“Co nhieu quy vi khang da cho minh cai quyen qua lon khi viet thu cho chung toi… Chung toi thay quy vi di qua xa roi day.” -Nguyen Ngoc Ngan.

Basically, what Nguyen Ngoc Ngan and Thuy Nga production said is that who do you [consumers] think you are? If you don’t like what we put out, go watch Asia, Van Son, Tinh or other productions. We don’t need you to tell us what to do.

What an insult. Are they forgetting the phrase, “customers always right?” Even if the audiences’ suggestions are invalid, they are still suggestions. They can just toss them out and not take them into consideration. They don’t have to publicly humiliating the viewers like that. It’s just inappropriate. What even worse is that Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen just stands there with the smirk on her fake face and notting her head to everything Nguyen Ngoc Ngan said. What would you feel if you were the one wrote the comment?

What is up with the double standards? Thuy Nga production kick you in your nuts with statements similar to above than turn around kiss your ass with the begging of buying their original products. As much as I respect Huynh Anh, Nguyen Hien, and Song Ngoc, I will not support their work through Thuy Nga. So if you haven’t seen Paris by Night 74, save your money for other productions who respect and value their viewers.

A brand spanking new skin design for iLoveNgocLan.com. Isn’t she just zesting?

Nas’s “You Know My Style” is hot. Can’t wait til his album drop.

Beautiful girls with beautiful sounds coming straight from People’s Republic of China, Twelve Girls Band rocks the stages with traditional intruments combining with modern harmonies.

For those (including myself) who use Avant Garde. It’s an interesting history.

Need inspiration? Check out Visual Creativity.

Out of all her solo albums Ngọc Lan recorded for Mây productions—from Ngọc Lan 4: Tình Xanh to Ngọc Lan 10: Hạnh Phúc Nơi Nào—Ngọc Lan 5: Tình Gần remains my personal favorite to this day. With 12 exceptional recordings, Ngọc Lan perfected the art of creating a cohesive experience from start to finish. Just pop in the album and let Ngọc Lan lead the way.

When she flowed, “Em như một nụ hồng / Cầu mong chẳng lạnh lùng,” you felt the sad beauty in Ngô Thụy Miên’s “Tình Khúc Buồn.” When she declared, “Với em, anh mãi là người tình trăm năm,” you wished you were her lover in Đức Huy’s “Người Tình Trăm Năm.” When she confessed, “Buồn vương màu áo hồng / Nước mắt theo em đi về với chồng,” you tasted her tears in Nguyễn Ngọc Trọng’s “Buồn Vương Màu Áo.” When she confronted, “Anh bên người xa lạ / Anh quên lời hẹn thề / Cho em xót xa,” you felt her pain in Đỗ Cung La’s “Dù Tình Yêu Đã Mất.”

From “Chiều Một Mình Qua Phố” to “Rồi Như Đá Ngây Ngô” to “Hạ Trắng,” Ngọc Lan got us hanging on Trịnh Công Sơn’s every word. In “Để Quên Con Tim” and “Tiếng Mưa Đêm,” Ngọc Lan’s soft, sweet vocals brought the cool, breezy vibes to Đức Huy’s easy-listening lyrics. She gave a touching rendition of Trầm Tử Thiêng’s “Mười Năm Yêu Em” as well as Vũ Thành An’s “Bài Không Tên số 2 & 3” and “Bài Không Tên số 7.”

Ngọc Lan’s vocals were mesmerizing and her song choices were excellent, but “Tình Gần” wouldn’t be complete without the outstanding productions, and saxophonist Thanh Lâm played the key role in the album success. From his orchestrations, particularly the staccato strings in “Người Tình Trăm Năm,” to his arrangements, noticeably the rhythm section in “Mười Năm Yêu Em”, to his sax solos, which appeared on almost every track, his contributions to the album were remarkable. His music direction shaped the cohesiveness of the album.

There were intriguing debates in iLoveNgocLan.com on how Ngọc Lan came up with Tình Gần for the album title. Someone said that, the title derived from a line in Ngô Thụy Miên’s “Tình Khúc Buồn,” which was, “Sao chưa gặp một lần mà nghe tình thật gần.” The theory seemed convincing, but I have a different take. “Tình Gần” can be translated as “Close Love” or “Intimate Love” (my preference). If you look at all of the albums she released under Mây Productions, Tình Gần was the only one that she covered songs written by Vietnamese songwriters. In other albums, she covered a mix of Vietnamese, French, and American ballads; therefore, Tình Gần hit closest to home.

Updated June 30, 2022

Zhang Yimou’s Hero is a master work of art. Naturally, the martial art is spectacular and the cinematography is visually gorgeous; however, what strikes me the most is the intriguing storyline. My jaw dropped at the end of the film. It’s such a clever piece of writing with an inspiring philosophy behind it. To be honest, I can’t think of anything to write down without spoiling it. So you will have to take my word for it and find out for yourself. Either you’ll get it or you don’t. Apparently, some Western audiences don’t get it.

