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Pop Stop

Aska Yang is an unlikely idol in the making. PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES

It is amazing to see how the entertainment apparatus turns a nobody into a star and its efficiency to produce, consume and cash in on its creations is flabbergasting. Right now the machine is working its magic on Aska Yang (楊宗緯), its latest product. A local version of China's Li Yuchun (李宇春), Yang rocketed to stardom after participating in the singing contest One Million Star (超級星光大道), on national TV. Two months on, the college student-turned-household name keeps the nation enthralled with no more than a reasonably nice voice and a bent for getting teary eyed over defeated contenders.

Nicknamed cry baby for his tears and caveman for his rugged appearance, Yang has quickly become the gossip rag's new favorite as paparazzi digs out dirt saying the contestant once flunked out of college, subtracted five years from his real age and has developed a predilection for young, pretty assistants.

The show has been accused of deliberately eliminating Yang from the competition so that it can invite him back later in the game, adding a bit of suspense and drama to the show even as the star in the making ensures that gossip fodder is in ample supply.

Is Alan Luo Taiwan's new designer on the block? PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES

The Aska craze is predicted to reach a climax in a couple of months as Yang and the nine other finalists, now dubbed as the Million Star Gang (星光幫), are working on their first compilation album slated to hit the market in the summer. Whether or not the gang are successful products like Hello Kitty or Jolin Tsai (蔡依林), only time will tell.

In other tabloid news, A-mei (阿妹) is said to have developed a fancy for younger men as a widely circulated picture of her nestling up to Super Basketball League player He Shou-cheng (何守正) is interpreted as a sign of budding love by local media proficient in making gossip headlines out of nothing.

As the rumored romance comes suspiciously close to the release date of the star's new album next month, and one cannot but wonder whether the record company is getting a bit slack in resorting to a publicity gimmick that is so yesterday.

Pop singer and entertainer Alan Luo (羅志祥) is apparently in the prime of his life. Not only does his romantic pursuit of the queen of cute Rainie Yang (楊丞琳) look promising, the business-savvy star has set up his own clothing brand and his first flagship store opened last weekend in Ximending (西門町).

Over 600 fans flooded into the store to pick up Luo's designs of limited edition clothing and plastic toys. And by the end of the day, the astute star took more than NT$1 million of bucks for what are in fact plain T-shirts and trinkets.

Meanwhile, Luo's past rumored girlfriend Jolin Tsai is spending the same amount of cash on the other side of the planet. Picking up pricey lessons from Kylie Monogue's dance instructor in London, the dance diva's studiousness has been faithfully documented by the record company, lauding the star as a studious young lady who can lead a ordinary life like other Taiwanese students do despite her fame and wealth.

Pop Stop just wants to point out one thing: expensive dance lessons, extravagant shopping and five-star hotel accommodation can hardly constitute a common experience shared by Taiwanese students in foreign countries.

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