Well, the new year is finally upon us so here’s a Happy Belated New Year wish to you all in case you haven’t figured it out yet! With 2012 already begun, it’s time for me to get set for my first Chinese New Year here in China, and I started the festivities a bit early last night working on a holiday TV special for Dragon TV, which also airs The Amazing Race China Rush here in China. This channel happens to have the two highest rated shows in all of China with “China’s Got Talent” and that really racy one I just mentioned. 
Unlike many of the other TV and films I’ve done, this little nugget last night actually required all of the local talent (who aren’t professional singers) to belt out some tunes for a special TV broadcast during Chinese New Year. When I first heard that I’d have to sing, I couldn’t stop laughing…and I’m still not sure why. I think I was either shocked and/or petrified that I’d now have a national stage to listen to me make an attempt at singing. To make it even more snazzier, I found out I’d get to sing a few songs in Chinese!
Fortunately, I later found out that even though I’d have to sing and also break out some dance moves, I’d be singing with other people with much more experience (and definitely better Mandarin) so that should made me feel a lot better. Yeah…right!!
All that being said, I had a great time meeting more of the local talent here in Shanghai as I slowly work my way into more of the local entertainment scene in China. So if you happen to be in China during the Lunar New Year, then don’t laugh too hard when you see me singing and dancing on Dragon TV’s special “我和春天有个约会,” which roughly translates into “I’ve got a Date with Spring.”
Happy New Year and may 2012 bring you many new and “fresh” firsts like it already has for me! 
Yo, Pengyou!
Updated: 2011-12-18 06:47 By Mike Peters (China Daily)
 Provided to China Daily |
Entertainer Allan Wu, host of this weekend’s BooeyLehoo concert, wasn’t always a likely ambassador ofcross-cultural experiences, Mike Peters discovers.
As a Chinese-American kid in San Marino, California,Allan Wu had no vision of himself as a bridge betweenhis family’s ancestral culture and its new one. “Myparents were first-generation immigrants from Shenyangin Northeast China,” he says. “But I was born in Americaand I wanted to be an American - ‘to be like everybodyelse’.” Today the community where he grew up is about30 percent Asian, “but back then there were just ahandful.” So young Wu struggled to learn English since itwasn’t the language of his own house, and he resistedhis parents’ urging to learn Chinese because that wasn’this vision of himself.
“I was an ESL (English as a second-language) studentthrough at least the second grade,” he says. “Iremember an exasperated teacher finally asking, ‘What language CAN you speak?’”
Flash forward to the past week, when the host of TV’s Amazing Race: China Rush bounced into Beijing full of snappy banter that flowed freely between English and Mandarin.
Last weekend, one-time VJ Wu was exhorting a crowd of American expats at the Temple Theater to chant “You pengzi yuanfang lai, buyi lehu (We are happy when friends visit from afar)”. That traditional Chinese saying was morphed into “Booey Lehoo”, the name of last night’s concert – emceed by Wu – that featured a slew of US and Chinese show-biz folk who support US President Barack Obama’s 100,000 Strong Initiative.
That campaign is designed to boost the number of Americans studying in China from 13,000 to 100,000 in just four years.
Wu himself first came to China not as a student but an actor wanna-be.
He had been working as a model with the Ford agency in LA, with some VJ gigs on the side. “I liked representing the Asian community in the States,” he says, but he grew tired of being “taken” in a fashion shoot with eight Anglo-Americans, three Latinos, two blacks and himself.
“I wanted to be an actor, and I wanted to work in an environment where I was part of the majority,” he says.
So he snagged a $100 flight to Asia as a documents courier, and auditioned to be a VJ for MTV in Taipei. “I had to introduce a Smashing Pumpkins video” and got the job despite one small problem. “Your Mandarin is absolutely atrocious,” Wu recalls being told.
“But we see something in you.”
That “something” could have been his gift for gab, or the raw zest for life that makes images of the muscle-shirted actor leap from his web page.
Resisting one last tug from his life in LA, “I had just gotten my personal trainer certification so I didn’t have to do the “waiter in between acting gigs thing”. Wu took the plunge.
