Its Jolog time!!! Make way for the Flower Boys. wahahahah. I followed Bruce Lee, I followed Jacky Chan, I followed Jet LI....should I follow the flower four? wahahah...

The hot boys of 'Meteor Garden'

Posted: 6:39 PM (Manila Time) | Jun. 10, 2003
By Claire Agbayani
Inquirer News Service

YOU see them on TV. You hear their voices blaring from radios in jeepneys. You see their faces splashed on posters at the overpass and in the malls.

The boys of F4, described as "the biggest boy band in Asia" and stars of the afternoon soap "Meteor Garden," are hot.

In "Meteor Garden," Jerry Yan is Dao Ming Shi; Vic Zhuo is Hua Ze Lei; Vanness Wu is Mei Zhuo; Ken Zhu is Xi-Men; and Barbie Xu is San Cai.

"Meteor Garden," incidentally, is adapted from manga or the Japanese comic series "Hana Yori Dango" (Boys are Better than Flowers). "Hana Yori Dango" is a cult favorite that has spawned a very popular animated series, a movie, and, of course, "Meteor Garden."

All four members of F4 portray roles in "Meteor Garden" that are similar to their real-life personalities.

Jerry, 25, claims that he is aggressive and direct when he likes a girl. "When it comes to love, (Dao Ming Shi and I) are similar," he says. "When I like someone, I am direct about revealing how I feel."

Vic, 22, is somewhat a recluse and is uncomfortable with the attention the group has been getting. "When the show became popular, I became even more reclusive like him (Hua Ze Lei)," he says. "I'm afraid of the press spotting me if I go out in ratty clothes, so I simply refuse to go out anymore."

Vanness, 24, is in real life as easy-going and fun-loving as the happy-go-lucky character he portrays, Mei Zhuo. Believing that "love knows no boundaries," Vanness has had girlfriends in Vietnam, China and Korea.

Ken, 24, is a diehard romantic. He reveals that his first love was a "cute Malaysian girl, a friend of my sister's." Unfortunately, the girl went to Australia for further studies.

Jerry was a part-time model while still in school. He caught the public eye when he won the modeling competition of "Uno", a Taiwanese men's magazine. He had already starred in many commercials before he was hand-picked for "Meteor Garden."

Vic was a mechanical engineering student at a Taiwanese technical institute. He had accompanied a friend to audition for a role in "Meteor Garden." He was discovered by the producers instead.

Ken, born in Taiwan but raised in Singapore, was a captain waiter in a Japanese BBQ restaurant when he was discovered by the show's producers. He actually considered becoming a sushi chef before his fate changed.

American-born Vanness came to Taiwan wanting to be a part of the entertainment scene in his parents' native land. He joined a male talent contest when the "Meteor Garden" producers asked him to audition.

Halfway through the filming of the first season of "Meteor Garden," the boys recorded "Meteor Rain." The album has 10 radio-friendly tracks, written in Mandarin, but peppered with English lyrics and done in Western style.

Their second album, "Fantasy 4Ever," features the hit "Can't Lose You" (better known as "Oh baby, baby, my baby baby") and their second single "Season of Fireworks." In this album, Jerry also sings "I Truly Love You."

Two F4 VCDs are up for release: the "Meteor Rain" karaoke VCD, featuring videos for all songs on "Meteor Rain" plus lyrics to sing along to, plus the "Fantasy 4 Live Concert World Tour," a two-hour VCD featuring live performances by F4 and a special footage of Jerry and Vanness dancing.

"Broken Vow" by Lara Fabian, the theme song from "Meteor Garden," is already a huge hit on Philippine radio and music channel charts. This song is in "Meteor Garden 2: The Original Soundtrack" together with other songs featured in the series like Eric Carmen's "All by Myself" and Chayanne's "Te Amo."

The album comes with a special bonus VCD of videos with footage from the telenovela and an exclusive, ultra-thick booklet with lots of photos, character profiles, lyrics, as well as a sneak peak into "Meteor Garden's" second season.

Also coming soon is a double VCD of their sold-out successful concert, "F4 Live in Hong Kong."

More good news: Each F4 member is coming up with a solo album. Vic's is "Make a Wish," and Vanness' is "Body Can Sing."

Now, when is the multi-platinum act coming to perform in the Philippines? Their hordes of fans are waiting with bated breath.

:: Bing Saturday, June 28, 2003 [+] ::
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