Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) revealed her humanitarian side earlier this week when she held a press conference to help promote World Vision relief efforts for victims of the Sichuan earthquake, reported the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper).
But rather than ask questions about her volunteerism, such as what exactly she'll be doing in Sichuan Province or does she plan to show this kind of compassion for victims of the cyclone in Myanmar, the journos on hand pestered the diva with questions about the size of the diamond in Delia Tseng's (曾馨瑩) new ring (which reportedly weighs in at a whopping 10 carats).
Readers of Pop Stop will recall that Tseng is marrying Terry Gou (郭台銘), the megabucks president of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), on July 26. What led to such vapid questions were earlier reports that Tseng, a dancer in Tsai's music videos and concerts, showed off the ring while the two performers were getting a manicure.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
The wedding ceremony between the two lovebirds will take place at Taipei's Grand Hyatt Hotel after which the pair will fly off with an entourage to a castle in the Czech Republic. The guest list is said to include family, friends such as Tsai and celebrities such as One Million Star "talent" show celebrity Aska Yang (楊宗緯).
Speaking of Yang, he may have the voice of an angel but he's got the connections of a two-bit hoodlum. At least that's what the Apple Daily implied in a report on Monday. The gossip rag caught up with former gangster Chang Chung-hsin (張忠信) who discussed his past association with the crybaby crooner.
It turns out the Yang's foray into the entertainment biz began when Chang introduced Aska to celebrity agent Hsu An-chin (許安進). However, a contract dispute last year between Hsu and Yang focused the spotlight on Chang's underworld activities, which eventually landed him in prison for violating the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪條例).
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Meanwhile, Chang says he has found religion and spends his days studying Buddhism. When Apple asked him to comment on his relationship with Yang, Chang replied, "Our karma has ended (緣起緣滅)." Yang has also remained tight-lipped about his relationship with the underworld figure.
In other gangster news, Carina Lau (劉嘉玲) set the record straight about her traumatic experiences in 1990 in an interview with Hong Kong socialite and novelist Eunice Lam (林燕妮) that was published last week in Guangzhou's Nanfang Daily (南方日報). Lau told Lam that she was kidnapped by triads 18 years ago and forced to pose naked for photographs, which were leaked and published in East Week (東周刊) magazine in 2002. The images, showing a clearly distressed Lau, sparked a huge protest by Hong Kong celebrities and forced the magazine's closure.
Lau revealed that while being held against her will, Hong Kong hunk and boyfriend Tony Leung Chiu Wai (梁朝偉) negotiated for her release with the gangsters. Leung, in an act of selflessness rarely seen in showbiz, put his career on hold for a year and devoted all his time to Lau's recovery, telling the New York Times, "A human being is more important than a movie." Leung's noble actions, Lau said, were the reason why she fell in love with him.
The couple will marry in Bhutan on July 21 in a wedding that, in addition to family, boasts an A-list cast of Hong Kong celebrities including Wong Kar-wai (王家衛), who will direct the ceremony.
To make it the storybook wedding it deserves to be, the couple made a blacklist, according to Apple. Terry Gou's rumored relationship with Lau ensured he wasn't invited, while interloper Maggie Cheung (張曼玉) was also kept off the guest list.
Cheng Ching-hsiang (鄭青祥) turned a small triangle of concrete jammed between two old shops into a cool little bar called 9dimension. In front of the shop, a steampunk-like structure was welded by himself to serve as a booth where he prepares cocktails. “Yancheng used to be just old people,” he says, “but now young people are coming and creating the New Yancheng.” Around the corner, Yu Hsiu-jao (饒毓琇), opened Tiny Cafe. True to its name, it is the size of a cupboard and serves cold-brewed coffee. “Small shops are so special and have personality,” she says, “people come to Yancheng to find such treasures.” She
In July of 1995, a group of local DJs began posting an event flyer around Taipei. It was cheaply photocopied and nearly all in English, with a hand-drawn map on the back and, on the front, a big red hand print alongside one prominent line of text, “Finally… THE PARTY.” The map led to a remote floodplain in Taipei County (now New Taipei City) just across the Tamsui River from Taipei. The organizers got permission from no one. They just drove up in a blue Taiwanese pickup truck, set up a generator, two speakers, two turntables and a mixer. They
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) attendance at the Chinese Communist Party’s (CPP) “Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War” parade in Beijing is infuriating, embarrassing and insulting to nearly everyone in Taiwan, and Taiwan’s friends and allies. She is also ripping off bandages and pouring salt into old wounds. In the process she managed to tie both the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) into uncomfortable knots. The KMT continues to honor their heroic fighters, who defended China against the invading Japanese Empire, which inflicted unimaginable horrors on the
Hannah Liao (廖宸萱) recalls the harassment she experienced on dating apps, an experience that left her frightened and disgusted. “I’ve tried some voice-based dating apps,” the 30-year-old says. “Right away, some guys would say things like, ‘Wanna talk dirty?’ or ‘Wanna suck my d**k?’” she says. Liao’s story is not unique. Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics show a more than 50 percent rise in sexual assault cases related to online encounters over the past five years. In 2023 alone, women comprised 7,698 of the 9,413 reported victims. Faced with a dating landscape that can feel more predatory than promising, many in
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