3.30 ~ 3.70 (H) cm

RSP: $1,298 (GST Included)
Availability: Estimated 1st – 2nd week July 2011

About ASUS

ASUS, the world’s top 3 consumer notebook vendor and the maker of the world’s best-selling and most award winning motherboards, is a leading enterprise in the new digital era. ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home, office and person, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical

drives, displays, desktops, Eee Box and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, tablet devices, servers, multimedia and wireless solutions, networking devices, and mobile phones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 3,398 awards in 2010, and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with the Eee PC™. With a global staff of more than 10,000 and a world-class R&D team of 3,000 engineers, the company’s revenue for 2010 was around US$10.1 billion.

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A week of THE GREEN HORNET (3D)

The Green Hornet hits Singapore!
The Green Hornet hits Singapore!

I watched the media preview of The Green Hornet in 3D two weeks ago, thanks to the folks from Sony Pictures.

Via wikipedia: The Green Hornet is a 2011 superhero action-comedy film, based on the character of the same name that had originated in a 1930s radio program and has appeared in movie serials, a television series, comic books and other media. Directed by Michel Gondry, the film stars Seth Rogen, who co-wrote the screenplay with Evan Goldberg.

The movie stars Seth Rogen as Britt Reid/The Green Hornet, a wealthy newspaper publisher who is secretly a masked crimefighter; Jay Chou as Kato, the Green Hornet’s driver and sidekick; Christoph Waltz as Benjamin Chudnofsky/Bloodnofsky, an eccentric Russian mobster; and Cameron Diaz as Lenore “Casey” Case, Reid’s personal secretary and also both Reid and Kato’s love interest.

I thoroughly enjoyed this action-comedy. I was expecting Kato to be portrayed like the usual token exotic Asian in Hollywood blockbusters, nonetheless, he was given quite a lot of exposure and the Green Hornet turned out to be one who was portrayed like a goon.

Seth Rogen is one funny dude to catch with his goofy antics. Jay Chou’s English was horrible in the movie, often mumbling in a string of indiscernible words. However viewers will quickly forgive him when we witness his dead cool acting and fighting chops. I particularly enjoyed the performance of Christoph Waltz as the crazy, bad-ass Russian mobster. This dude is born to play psychopaths.  My impression of him as the ultra Nazi villain, Colonel Hans Landan in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, is still etched deeply in memory.

Here’s the official trailer:

My blog post is titled with “a week” because if I wanted to, I could have watched The Green Hornet thrice at three separate screening events.

After watching the movie at the media preview, I attended the gala premiere last Monday together with a group of 6 lucky winners from a Domino’s Pizza, Green Hornet tie-in contest.

Two pairs of the winners were from Malaysia while the third pair was from Singapore, having participated in the Domino’s Pizza, Feel the Sting contest on omy.sg.

I met the winners and the folks from Domino’s Pizza at a bistro in Marina Bay Sands where we had a casual dinner and chit chat.

The three lucky couples and Domino's staff
The three lucky couples and Domino's staff

A stretch limousine was arranged to then ferry the winners in style to The Cathay where there premiere is happening. I got to hitch a ride together with them.

The stretch limo
The stretch limo
Inside the limo
Inside the limo

When we arrived at The Cathay, some screaming fans mistook our showy vehicle to be ferrying the stars, Seth Rogen and Jay Chou who was to make their appearance together with director, Michel Gondry. You should look at their funny expressions when a bunch of ordinary folks popped out instead!

Arriving in style
Arriving in style
Group photo before the winners proceed to the cinema
Group photo before the winners proceed to the cinema

I hung around to catch the red green carpet event. A string of lesser known local artistes stalled for time till the stars for the night, Seth Rogen, Jay Chou and Michel Gondry made their appearance at 8pm.

