Last week the DPP raised eyebrows with what seemed like a sexually charged pro-referendum advertisement in which a girl in a school uniform says with a furtive pointing gesture: "My first time. The whole world is watching." The wording of that ad was nebulous enough to make one question one's own decency in reading a sexual double entendre into it. But this week, the KMT-PFP cast all subtlety aside in a similarly laid-out ad in The Great Daily News, with the same text fonts featuring a slinky model, hands on hips, casting an icy glance at the reader and a line at the top that reads: "I won't just give away my first time to you." Luckily, the election is tomorrow, or who knows in what tasteless territory this tit-for-tat will end up.
Keeping in step with the political tensions, the media has been in a frenzy over the past week trying to expose the voting tendencies of Taiwan's stars. Those who would vote for Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) are reticent to express that preference publicly since A-mei (阿妹) was shut out of the China market after she sang the national anthem in 2000 at Chen's inauguration, costing her millions in product endorsements and concert revenues. But pan-blue stars like TV-show hosts Darkie (黑人) and Little S (小S), singer Mavis Fan (范曉萱) and actress Wu Pei-tsi (吳佩慈), however, felt no such threat in hitting the streets of Taipei last weekend waving KMT flags, while Momoko Tao (陶晶瑩) had Lien Chan's (連戰) son on her show Taozi 10e (陶子10e) for some fairly blatant campaigning.
TVBS Weekly (TVBS周刊) reported that Mayday (五月天) and A-mei wouldn't appear onstage with either ticket no matter what the price, while Wu Bai (伍佰) claims to maintain a non-political stance and variety show host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) would be willing to sell his time in support of whichever
candidate puts up NT$1 million. Not surprisingly, the actor known as Andy (安迪), who was behind the controversial Special Report (非常報導) VCD that lampooned James Soong (宋楚瑜) and other pan-blue figures, will be lending his loud voice in support of A-bian.
In his first ever overtly political statement, director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) said he has watched Taiwan's domestic political tensions heat up during the presidential campaign with, what he has described, as "growing unease," in a report in the Apple Daily (蘋果日報). In response he established an ethnic group equality alliance and announced plans on Tuesday to shoot a series of documentaries that look at the life experiences of people in Taiwan from various ethnic backgrounds.
All the election-related news -- even in the gossip columns -- has gotten a bit heavy, which is why Pop Stop is grateful to Canto-pop singer Edison Chan (陳冠希) for spicing things up a bit in Hong Kong this week when he got beaten up by a pair of wayward teens and then lashed out at the people of Hong Kong for not heeding his calls for help.
Then, Steven Chow (周星馳), director of Shaolin Soccer (少林足球), also provided a few juvenile giggles this week when Hong Kong media reported on his recent house renovations that included the installation of a HK$25,000 toilet. The Japanese import throne features an automated warm-water bidet function, heated seat, and air freshener.
Romance was in the air, as well, this week, when Next Magazine (壹週刊) and Apple Daily exposed suspected budding loves between TV host David Wu and former pop singer Yuki Hsu (徐懷鈺), and between Mavis Fan and the lead singer from indie band Chicken Leg Rice (雞腿飯) known as Allen. There were even reports of a highly unlikely link between Lee Hom Wang (王力宏) and A-mei, who reportedly were spotted on a date together last weekend.
RSS