“It was REALLY hot and humid, and my mother asked me, ‘Why do you want to come here, after we sacrificed so much to come to the US and give you the opportunities there?”
“It was so, so ironic,” he says, laughing at the memory of himself as a child, so determined to be American, not Asian. “But she was very supportive when she realized how serious I was” about the opportunities on this side of the Pacific.
He felt very alone at first, but buckled down to study Mandarin and savored the “cool” job at MTV, where his main responsibility was interviewing foreign artists like Julio Iglesias and Mariah Carey as they came through Taipei. When his one-year contract was up, however, he was off to Hong Kong looking for movie roles.
“That was back to the starving actor life again,” he says. “I just didn’t mesh with the place as quickly as I did in Taiwan, and while I was still trying to learn Mandarin, suddenly Cantonese was a whole new challenge.”
He planned to move on to Shanghai within a year, but fate intervened.
Wu had some part-time work in Singapore – he hosted the CommunicAsia show for a Japanese telecom giant, among other gigs. “On one trip I was checking out some agencies – there are great photographers out there, etc. – when one agency rep said to me, ‘When I look at you, I see dollar signs!’”
That was flattering, Wu says with a monster grin, “but I told her that I’d done the modeling thing and what I really wanted was to act.” So she introduced him to a talent manager in Singapore, and suddenly he had a contract to make Chinese TV dramas.
His new employers were “keen on new faces”, he says, and he found himself playing the lead in what turned into a blockbuster Chinese drama even though he still couldn’t speak Mandarin very well.
“Those were some really dark days, messing up my lines all the time,” he recalls. But he relished the challenge. “That’s an intense way to learn language, being in somebody’s face all the time and having to say the lines,” he says. The producers eventually decided to dub him, which was commonly done anyway, but Wu was disappointed not to be using his own voice. He won that chance back, “but not until about my third drama there.”
It was a great job, Wu says, but when he learned that the producers of TV’s The Amazing Race were auditioning potential hosts for an Asian version of the show, he was itching for the job.
“There were a lot of people gunning for that – hit show, fun concept, lots of travel,” he says. “I had been a contestant on Fear Factor, so I was a big reality-show junkie.” The candidates were narrowed down to three, and Wu says he got picked both for his on-camera skills and because once, during a sudden thunderstorm, he delighted a producer by roaring onto the set on his motorcycle, dripping wet.
After a few seasons, he was approached by another company about doing a Amazing Race show for China, and once that group secured the rights to do the show officially, Wu was once again ready to pack for Shanghai.
In the meantime, he had spent 10 years in Singapore, married actress Wong Li-lin and become half of a celebrity couple. He also became the father of two children.
At home, he often found himself talking like his parents. “It was that cross-culture irony again,” he says. “The whole time in Singapore, I’m saying to the kids that ‘You gotta speak more Chinese!’”
After agreeing to host Amazing Race: China Rush, Wu jokes that he laid down an ultimatum: “You don’t want to learn Chinese, I’ll bring China to you!” And a few months ago, after the show’s second season, the family was settling in Shanghai.
“We’ll be looking for candidates, contestants for season three soon,” he says. Meanwhile, he’s bouncing from one Beijing stage to another, supporting the push to bring more American students to China. An “arts week” of events climaxed last night as he hosted the Booey Lehoo concert with Will.i.am, Shunza, John Legend, Sa Dingding and Coco Lee.
“What I love about the 100,000 Strong Initiative is that it’s not just aiming for gifted kids,” he says. Most stereotypes are not rooted in hostility but in a lack of interaction, he adds, and exposing young people from all parts of society to China’s culture is a big step forward.
You can contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn.
(China Daily 12/18/2011 page4)
What a night! Yesterday, we capped off an exciting week of Booey Lehoo Arts Week with a concert featuring the following headliners…
Normally, I’d try to spend a little more time to write about the subject, but I believe these images from Booey Lehoo truly capture the spirit and energy of the entire initiative. Throughout the week, we were busy with the Booey Lehoo Arts, which included taking our APSA (Americans Promoting Study Abroad) ambassadors from the Boston Unified School District to The Great Wall…
The next day, the boys were given the rare opportunity to meet kung fu movie star Jackie Chan on the set of his new film…
…I hadn’t caught up with Jackie for quite some time so it was great to hear him explain how much he enjoys having his organization, The Jackie Chan Charity Foundation, be a partner in Booey Lehoo.
