Art Attack: What Was Hot in 2012?

Here you have it, folks, our most popular Art Attack post of 2012 was about Asia's hottest yoga instructor. The sexy Muqimiya was slated to attend C!Talk back in July, and so fell under our radar. Thanks go out to her for bringing us the attention.

Earlier in the year we were also delighted to see a spat between Conan O'Brien and a Chinese comedian unfold. Conan ridiculed the Chinese show after noticing they had copied his opening theme. There was some funny back-and-forth between the two TV hosts, producing great videos that mocked each others' programs.

Friendly teasing aside, the year 2012 in entertainment mainly saw synergy between China and the West. A few film releases were delayed in the fall due to the Party Congress, but Chollywood is getting a foothold. For starters, the foreign film regulations were adjusted to allow 14 extra premium-format films (that means 3-D and IMAX) to enter Chinese cinemas (on top of the original 20. Beijing's neighbour Tianjin began discussing a deal with NBC Universal to open a theme park in the city and Iron Man 3 is being filmed in the capital.

Obviously, Gangnam Style topped the list for viral entertainment. The South Korean hit gave birth to a video meme that exploded abound the world, including a few local gems. Check out our roundup here.

Gangnam Style also taught us a lesson about soft power, a lesson reporter Evan Osnos was quick to point out. And China's soft-power champion of the year was the author Mo Yan, who was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature. The controversial awarding of the prize inflamed the dialogue about censorship in the PRC.

What did you like in 2012? Let us know in the comments or on Sina Weibo.

Photo: directrss