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[POP STOP]

From a nobody to superstar in just one year. You have to hand it to Aska Yang. PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES

Sex, drugs and wardrobe malfunctions

Looking back over this year, Pop Stop wonders whether this should be dubbed the year of the celebrity drug bust, or the year of the wardrobe malfunction. Both have taken place with depressing regularity through 2007.

A whole host of celebrities, both major and minor, have been collared for taking everything from marijuana to cocaine. Weed picked up a dubious endorsement after the "Prince of Nightclubs" Tuo Tsung-kang (庹宗康) and TV host Chu Chung-heng (屈中恆), were outed as users, and drag queen Topper (大炳) showed off a personal predilection for amphetamines. Ecstasy continued to hold its place in the drug charts after minor showbiz personality Chiang Kuan-hau (姜冠豪) was caught popping. But all this was small potatoes compared to the saga of Suzanne Hsiao (蕭淑慎), who has been repeatedly busted for using cocaine and ketamine; this year alone she was busted for taking the dynamic duo only weeks after being released from rehab for smoking marijuana.

Suzanne Hsiao's career ended on a different high this year. PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES

As for wardrobe malfunctions, this year has had a bumper crop, with models, actresses and singers showing off their assets in the hope that they'll make the cover of Next (壹週刊). Vivi Wang (王婉霏) was up there with the best of them with her now notorious "black forest incident," in which the model showed off her pubic hair while posing for photographers. Model Liu Zhen (劉真) gave punters an eye-full of the real goods when she popped a nipple during the launch of a photo collection. Next magazine fed the flames of this trend by giving the nipple in question close-up coverage.

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Quite why Vivi Wang felt it necessary to show the world her "black forest," in the words of the Chinese-language media, remains open to question. PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES

Reality "talent" show One Million Star (超級星光大道) has been a powerful engine driving the rumor mill, and though now well into its second season, participants of Season One such as Aska Yang (楊宗緯) and Lin Yu-chia (林宥嘉) are still at the forefront of media attention. Many former participants can be seen now on television ads, but it is a sign of the times that both Yang and Lin made it into the Encyclopedia of Taiwanese Famous People 2007 to 2008 (台灣名人百科2007-2008) as among the most influential people in the country. While Season Two has not produced any likely rival in terms of real media celebrity, romantic shenanigans among the finalists are already making it into the tabloids, with chubby chops Lai Ming-wei (賴銘偉), Hello Kitty lookalike Annie Lin (林宜融), hot chic Huang Mei-chen (黃美珍) and dumb puppet Tseng Pei-ci (曾沛慈) all getting coverage in the national media.

While the Million Star kids play at romance, IT tycoon Terry Gou (郭台銘) has made serious headlines not just for his big commercial deals, but also for his pursuit of Hong Kong diva Carina Lau (劉嘉玲) in the first half this year. When Lau rejected the tycoon and got back together with Lust, Caution (色戒) star Tony Leung Chiu-wai (梁朝偉), the tycoon began to take an interest in Taiwanese supermodel Lin Chi-ling (林志玲), wooing her with flights in private jets and much more. He failed to bag this beauty as well. After two high-profile rejections, the mogul is keeping a lid on the affairs of his heart ... for the moment at least.

TV host Hu Gua (胡瓜) is no such shrinking violet, and despite narrowly evading a conviction for a gambling scam, not long after picking up a conviction for smoking weed earlier in the year - he is back, and without even the hint of a blush in those fat cheeks of his.
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