Jackie is known as one of the hardest working actors in show biz so it’s fitting he’s got his own Hollywood standard trailer to chill out when he’s not literally kickin butt…
The Booey Lehoo Arts Week included various showcases from the East and West in dance, literature, classical music, and theater. One of my personal favorites was the Chicago Jazz event at CD Blues where we had the pleasure of enjoying the smooth Jazzy grooves and Blues of our Chicago jazz musicians flown in directly for the event…
Of course, all of these fun and meaningful events was a precursor to the main event, the Booey Lehoo Concert held at the Beijing Indoor National Stadium last night!
While all of the artists were preparing to take to the stage in the evening, I spent the afternoon getting the shots required for the television feature…
And before you can say 有朋自远方来不亦乐乎 (You Peng Zi Yuan Fang Lai BOOEY LEHOO ~ Roughly Translated: We’re stoked when friends drop in from afar!), it was time to get the show started with Sa Ding Ding after a stellar opening act from Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas!!!
Next up, we had nine time Grammy award winner John Legend on the stage to perform…
…and for his last song, he sang The Beatles “Imagine” with Shunzi and Coco Lee…
Later, we had Coco Lee and Shunzi lighting up the stage with their beautiful voices…
…and you know the fans were never tired of hearing Shunzi belt out 回家 Hui Jia.
With our final two headliners from The Black Eyed Peas ready to take the stage, it was time to get everything ready, and it took a lot longer than any of us imagined so I literally took my time to explain what Booey Lehoo is all about along with how APSA is working with President Obama’s 100,000 Strong Initiative to bring one hundred students in four years from the US and China to study aboard.
Once the patient audience was sufficiently well-versed in the concept of Booey Lehoo, it was time to bring Will.i.am and Apl.de.ap from The Black Eyed Peas on stage along with Coco Lee!
And they seriously killed it with a spectacular performance with hit after hit including Where is the Love and I Gotta a Feeling!
So there you have it…the first Booey Lehoo Arts Week and Concert is now a part of history, and we hope this is the beginning of something special. If you happen to be a part of it, then please spread the good word and let’s see if we can continue to work together to make it happen again one day in the near future!
Big thanks to Mike and Ted from APSA, Colin Dwyer, Chad, Paul, Jessie, Alison, Chris, Sandra, Yvonne, and everyone from incredible team for putting this all together. Also, thanks to Ella for dealing with me and taking all these great pics so I can share them with all of you!
Of course, one last big shout out to Motorola for all their support in making Booey Lehoo a reality for us all. Without your generous support, this definitely wouldn’t have been possible! Oh…and the new RAZR XT910 seriously rocks!
And on that note, it’s time to pack up my bags and return home to Shanghai to enjoy the holidays.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Game On!!! This past Saturday, we officially kicked off the Booey Lehoo Arts Week at the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) with a 16×16 Basketball Tournament with our Chinese and American students. Eight boys from the Boston Unified School District were invited to participate in this special friendly basketball tournament along with eight students from WAB and sixteen students from two Chinese high schools. Former NBA All-Star Jamal Mashburn flew in all the way from Kentucky to lend his support and explain to the young men how he has used basketball as a vehicle to succeed in all facets of his life.
I was hoping for a little game of “one on one” with “Monster Mash,” but we were both a bit too busy between catching the exciting matches and capturing footage for Booey Lehoo…
Later that day after we wrapped up the basketball tournament, the Booey Lehoo Arts Week continued with a book reading between Chinese and American authors followed by an evening organized by Project 朋友 for Americans studying and working in China to network and get together.
Yesterday, we made our way to the Great Wall to watch hip hop dancer Marquis Scott take the stage on one of the Seven Wonders of the World. For some of the students from Boston, this was their first time outside of the US, and they were pumped to have the opportunity to visit this awesome historical site!
