With Michael Bay’s fourth instalment in the Transformers movie franchise in development for next year, plans have been in motion to cast a high amount of big names in the Chinese movie industry. And the first of these names to be announced is mainland China actress, Li Bingbing.

Li is no stranger to the Western action cinema, with her previous role in Resident Evil 5: Retribution (2012) as the character Agent Ada Wong. She also starred alongside Jet Li and Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008).

The movie will be a co-production between Paramount Pictures, Jiaflix Enterprises and China Movie Channel. Li will be co-starring alongside Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz and Stanley Tucci. No information on Li’s role has been released however.

Here are the plot details of the movie as:

“Transformers 4 picks up after the end of Transformers: Dark of the Moon after a battle left a city broken, but the world was saved by the Autobots.

As humanity picks up the pieces, following the conclusion of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Autobots and Decepticons have all but vanished from the face of the planet. However, a group of powerful, ingenious businessman and scientists attempt to learn from past Transformer incursions and push the boundaries of technology beyond what they can control – all while an ancient, powerful Transformer menace sets Earth in his crosshairs. The epic adventure and battle between good and evil, freedom and enslavement ensues.”

Production will begin later this year with parts of it taking place in China and will be slated for a 27 June 2014 release. Are you excited to see the robots in disguise duke it out in China?

Sources: 1, 2

The post Which Chinese Actress Has Joined The Transformers 4 Cast? appeared first on AX3 Battery | Asian Entertainment and Lifestyle Online Magazine.

GU- a sister brand of major Japanese fashion giant Uniqlo, is expanding in cities across Japan. The casual and affordable clothing brand targets young customers through not-so-typical marketing strategies such as flash mobs, public dance battles, and real-people “mannequins” on show window displays.
Take a look at the impressive moves from a fashion dance battle performed by groups of kids held in Kobe.

Live “mannequins” dance and change their clothes inside the show window in Ikebukuro—a major commercial district in Tokyo, and gathers a huge crowd.

Source: 1

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Hadouken (Street Fighter)

Hadouken is the infamous attack move that has energy flying out your palms thrust into your opponent. There are many variations of this trend sometimes involving more than 10 people jumping in sync for a photo. That’s a lot of teamwork to pretend you’re getting yourself blown away!

Quidditch (Harry Potter)

Anyone born in this century must know about the sheer popularity and general awesomeness that is Harry Potter and the sport Quidditch is no exception. I think the look on their faces says it all.

Human-eating giants (Attack on Titan)

Attack on Titan is an anime series that debuted this April about “Titans” that basically eat people for no reason. Although the material is quite dark, people cannot help but poke fun at these Titans. There is a lot of play involving holding, attacking, and even eating these little versions of people.

Pretending to be an insect (Mushiking)

This photo was retweeted over 8,000 times with the caption: “We’re sick of guitar!! We want to play Mushiking!” Mushiking was a popular game on SEGA where insects battled each other. This photo has since created spin offs parodying the picture.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

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As an addition to Comedy Week happening on YouTube this week, KevJumba filmed a third episode of the series with his dad, My Dad is Asian.

This skit, or rather, series of mini-skits, is action packed with the two of them showing off their karate moves as they go head to head in battle over the bill! (SO RELATABLE!) You’ll see a side of Papa Jumba as you’ve never seen him before!

KevJumba snatching the bill

I think Kevin’s dad is the absolute bomb. Most of his viewers would agree that while Kevin’s videos are good on their own, they’re even better Papa Jumba makes an appearance! While the acting could use a bit of improvement, it’s the passion that counts- and trust me, Papa Jumba’s passion is very apparent through these skits! But I’ve got to say that my favourite part about Kevin’s dad would be his facial expressions! It’s his standout quality.

Wow, the above paragraph made it seem as though I’m REALLY into Kevjumba’s dad…

Anywho! It’s always fun watching the father-son interactions between Kevin and his father. This was a lovely addition to Comedy Week.

Watch the video which shows how their relationship is affected when it comes to financial advice, James Bond, and paying the bill!

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Once I arrived to Incheon I quickly spotted some other tourists and tagged along with them to the subway. They told me they were from Malaysia, and I could tell by the 5 jackets they were wearing. I don’t blame them though, going from Singapore’s 35 degree humid weather to Seoul’s Vancouver-like 9 degree temperature was pretty shocking. An hour later I arrive in Hongdae, the University district on the north side of Seoul.

The great thing about Hongdae is that it’s where all the young, “hip” people hang out; there are a lot of universities and art schools around. Even at 12AM, there’s always somewhere good to eat and places to shop. There were a lot of nightclubs there too so if that’s of your interest, the hostels around Hongdae are a great place to book!

I spent a wonderful two weeks in Korea, seeing the best food, checking out Korean history, and doing some intense shopping.