You can read more about the event via omy.sg. Here are some photos I took:

The Cathay looked really grand that night
The Cathay looked really grand that night
Spotted two blogger-friends, Hpility and William
Spotted two blogger-friends, Hpility and William
The Cathay was all decked out to welcome the stars
The Cathay was all decked out to welcome the stars
Working crew going around to give out Green Hornet movie premiums while fans wait for the stars' arrival
Working crew going around to give out Green Hornet movie premiums while fans wait for the stars' arrival
Lots of media were present too
Lots of media were present too
They had a cool green carpet instead of the usual red carpet
They had a cool green carpet instead of the usual red carpet
Some extras doing kungfu performances to stall for time
Some extras doing kungfu performances to stall for time
The real stars are set to arrive
The real stars are set to arrive
Michel Gondry, the director, was the first Hollywood dude to arrive
Michel Gondry, the director, was the first Hollywood dude to arrive
Michel Gondry and Seth Rogen appeared on stage first and started joking with the audience
Michel Gondry and Seth Rogen appeared on stage first and started joking with the audience
The three main stars for the night are finally all on stage
The three main stars for the night are finally all on stage
Presenting... Michel Gondry, Seth Rogen and Jay Chou
Presenting... Michel Gondry, Seth Rogen and Jay Chou
A light-hearted moment
A light-hearted moment
Seth and Jay shared good chemistry on stage despite their language difference
Seth and Jay shared good chemistry on stage despite their language difference
Jay Chou looking really happy
Jay Chou looking really happy
Close-up of Jay Chou
Close-up of Jay Chou
Another picture of Jay for his fans
Another picture of Jay for his fans
One more picture of Jay to keep his fans really happy
One more picture of Jay to keep his fans really happy
Kungfu end pose - you can see who's the funny one and who's the cool one
Kungfu end poses - you can see who's the funny one and who's the cool one
Kungfu poses take two...
Kungfu poses take two...

Three days later on Thursday night, I was once again at another of The Green Hornet movie screening. This time, it was a private screening that Domino’s Pizza had generously arranged for their loyal customers and media partners in Singapore. The attendees get to feast on Domino’s pizzas before the screening and mingle around with the folks from Domino’s.

The reception area
The reception area
The Green Hornet goodie bags
The Green Hornet goodie bags
Free drinks and pizzas for everyone
Free drinks and pizzas for everyone
Blogger Joanne enjoying her pizza with a friend
Blogger Joanne enjoying her pizza with a friend
Singers/bloggers, Elson and Shanice
Singers/bloggers, Elson and Shanice
Guests enjoying the free flow of pizzas from Domino's
Guests enjoying the free flow of pizzas from Domino's
Bloggers group photo
Bloggers group photo
Me with some of the bloggers who attended the screening
Me with some of the bloggers who attended the screening
Cheerful audience, waiting for the movie to start
Cheerful audience, waiting for the movie to start

There you are, a whole week of The Green Hornet for me. 🙂

The movie is now showing in Singapore cinemas. Be sure to catch it!

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Meet Jay Chou IN PERSON at the Gala Premiere of The Green Hornet!

Jay Chou as Kato in the movie, The Green Hornet
Jay Chou as Kato in the movie, The Green Hornet

Plugging this for omy.sg and also because I am a big fan of Jay Chou (周杰伦) myself, having bought every single of his CDs.

Have you been anticipating Jay Chou’s first Hollywood movie venture “The Green Hornet”?

Good news – Domino’s Pizza is giving you a chance to attend the movie Gala Premiere and see actors Jay Chou, Seth Rogen and director Michel Gondry IN PERSON! I repeat, IN PERSON.

"Feel The Sting" contest
"Feel The Sting" contest

To win the tickets, simply purchase Domino’s pizzas and count number of Green Hornets found on THIS CONTEST PAGE; fill in your particulars and submit. That’s it!

The closing date for this contest is this coming Sunday, 9 Jan 2011. Hurry and join before it’s too late. 🙂

To find out more about Domino’s Pizza, you can check out this previous blog post I have written.

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