Later…Marquis Scott took to the stage and tore it up on the wall!
And after I wrapped up my shots for the day…
…I shared with Marquis Scott my limited repertoire of dance moves that I picked up from Dance Central on Kinect!
We then returned to WAB for a special evening of dance performances with Ping Pong Productions. Everyone in the audience was treated to an anthology of different styles of dance…
Marquis also shared with me his impressions for being in China for the first time…
Well, that’s another day and night of the Booey Lehoo Arts Week in the history books as we inch closer towards the big concert this coming Saturday, December 17th, at the Beijing Indoor National Stadium. If you and your friends would like to check it out, then click on over to http://www.booeylehoo.com to get the full scoop!
I just realized I need to roll out soon for another day of Booey Lehoo so see you again soon!
After a brief hiatus, I’m finally back to update my blog. Whether I’m in work or family mode, it’s been difficult to find a nice pocket of time for myself to sit down and plop something down. Since my last entry, I’ve learned that people actually one use one space after finishing off a sentence with a period when typing. Funny…this is gonna be hard to get accustomed to because I’ve noticed I’m still using two spaces between sentences. At the very least, I’ll be sure to make the effort to use only one space for my FHM articles so I’m curious myself to see if I can relearn punctuation.
Right now, I’m back in chilly Beijing to attend and host our Booey Lehoo Concert Festival at the American Chamber of Commerce…
Personally, I’m really excited about this entire initiative because it allows underprivileged students from the US to come to China to study abroad. Over thirteen years ago, I made the decision to leave the US and come to Asia, and I’ve never looked back. I still remember when my mother accompanied me to Taiwan to get settled in, and she never really understood why I wanted to come to Asia. She knew I could barely speak any Chinese, and I had absolutely no relatives here too. Nevertheless, I always believed that there could be opportunities to be discovered so I’ve stuck around in search of them. I must confess it’s never been easy, but I soon realized that it’s truly not about the destination but the journey itself. And after living in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and now China, I know that there is still much much more to be seen and experienced.
Today was a good example of one of those memorable moments. The Mayor of Los Angeles was visiting Beijing, and we had the pleasure of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa join us for the Booey Lehoo press conference. Growing up in Los Angeles myself, I would have assumed the odds of meeting the city’s mayor would be much higher back in the US. However, I really doubt I would have had the opportunity to sit down and speak to the Mayor like I did today. After I informed Mayor Villaraigosa that my brother works in the Los Angeles Fire Department, he told me that he wanted to give him a call. I really thought he was just joking around. Low and behold, the next thing I know I’m giving Danny’s LA mobile number away to the Mayor of LA so he can call him up. Of course, I’m sure Danny initially thought it was a prank call. But after a short while, he soon realized he was speaking to the “real bonafide deal,” and we all had a great laugh. Albeit brief, I really enjoyed my time today with Mayor Villaraigosa, and we are all excited that the City of Los Angeles is onboard in supporting APSA (Americans Promoting Study Abroad) and its program to bring more US students to China. If you happen to be in Beijing on December 17th and don’t mind attending a unique concert with some of the biggest stars from both the East and West, then please check out the official website for Booey Lehoo at: http://www.booeylehoo.com
Happy Holidays and Hope to see you on December 17th for a rockin good time!!!
