ZLH 520

Today is or was the unofficial Valentine’s Day in China because it’s May 20^th. In Mandarin 5-2-0 is pronounced “wǔ èr líng” which sounds like “wǒ ài nǐ”, pinyin for 我爱你, “I love you”. So this is code, like on socials or Whatsapp or chats for telling someone you love them. And in C-drama land, it’s also when marketing teams for upcoming romance dramas share new materials for promotion.

One of the most highly anticipated dramas scheduled to come out this year is Overdo, starring Wang Churan and the biggest heatscore in Chinese entertainment right now, Zhang Linghe. Here’s the Overdo 520 thirst drop.

Given the hysteria over him that has resulted after Pursuit of Jade, which co-streamed on Netflix, and cracked their top 10 worldwide, I wonder if Netflix is trying to get distribution rights for this one. If they’re not, then someone is not paying attention to the data.

As I mentioned last week, Zhang Linghe was in New York this past weekend for the Gucci show, and went viral for the footage of all the fans waiting for him at the airport. Gucci was clearly ready for it because they sent several bodyguards to escort him out of the terminal.

Gucci just shared another video of him on their socials today because, clearly, someone there IS paying attention to the data.

ZLH did not stay long in America. Because over in China the idols work non-stop. He was back on a plane in no time and back to promotion for his various brand ambassadorships – skincare, noodles, and tech. Today he was at a convention for a new phone.

@alltheboysilove._ #zhanglinghe – I never missed a class if he was the teacher 🥹💗🤏🏻 #actorchinese #fyp ♬ Too Sweet – Hozier

He also has a new season of the variety show The Truth coming out. And he just wrapped on a drama last week called The Road to Glory, in which his wind machine is once again working overtime to get those slut strands moving just so. Here’s a preview they released to celebrate the end of the shoot.

Attached – a selection of photos of him while he was in NYC since the paparazzi figured out that he is a high value subject.

What else happened today…

Bella Maclean always looks different to me and I think that’s a good thing for her as an actor. A bad thing is her choice of footwear, I hate these shoes so much. (Go Fug Yourself)

Every day there’s someone famous who is growing up and I’m like WTFFFF howwww. This time it’s Shrek. He’s 25 years old. I’m kinda mad at Kayleigh Donaldson for telling me this. (Pajiba)

Mentioned Josh Heuston yesterday in my post about romantasy. He’s currently playing Justin in the Off-Campus series. And he’s talking about the obsession with hockey romances. (Refinery 29)

Kim Kardashian on how many supplements she takes a day. I take no supplements, not a single vitamin, and I am nagged on a weekly basis by my husband about the glucosamine tablets, which is what he takes. My version of supplements is my ma’s Chinese soup. IMO all the roots and herbs and Chinese magic in there is the equivalent of 300 supplements. (Celebitchy)

I mentioned the NBA playoffs earlier today in my post about Timothée Chalamet but the real star of the post-season is Victor Wembanyama who is just 22-years-old and has been a f-cking menace on the court. That game against OKC the other night was mental. I’m excited to see how and if Shae Gilgeous-Alexander answers tonight. But as Danny Chao writes in his new piece for The Ringer, Wemby’s “first true postseason masterpiece changes everything”. (The Ringer)