In term of visual effects, Hero has plenty of them and I just love the way they play with colors and color schemes. Noticeably, the outfits from the characters compliment the scenes surrounding them. I’ve always been inspired by use of bright and rich colors by the Chinese art and this film is no exception. As far as computer-generated effects, the rain of arrows is quite impressive. Furthermore, the battle between Nameless (Jet Li) and Broken Sword (Tony Leung) is just amazing, especially the water drop effect.

In term of characters, Tony Leung gives an outstanding performance as a highly respectable swordsman. He has convinced me with his multidimensional talent. Zhang Ziyi is as striking beautiful as always and Jet Li is pretty much Jet Li.

If you love Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragons, you’ll adore Hero. If you enjoy martial arts and visual stimulations, you’ll appreciate Hero. As for my recommendation, I urge you to pay close attention to the storyline. So bookmark this page, go enjoy the experience then come back here and we’ll discuss.

Visualgui proudly presents the Annual Fund, our latest site design for Vassar College.

Ideally, Chao Long is for breakfast; however, it is also great for getting sober after a night of heavy drinking. The best part of Chao Long is Huyet (pork blood), which is barried under the congee in the photo. I also love Chao Quai (deep-fried breadstick) even though it is so greasy. Make sure to keep the heat on all the time because Chao Long is best when it is hot. Most important of all, the intestines need to be wash thoroughly to get rid of the odors before cook. That’s as far as I know so don’t ask for my rescipe.

My Le‘s vocals have improved tremendously, noticeably her breathless skills, on My Nhan Ngu; however, I am disappointed with her songs selections on this album. Her voice is powerful and beautiful, but most of the songs on the album do not bring out her charismas or vice versa.

Nevertheless, My Le and her musicians have successfully restyled Duc Huy’s “Va Con Tim Da Vui Tro Lai” by giving it a fresh new vibe. The song is brilliantly produced with the combination of My Le’s energetic vocals and the band’s vivacious harmonies. Although I have heard so many versions of Trinh Cong Son’s “Ru Em Tung Ngon Xuan Nong,” My Le’s version stands on its own because of her liveliness and forcefulness performance.

My Le’s version of “Ngay Xua Tieng Vi Cam” is nice and soothing with a gorgeous touch from the violin. I am not too crazy about “Tieng Song” but it has a nice upbeat to it. “Mot Ngay Mua Dong” also has the smooth up-tempo but Ha Okyo kills it with his Vietnamese rapping, especially with his Northern accent and his Wycleff imitation, “One time… two time.”

Even though My Nhan Ngu is not a perfect album, it is still enjoyable. I wish My Le had chosen her music more wisely like she did on the first two volumes. In any case, she is making progress with each new album. She is an imaginative artist who deserves some recognition.

Johnny Dung has been in the Vietnamese entertainment business for years; therefore, there is no reason for him to put out such a hopeless debute music video. You can’t just go to Hawaii, slap the singers on the scenes, and call it music video. Furthermore, the cinematography is poorly produced and the digital imaging behind Ha Vy and Cat Ly performances are way too amateur.

What is Johnny Dung thinking? He tries to follow Tinh production’s footsteps, but fails miserably. Each of Tinh’s song is well produced with some sort of plot behind it to keep viewers tuned in. With JD’s video, I just get tired of looking at the singer and the scenes after less than a minute into the song. There is no innovative or creative input into the work.

The musical arrangements aren’t so bad because of the talented musicians such as Dong Son, Nhat Trung, Huynh Nhat Tan, DJ Slim and others who put on some creative mix behind the scene. Since this is there strong point, JD production should focus on producing CDs first. After gathering enough cash flow then invest in producing high quality video. Because there are so many productions out there right now and the viewers’ demands are extremely high, only inventive and groundbreaking works will survive in this game. For example, Asia entertainment constantly seek out new ideas for their videos.

I wasn’t planning on writing about Trish’s DVD until she opens her mouth during the interview with SBTN. Her comment was, “I think a lot of kids would appreciate [my music] more than the [adults] that I perform for now. Cause a lot of them are … [dummy face]. They don’t get it.” Call me deaf and dumb all you want but what is there to get? Trish’s vocals haven’t improved since the first time she steps on Asia’s stage, still exasperating and annoying.

What about her lyrics? Let’s just pick out a song she has written. The lyrics of “Stay a While” go something like this, “Please don’t walk away, / I just want to be. / Here right by your side. / Say you’ll stay with me. / Just a little while. / Only you and me. / Please don’t walk away. / Say you’ll stay with.” Come on Trish! The same material recycles over and over again and nothing new.

Trish is a cute girl but she needs some drama in her life to spice up her music and lyrics. She needs to reinvent herself and grow out of that tiresome style if she wants to be appreciated by the older listeners. Until then, don’t insult the audience.