—中美两国艺术家联手献艺
11月24日，为促进中美两国文化交流及教育合作发展，2011首届“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会发布会在京举行，著名歌手顺子、萨顶顶做为本次演唱会的参演艺人代表，受邀出席了当天的发布会。莫文蔚、腾格尔等艺人虽未现身，但也通过视频纷纷为演唱会送上真诚祝福。“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会将于12月17日在北京国家体育馆举行。
will.i.am领衔加盟 巨星会友“不亦乐乎”
“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会主办方在发布会中宣布已邀请到7次格莱美奖获得者、著名音乐制作人、歌手、教育和科技倡导者will.i.am加盟本场演唱会。will.i.am此前一直致力于科技及教育方面的慈善事业，并通过自己创办的基金会，大力倡导良好教育的重要性，基金会的i.am奖学金也全部用于激励孩子们坚持学习和上大学。will.i.am此次将以个人身份来到中国北京加盟“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会。will.i.am在发布会当天虽未亲临现场，但也通过视频对“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会发来祝福。
另据主办方介绍，除中方艺人已确定顺子、萨顶顶将出演本次演唱会，美国蓝调歌手、9次格莱美奖获得者John Legend也已确认加盟。演唱会主办方也已向中国著名华语流行歌手蔡依林和李玟发出了演出邀请。
洛杉矶市长送祝福
北京中盛和创文化传媒有限公司及其合作伙伴应美国人留学促进会（APSA）的邀请，联合筹备并主办2011首届“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会。演唱会组织方代表、美国人留学促进会（APSA）联合主席Mike Dardzinski在发布会上向大家介绍了“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会长久的文化意义。“APSA非常高兴能与北京成龙慈善基金会及其中方合作伙伴合作。我们很荣幸能有这么多中美艺人为见证合作的意义作出巨大的努力。诸位艺人的加盟大大激励和带动了学生的积极性。本年度的‘不亦乐乎’演唱会和文化艺术周活动将会打开众多中美两国年轻人的视野。我们正计划在美国开展更多‘不亦乐乎’的文化活动。”
洛杉矶市市长安东尼奥·维拉莱戈萨也通过视频发来祝福，对本次“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会表示了极大支持。同时作为演唱会联合组织方的北京成龙慈善基金会代表Anna Dang解释了基金会在本次活动中扮演的角色：“‘不亦乐乎’让全世界的年轻人认识到出国留学能为他们带来的机遇。我们坚信，如果给中美两国的年轻人合作的机会，他们可以利用这些机会来帮助构建更好的世界。我们与APSA合作即是为了找到更多让中美两国年轻人合作的方式。
顺子萨顶顶联手赠书法 预祝“不亦乐乎”圆满成功
久未露面的美籍华裔歌手顺子和首位获得“格莱美”提名的华人女歌手萨顶顶，作为本次“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会的演出嘉宾，昨日也一同亮相发布会。顺子、萨顶顶和著名主持人吴振天表示他们对本次活动的支持。
APSA联合主席Mike Dardzinski 先生曾表示“顺子和萨顶顶是我们最先想要邀请加盟‘不亦乐乎’的两位优秀歌手，他们为中美间的文化交流都做出过很大的贡献。”作为对Mike先生高度赞誉的回礼，顺子和萨顶顶共同赠予主办方一卷写有“不亦乐乎”四个大字的书法作品，希望以此展现中美文化的完美交融。
著名歌手顺子在成就个人音乐生涯的同时，已被视为年轻一代音乐人的导师。她在谈到支持本次活动的原因时说：“我很能体会有人站在自己一边、帮助自己成长时的感受。我们音乐人可以在这些合作项目中为年轻人做许多事，所以我很高兴能加盟‘不亦乐乎’的活动。”随后，顺子在现场演唱了自己的歌曲。
2011首届“不亦乐乎”中美文化艺术周同时启动
2011首届“不亦乐乎”中美文化艺术周也于昨日宣布同时启动。APSP希望“十万强倡议”项目的影响将不仅限于艺术领域，而是渗透到人们生活的各个方面。“不亦乐乎”文化艺术周期间的艺术活动还涉及到文学、舞蹈、戏剧、即兴及古典音乐领域。全部由中美艺术家携手联合献上。这些艺术家的表演和讲话会为观众提供与他们近距离接触的难得机会，并帮助公众更深地了解跨文化合作的可能性和重要性。而作为这一系列活动的压轴表演，17日晚的“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会也必将整个活动推向最高潮。
2011首届“不亦乐乎”中美文化艺术周介绍
12月10日
“斗牛”：中美两国高校学生组成的篮球队将展开一场激烈的16×16高校篮球争霸赛，胜出的队伍将获得成龙奖，以突出中美两国在体育界的合作精神。每支队伍将由中美各2名学生组成，在体力和技巧上尽情较量和玩耍。前NBA明星球员及成功的商人Jamal Mashburn也将加入球员的行列，与众人一起享受其中的乐趣。
12月15日
“风城”：芝加哥爵士音乐会。来自芝加哥的爵士和布鲁斯音乐家让京城感受纯正的风城爵士乐。
关于全部“不亦乐乎”系列文化活动的细节，请访问不亦乐乎的官方网站。无论你喜欢其中哪种艺术形式，都有令人兴奋的活动在等你参加。请访问演唱会官网：www.booeylehoo.com
上土豆网 赢演唱会入场券
不亦乐乎正在土豆网上举办竞票活动。5位年轻的中国幸运观众将获得演唱会的VIP入场券，并到成龙当前正在北京拍摄中的电影摄制现场访问他。15岁至25岁之间的年轻人可以参加本次活动，他们只需要向土豆网上传一段按照比赛规定要求拍摄的短片就有机会获奖（www.tudou.com/booeylehoo）。5位获奖者的姓名将在2011年12月12日公布。
关于APSA
美国人留学促进会(APSA)为贫困社区内的美国高校学生提供到中国北京留学的机会，并为参加交流项目的学生提供奖学金。这些交流项目着重语言学习、文化理解、领导力培养、国际化事业拓展等方面。欲知关于美国人留学促进会项目的更多详情，请访问APSA的官网：www.apsaglobal.org
关于北京成龙慈善基金会
北京成龙慈善基金会作为“不亦乐乎”北京演唱会的联合组织方，以帮助中国年轻人的发展为己任。作为国际演艺界巨星成龙名下的国际慈善项目的一部分，北京成龙慈善基金会主要帮助那些需要援助的年轻人，无论是通过教育扶助项目或是救灾项目。欲知关于北京成龙慈善基金会的更多详情，请访问： http://jackiechan.com/charity
