Big S (大S) has hit the headlines of the Chinese-language media yet again, this time for putting an end to her two-and-a-half year romance with F4 band member Vic Chou (周渝民). Rumors abound, ranging from the prosaic but credible "divergent career paths and incompatible interests," to the juicier suggestion from Apple Daily that Chou has recently had a relapse into depression after getting too deeply into his role in Johnnie To's (杜琪峰) most recent flick, Linger (蝴蝶飛). According to reports, Chou's name has also been linked with Linger's leading lady Li Bingbing (李冰冰) and TV personality Patty Hou (侯佩岑), whom he met while working on the TV romance series Delicious Relation (美味關係).
Recent reports say that the young Lothario, who swept Big S - five years his senior - off her feet back in 2005, is now history for her. His excuse for his recent inattention to his "big sister" has been preoccupation with the release of the new F4 album, Waiting For You (在這裡等你), which two weeks ago hit the charts at number two, but has since dropped to number 17.
Pop Stop is glad to announce that its prediction that Guatemalan-Taiwanese model Liz Yang's (楊莉思) involvement with David Tao (陶吉吉) would earn her plenty of coverage in the gossip rags has come true. After Tao's two run-ins with police (on both occasions significantly the worse for drink) the rising model has decided that enough is enough. According to Next, the model claims that they are "just friends," that he has been too busy to get in contact and the rest of the usual brush-off palaver. As a result, the model has a four-page spread and a cover (lathered fetchingly in strawberries and cream and wearing cherry-print cotton knickers) in this week's edition of the magazine. Clearly she is not just a pretty face.
PHOTOS: TAIPEI TIMES
According to gossip Web sites, Yang is not the only one getting a leg up from a big-name star. The 19-year-old TV commercial model Chiang Yu-chen (江語晨), who has been associated with Jay "The Chairman" Chou (周杰倫) ever since his fling with Hebe ended, seems to be doing well enough in the romance race to spark the envy of Internet gossip mongers. They have been painting her as a two-timing gold-digger, with possible lesbian inclinations to boot.
In November last year, Little Pan-pan (小潘潘) was caught up in the drug busts that hit the celebrity world. Although cleared, the celebrity says that the incident lost her NT$300,000 over the last three months as gig organizers cancelled shows because of the negative publicity. To console herself, reports say, Little Pan-pan has announced that she will head to the cosmetic surgeon's office so she can put on a new face for the New Year.
CTV's One Million Star (超級星光大道) pop idol "reality" show is finally beginning to slip in the ratings. Bad singing and almost constant rumors that the competition is fixed by record companies have been taking their toll. The show still manages to hold first place though, well ahead of TTV's rival reality show Super Idol (超級偶像). It seems that One Million Star works the rumor mill to maintain its lead, this week generating the snippet that the current second-place holder and Hello Kitty look-alike, Annie Lin (林宜融), is related to the show's producers. With the number of people surnamed Lin in Taiwan, though, even the gossip rags are unable to put their heart into this one. In another story with a rather gloating tone, Apple Daily reported that last year's One Million Star favorite, Aska Yang (楊宗緯), flubbed his first appearance as a guest host on GTV's 100% Entertainment (娛樂百分百).
PHOTOS: TAIPEI TIMES
The Taipei Times last week reported that the rising share of seniors in the population is reshaping the nation’s housing markets. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, about 850,000 residences were occupied by elderly people in the first quarter, including 655,000 that housed only one resident. H&B Realty chief researcher Jessica Hsu (徐佳馨), quoted in the article, said that there is rising demand for elderly-friendly housing, including units with elevators, barrier-free layouts and proximity to healthcare services. Hsu and others cited in the article highlighted the changing family residential dynamics, as children no longer live with parents,
It is jarring how differently Taiwan’s politics is portrayed in the international press compared to the local Chinese-language press. Viewed from abroad, Taiwan is seen as a geopolitical hotspot, or “The Most Dangerous Place on Earth,” as the Economist once blazoned across their cover. Meanwhile, tasked with facing down those existential threats, Taiwan’s leaders are dying their hair pink. These include former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), among others. They are demonstrating what big fans they are of South Korean K-pop sensations Blackpink ahead of their concerts this weekend in Kaohsiung.
Oct 20 to Oct 26 After a day of fighting, the Japanese Army’s Second Division was resting when a curious delegation of two Scotsmen and 19 Taiwanese approached their camp. It was Oct. 20, 1895, and the troops had reached Taiye Village (太爺庄) in today’s Hunei District (湖內), Kaohsiung, just 10km away from their final target of Tainan. Led by Presbyterian missionaries Thomas Barclay and Duncan Ferguson, the group informed the Japanese that resistance leader Liu Yung-fu (劉永福) had fled to China the previous night, leaving his Black Flag Army fighters behind and the city in chaos. On behalf of the
I was 10 when I read an article in the local paper about the Air Guitar World Championships, which take place every year in my home town of Oulu, Finland. My parents had helped out at the very first contest back in 1996 — my mum gave out fliers, my dad sorted the music. Since then, national championships have been held all across the world, with the winners assembling in Oulu every summer. At the time, I asked my parents if I could compete. At first they were hesitant; the event was in a bar, and there would be a lot
RSS