The feel-good show Voice of China, which admittedly can be over-the-top and schmaltzy, has produced another made-for-TV moment. The most buzzed-about performance from last week is by Zhang Xin from Chongqing. Check out his rendition of Alicia Keys's Fallin', followed by the judges' reactions when they find out that the singer hitting those high notes is a 26-year-old man.
Simply put, you should watch Living with Dead Hearts, a documentary made by the husband-wife team of Charlie Custer and Leia Li. The film follows four families who have been touched by child trafficking, and through their stories, we gain an understanding of an under-publicized issue that affects untold thousands in China every year.
Today on C4: Remember that story about the father who was a bit too good at hide-and-seek and hid in the water so that his son couldn't find him? Totally fake. You can thank the CRI folks for that. RUMORMONGERERS. To rectify their sin, C4 hosts Rob and Stuart played hide-and-seek with Benny Hill music. A lot of Benny Hill music. A lot of Benny Hill music. MADNESS.
Today we meet Daikaiju. If you haven't come across them yet, here's the deal: Daikaiju is a four-piece surf rock band from Huntsville, Alabama, USA that wears Peking Opera masks while playing, and pretends to be a gigantic Japanese B-movie monster in interviews. When I asked them why they wear Peking Opera masks, they responded, "Daikaiju wear Peeking Operation masks when executing peeking operations!!!" Awesome.
Steely Heart (钢心乐队) has been serious contenders on the Beijing scene for nearly a decade. I recall seeing them back in 2008, and although I was unfortunately too preoccupied to properly give them the time of day, I'm happy to finally have come around and showcase their music with some actual effort.
Something a bit different this week. Movie trailer instead of music video. This is the trailer to Dinosaur Rider, a movie "adapted from real events" about Beijing's "most hardcore punk band," Bedstars. The grand opening night, film screening, launch, debut, gala party, whatever-it-is, is tonight at 9 pm at XP. No entry fee. You should check this movie out. Greasy degenerate punk rockers on the big screen. Beijing pride.