欢迎访问“不亦乐乎”演唱会官方网站
www.booeylehoo.com
Today, we just completed our press conference for “Booey Lehoo” at the JW Marriott Hotel in Beijing…
People have been wondering what this is so I’ve got some explaining to do…
In the week commencing December 12th, Booey Lehoo will bring some of the biggest stars of music and sports from the US and China together to raise awareness for a great initiative aimed at young people in both of our great countries.
Booey Lehoo is being organized by an organization called Americans Promoting Study Abroad APSA, which is part of the 100,000 Strong Initiative under an umbrella group set up by President Obama to raise funds for an educational exchange program on an unprecedented scale. The Initiative aims to bring 100,000 students from the US to study in China over the next four years, which will lay the groundwork for friendly relations and understanding between our nations over the coming century. Americans Promoting Study Abroad are working within this framework to bring high school students from underrepresented communities to study in China, and will also be working to bring Chinese students in a similar situation to study in the United States.
Whoops! I just realized I’m late for Thanksgiving dinner with the production crew so I’ll be back again with more details of this exciting event along with our star-studded charity concert soon!
Happy Turkey Day!
Thinking about getting a personal trainer to get you back in tip top shape?
Here’s my take…
Here’s my latest article for the November 2011 issue of FHM Singapore…
Last night, we finally found out who was crowned the winners for the second season of The Amazing Race China Rush. The race had come down to three teams comprised of Simon/Katherine, Sun Bin/Hao Fei-Er, and Jan/Lily. Throughout the course of the race, the teams continually battled it out for overall supremacy, and it was difficult to determine who would arrive at the final Pit stop no matter how big your brain is!
In the The Amazing Race tradition, we were happy to have all the contestants join us once again for this momentous occasion, and they had a fun time reminiscing and recalling their adventures during the race…
And low and behold, it was the team of Jan and Lily that reached our final Pit Stop first, and Jan really enjoyed recounting how his team was able to take home the top prize to his fellow competitors and newfound friends…
Well, there you have it…we finally have our winners for another amazing season. Like always, it’s been a pleasure and honor to work on such a fun and exciting production…
…but now I can finally stop standing and waiting for these teams to arrive cuz they’ve all checked in!!!
Thank you again for all your love and support…and watch out for our next season of The Amazing Race China Rush next year!!!
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