Maggie Cheung (張曼玉) and her chisel-faced squeeze, German architect Ole Scheeren, may be getting hitched soon, reports our sister newspaper the Liberty Times via Hong Kong gossip rag Oriental Sunday.
Cheung and Scheeren, who resembles Willem Dafoe’s less ominous-looking younger brother, met last year after Cheung split up with jewelry magnate Guillaume Brochard. Scheeren, the business partner of Rem Koolhaas, designed the Prada Epicenters in New York and Los Angeles and is one of the brains behind the new CCTV Headquarters in Beijing. The Liberty Times breathlessly reports that the man has looks, talent and wealth — not to mention a penchant for making buildings that look like upside-down U magnets.
That combo supposedly has Cheung so enraptured that she may be willing to hitch up her pencil skirts and jet off to Paris to set up housekeeping with her alpha male. In fact, Cheung reportedly was ready for marriage earlier, but Scheeren wanted to wait until the CCTV headquarters had entered its final construction stage.
Oriental Sunday spotted Cheung and Scheeren visiting her dear friend Cherie Chung (鍾楚紅) recently. The magazine says Chung is helping the couple plan their nuptials, but the Hong Kong actress kept mum about any plans.
Marriage or not, Scheeren proved his adoration by unveiling a painting of his lady love at an art exhibit in Beijing. The portrait features a baby-faced Cheung with “glistening teardrops” in her widely spaced eyes. To Pop Stop, it makes the actress look like a fetus with lipstick on.
Speaking of fetuses, Hong Kong pop diva Faye Wong (王菲) is pregnant for the third time. Let the bumpwatch begin! Her agent confirmed the news in a rather roundabout way by telling Ming Pao Daily that congratulations were due to the superstar and her husband Li Yapeng (李亞鵬).
The gestating Li-Wong bundle is the diva’s third child: she already has two daughters, an 11-year-old from her first marriage to Dou Wei (竇唯) and a two-year-old with Li. The tyke was the flower girl at Tony Leung (梁朝偉) and Carina Lau’s (劉嘉玲) lavish Bhutan nuptials last month and, according to film star Brigitte Lin (林青霞), the moppet was feted like a “little Buddha.”
Despite not needing a flower girl in the immediate future, Mando-pop star Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) was nonetheless zipped into a fluffy white wedding dress and paraded at a promotional event for Head & Shoulders shampoo earlier this week. The bridal theme is ironic considering that Tsai follows fellow Jay Chou (周杰倫) exes Vivian Hsu (徐若瑄) and Patty Hou (侯佩岑) as the hair-care brand’s spokeswoman.
When asked if she felt a bit “awkward” about being the third Chou paramour to hawk Head & Shoulders shampoo, Tsai merely twinkled and said, “It’s not awkward! We all have beautiful hair, that’s why we’re the spokeswomen.”
Tsai didn’t lose her cool in that exchange, but nearly lost her top a bit earlier as she attempted to toss her bouquet, sending the bodice of her strapless gown southwards. The flustered Tsai grabbed her dress just in time, depriving the public of a chance to see if rumors of Tsai’s boob job are indeed true.
Also caught in an awkward moment this week was Taipei socialite Amy Ho (何麗玲), who was photographed by Next Magazine in what appeared to be a passionate embrace with married Four Seas Gang (四海幫) “big brother” Zhang Jian Ying (張建英) on the street after a party.
As was to be expected, Ho immediately went on the defensive, calling a press conference to insist that she and Zhang are merely good buddies. “If I do become romantically involved with anyone, I’ll
be sure let everyone know right away,” said Ho with a straight face. Ho’s ex-boyfriend, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Donald Hwang (黃義交), declined to comment on his former flame’s extracurricular activities.
Closer inspection of the photos reveal that the embrace was probably just as chaste as Ho insists it was. The pics were taken from behind Zhang and from that angle, yes, Ho and Zhang may have been engaged in a rigorous bout of French kissing — but only if their tongues were each 20cm long.
Just after 6am, I walked up to the ticket gate at Taipei Main Station and entered the Taiwan Railway platform without scanning any ticket; instead, I flashed the Sanrio Fun Rail pass on my phone to the gate worker and was admitted. I found my train and prepared to board. My destination? This very same station. I was embarking on a 13-hour journey on one of two round-the-island trains operated by ezTravel. They run each day, one counterclockwise around the island and one clockwise. They differ in a number of ways from an ordinary Taiwan Railway train and can make for
Jason Han says that the e-arrival card spat between South Korea and Taiwan shows that Seoul is signaling adherence to its “one-China” policy, while Taiwan’s response reflects a reciprocal approach. “Attempts to alter the diplomatic status quo often lead to tit-for-tat responses,” the analyst on international affairs tells the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan may become more cautious in its dealings with South Korea going forward. Taipei has called on Seoul to correct its electronic entry system, which currently lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” warning that reciprocal measures may follow if the wording is not changed before March 31. As of yesterday,
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