The "wardrobe malfunction" has become something of a staple among Taiwanese wannabe celebrities. The most recent happened to Liu Zhen (劉真), when a nipple escaped from her strapless top during a book launch of her photos (of her rather than by her). There is no better way of bringing in the punters than by showing them a glimpse of the real goods. This exploit was given extensive exposure by a shocked media - Next even went so far as to provide an almost clinical close-up of the offending nipple ... so it could be recognized again if seen in public? Zhen's venture follows close on the heels of Vivi Wang's (王婉霏) "black forest incident," when the spokesperson for a car manufacturer showed off her pubic hair while posing for photographers. Despite her agitated response at the time, this incident did nothing to hurt her career.
David Tao (陶吉吉), who seems to be going through a South American phase, has moved on from a passing interest in Brazilian-Japanese model Akemi, to pursuing Guatemalan-Taiwanese model Liz Yang (楊莉思). Yang has already acquired a reputation for pushing the boundaries of good taste with her steamy poses and willingness to let it all hang out, and if Tao's involvement means she features on more magazine covers, it is unlikely that there will be many dissenting voices. Except perhaps Tao himself: Next's motley crew of paparazzi have caught Yang out and about town with fellow model Neill Wan (萬子豪), even though Tao has even gone to the trouble of taking Yang home to meet the folks. Tao is going all out to get his hands on those 32Ds, but clearly Yang is anything but a pushover.
In other romantic news, Shu Qi (舒淇) is salving the wounds of her reported breakup with Wang Lee-hom (王力宏) with looker Hu Bin (胡兵). This is certainly a step down-market, but given her record, the tabloids are already speculating whether she is going to make a move on Takeshi Kaneshiro (金城武), when she gets in front of the camera again to shoot a new costume drama based on the Chinese classic novel Heroes of the Water Margin (水滸傳). She will be playing Pan Jin-lien (潘金蓮), a wily seductress who will, on camera at least, go all out to get her hooks into Kaneshiro.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
In slightly more uplifting news, Little S (小S) is showing her support for her husband by deciding to have a third child, in the hope that it will be a boy. The celebrity mother has already given birth to two daughters, and in a desire to fulfill husband Mike Hsu's (許雅鈞) wish for a man-child, she has even gone so far as to eat a gecko, which is believed to improve the chances of giving birth to a boy. This refreshing example of selfless behavior on the part of a married celebrity is almost enough to counterbalance the interminable flood of news about faithlessness, sexism and betrayal.
Actress Brigitte Lin (林青霞), who has been going through an extended bad patch over the last few years, seems to have found salvation in Jesus. Once a devout Buddhist, Lin has announced that she has experienced a conversion and has been seen taking her two children to the Franklin Graham Festival, a huge Christian convention in Hong Kong. She says the conversion has helped her defeat depression. Well, the Lord works in mysterious ways.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
April 28 to May 4 During the Japanese colonial era, a city’s “first” high school typically served Japanese students, while Taiwanese attended the “second” high school. Only in Taichung was this reversed. That’s because when Taichung First High School opened its doors on May 1, 1915 to serve Taiwanese students who were previously barred from secondary education, it was the only high school in town. Former principal Hideo Azukisawa threatened to quit when the government in 1922 attempted to transfer the “first” designation to a new local high school for Japanese students, leading to this unusual situation. Prior to the Taichung First
In the March 9 edition of the Taipei Times a piece by Ninon Godefroy ran with the headine “The quiet, gentle rhythm of Taiwan.” It started with the line “Taiwan is a small, humble place. There is no Eiffel Tower, no pyramids — no singular attraction that draws the world’s attention.” I laughed out loud at that. This was out of no disrespect for the author or the piece, which made some interesting analogies and good points about how both Din Tai Fung’s and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) meticulous attention to detail and quality are not quite up to
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) hatched a bold plan to charge forward and seize the initiative when he held a protest in front of the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office. Though risky, because illegal, its success would help tackle at least six problems facing both himself and the KMT. What he did not see coming was Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) tripping him up out of the gate. In spite of Chu being the most consequential and successful KMT chairman since the early 2010s — arguably saving the party from financial ruin and restoring its electoral viability —
The Ministry of Education last month proposed a nationwide ban on mobile devices in schools, aiming to curb concerns over student phone addiction. Under the revised regulation, which will take effect in August, teachers and schools will be required to collect mobile devices — including phones, laptops and wearables devices — for safekeeping during school hours, unless they are being used for educational purposes. For Chang Fong-ching (張鳳琴), the ban will have a positive impact. “It’s a good move,” says the professor in the department of
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