Print

Mail

wiki links

[POP STOP]

Everybody should have a bite of the Jam Xiao pie, according to the singer's pop. PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES

Aboriginal diva A-Mei (張惠妹) is proving irresistible not only to her baseball player sweetheart Sam Ho (何守正) but to holidaymakers in general. Currently preparing for a theatrical production of Turandot in Japan, inspired Taiwanese travel agents have started hawking package deals including the tourist trifecta of shopping, flower watching and A-Mei spotting.

For fans of A-Mei, a three-day tour that includes cherry-blossom appreciation and a ticket to Puccini's opera, which is scheduled to open on March 27, costs NT$22,000 and up.

On the fashion front, glossy magazine We People held a charity dinner party/auction on Sunday attended by more than 400 high society figures who bid for over 300 items worth NT$5 million. The costliest purchases of the charity event were a one-year family pass for a golf course, NT$1 million, followed by a three-hour ride in a helicopter, NT$360,000, and a Mercedes-Benz bicycle, NT$200,000.

The auction's proceeds will go to the Taiwan Make a Wish Foundation (喜願兒基金會), a charity that makes dreams come true for terminally ill children.

Terri Kwan has gone for looks over dough in her choice of partner. PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES

The star-studded gathering also handed out gongs to the top 10 best-dressed people of the year, selected by the magazine.

Despite the glittering lineup of winners, including society dame Amy Sun (孫芸芸), former model and TV show hostess Flora Sun (孫正華) and makeup artist Roger Cheng (鄭建國), actress and high-society belle Terri Kwan (關穎) hogged the limelight as she "accidentally" showed up with male model Jerry Huang (黃志瑋), whom she ditched a few months ago to, reportedly, comply with her parents' wishes to find a partner with a more distinguished pedigree.

Kwan, the daughter of Jih Sun Group (日盛集團) chairman Edward Chen (陳國和), is done with keeping mommy and daddy happy and has chosen Prince Charming for his looks and not his bank balance, it would seem.

Meanwhile, TV "reality" show One Million Star (超級星光大道) continues to churn out fodder for the celebrity system. At a press conference held on Monday, contestant Jam Xiao (蕭敬騰) celebrated signing with Warner for a deal worth tens of millions of Taiwan dollars. His agent, Summer Lin (林有慧), took the chance to confirm that she shares the rights to Xiao with the record company.

Having reportedly been on chilly terms with his son over the contract negotiations, Xiao's father was surprised to find out about the press conference through the media.

His response? "Jam is a big pie and shouldn't let himself be enjoyed by one person alone," Xiao's pop was quoted as saying by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister paper). The remark was interpreted as Xiao Senior's condemnation of Lin's perceived avarice.

In the wake of the Edison Chen's (陳冠希) sex photo scandal, Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐) of pop duo Twins is reportedly planning to bow out of show business after an endorsement event next week. Her performance at a Spring Feast held by a Chinese advertising company last week might well have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

The scenario went a little something like this: A company manager reportedly went onstage, couldn't keep his hands off the star and told the young lady she had to be strong facing the scandal. Not the most successful of celebrity appearances.
This story has been viewed 1068 times.