One interesting thing about Korea is the apparent language barrier. While the airport, subway, and select restaurants have english translations, it’s not super easy to manoeuvre your way through, especially when finding something to eat. Not many people in Seoul have adapted the English language fully, meaning there is always miscommunication (can’t blame them though, I didn’t know a word of Korean before landing). I did have a friend show me around for most of the days, but the days I was without her was pretty funny. Blindly ordering from an all-Korean menu and having no idea what to expect was a hilarious memory of travelling.

Korean food is really awesome, everything from Korean BBQ, ddeokbokki (rice cake), fried chicken-and-beer, and the list goes on. If you can’t handle spicy foods though, Korea might not be the place for you. Oh, and alcohol is really cheap there too.

Soju is actually cheaper than water (1080 Won versus 1200 Won), and beer is priced just slightly above that.

My favourite food experience was going to the Noryangjin fish market and getting a nice piece of halibut cut up right infront of you and taken back to the restaurant upstairs to eat right away. Paired with that, we had some small octopuses that were still moving on the plate! They stuck to your lips when you put them in your mouth too, it was a hilarious feeling.

The other great thing about Seoul was the street food! Everything from tempura, to rice cakes, to corn dogs, it was all there; any time of the day! The best stall though was in Hongdae, right across from the Hongik University. This lady was selling “Ice Waffles”, essentially 5 scoops of ice-cream inside of a freshly made waffle… all for 1000 Won, or 1 Canadian Dollar. We went there three times during the last 4 days of our visit.

Is your mouth watering yet?

In addition to the great food, Seoul has a rich history filled with the overcoming of struggle. This is displayed by their massively attractive shrines, temples and museums. GyeongBok Gung is a massive royal palace that has a history of being burned down by the Japanese way back in 1592 and rebuilt 3 centuries later. Each building had a vivid pattern, symbolizing the five elements (Wood, Fire, Water, Earth, Metal).

The landmarks were great places for couples, Namsam tower was covered in the infamous couple locks. Couples write messages and “lock-in” their love to be preserved forever. I think you’re supposed to throw away the key too, but I never asked…

Of course, what’s a visit to Seoul without Kpop? With the YG Entertainment building a 15 minute walk from where I was staying, I had to make a visit. While I didn’t brush shoulders with PSY or anyone from BIGBANG or 2NE1, it was a cool building to see in the middle of a calm neighbourhood.

We were also lucky enough to spectate a sport widely practiced in Korea: Starcraft! GOM.tv just opened their new studio in downtown Gangnam, so we swung by their studio to watch the last bracket.

Lastly, Seoul is known for its cheap shopping. With ladies clothing and accessory shops on every block (I lost count), it is paradise for the young crowd. I spent hours in different markets, Myeongdong and Hongdae mostly.

One interesting market was Namdaemun market (close to Myeongdong), filled with street food and counterfeit goods. Never in my life had I encountered more fake LV, Gucci, Coach, and Burberry in one place. They also had HUGE BUILDINGS of jewellery accessories. Rings, necklaces, headbands, and everything in-between filled these multi-story complexes, all for around $1 each. If you’re into that stuff, you could easily spend days getting lost in all of the madness.

A district called Dongdaemun is known for its massive shopping centers. There are probably a dozen buildings there that are like multi-story department stores, selling everything from clothing to housewares across 12 or more floors. While there is an abundance of shops, it was odd that there weren’t many shoppers inside of these centers, at least when we visited in the afternoon of our last day. This resulted in VERY AGGRESSIVE salespeople everytime we walked past them. “Excuse me friend! Come here, good sales!” they screamed as we passed by, making moves if we even made the slightest sign of eye-contact. It was uncomfortable, so I suggest you visit this market at night when all the shoppers flock there (some buildings had odd operating hours like 8PM opening and 8AM closing).

Although Seoul became more popular on the world map due to Kpop, there’s much more to Korean culture! So if you love spicy food, cheap shopping, and stunning historical landmarks, Seoul is the place for you! I hope to visit back soon :)

The post Seoul, Korea — Home to Good Eats, Beautiful Landmarks, and Unusual Shopping Districts appeared first on AX3 Battery | Asian Entertainment and Lifestyle Online Magazine.

What occurred in Hong Kong the other night was a ‘BLACK’ rainstorm signal. Hong Kong has a 3-level system for rainstorms, increasing in severity from ‘AMBER’ to ‘BLACK’. A ‘BLACK’ signal means that residents are warned to stay indoors, schools are either closed or in a state of lockdown, and public transit is suspended for fears of floods and serious traffic congestions; essentially, Hong Kong is at a standstill.

Yesterday’s BLACK signal lasted from 4:10am to 9:45am, resulting in school closures, work abruptions, and floods in key traffic tunnels such as the original Cross-Harbour Tunnel (紅磡海底隧道). See a pretty incredible taxi ride through the tunnel that was quite literally “underwater” here.

Other severe weather conditions that can be found in Hong Kong include hailstorms, typhoons, and tropical storms (aka cyclones).

Think Tornado Moore in Oklahoma did some damage? Look through some of the most wickedly damaging weather Hong Kongers have withstood below. Don’t say we didn’t warn you next time you visit during typhoon season!

Source 1, 2, 3, 4

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