Jessica Beinecke, the host of VOA’s hit Chinese language video blog, OMG! Meiyu, was on location in Beijing this week, where she enlisted the help of internationally known entertainer Will.i.am, the Black Eyed Peas producer and frontman.
Jessica, whose daily OMG! videos have gone viral on Chinese social media sites, was invited to Beijing to take part in an “Education For All” event featuring Will.i.am and special performances from Chinese university students.
On the latest episode of OMG! the Black Eyed Peas singer and producer teams up with Jessica to explain the English language expression, “Crazy Fresh.” According to Jessica, “Will.i.am says it’s a combination of not being able to figure out how something came to exist, but every day it's fresh and remains vibrant.”
“It was really amazing to have Will.i.am on OMG! Meiyu,” Jessica says. One excited fan on the social media site Weibo said, “Will.i.am is awesome, and Jessica’s lesson is crazy fresh!! I love it!”
The upbeat video segments, which teach expressions used by young Americans, became a sensation in September, with the release of a segment called Yucky Gunk. Since then OMG! Meiyu has been viewed more than 6 million times by its loyal fans, who also supply Jessica with questions and ideas for her show.
The new OMG! segments taped in Beijing have pushed Jessica’s quirky video blog to the top of Chinese social media sites.
The “Education for All” event in Beijing was organized by EducationUSA and the 100K Strong Initiative, U.S. State Department programs aimed at boosting the number of Americans who study in China. Will.i.am described it as a gathering to “support youth and encourage education.”
OMG! Meiyu is produced in Washington by VOA’s Mandarin Service, which broadcasts news, information and cultural programs to China on radio, television, the Internet and mobile sites.
