When the media resort to dredging up old romances, readers know that the gossip rags are scraping the bottom of the barrel.
This week’s tantalizing tidbits (“tit-bits” might be more appropriate in the circumstances), include Fun Taiwan presenter Janet Hsieh (謝怡芬) being manhandled in public by Super Idol judge Wang Chi-ping (王治平) at an event held to promote the upcoming 2008 Urban Simple Life (簡單生活節) festival and Ethan Ruan (阮經天) who, according to Next, developed a pocket rocket while embracing a fan at a charity clothing auction.
They’re just the warm-up acts, though. Speculation is rife that singer Stanley Huang (黃立行) may be re-igniting a 13-year-old relationship with Faith Yang (楊乃文).
The relationship stalled more than a decade ago as the two Golden Melody Award-winning singers (Yang won best female singer in 2000 and Huang won best male singer in 2005) each focused on developing their careers and engaging in separate romantic interludes.
Huang, who has worked his way through a formidable list of singers, TV personalities and models, even being associated with Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) for a short time, has always insisted that his only serious girlfriend had been Yang.
Both icons of cool, Huang and Yang could have been made for each other, and the gossip rags are salivating at the prospect of further developments.
Huang is scheduled to release a new album on Dec. 5, the title of which roughly translates as “In the End You Can Only Lie Down” (最後只好躺下來). The new work might not be completely unrelated to the star’s pursuit of his old flame, the vernacular press suggests.
The fascinating observation that body hair is not an insuperable obstacle to success as a model in Taiwan is the other issue that has caught the interest of Next magazine’s editors this week.
Supermodel Liz Yang (楊俐思), who has publicly commented that she is “hairy,” was selected over better-known models Bianca Pai (白歆惠) and Sonia Sui (隋棠) to act as the spokeswoman for beauty product manufacturer COTA, for a fee of NT$2 million.
The economic downturn seems to be just a rumor in such circles and clearly doesn’t have much bearing on the lives of supermodels. Liz Yang, who is of mixed Taiwanese-Guatemalan descent, has cut a swath through the country’s modeling world with her bold poses, attitude and romantic involvements.
While Liz Yang may be riding a wave that lifts her above the troubled waters of these troubled times, other beautiful people are definitely struggling.
Television shopping channels have taken a beating, and hosts such as Si Rong (斯容), the “queen of consumer electronics,” have been forced to rely more heavily than ever on such tricks as plastic surgery to maintain their appeal with fickle audiences and nervous TV producers.
There is nothing Si won’t sell, according to Next, and she has lost a further 8kg off her surgically sculpted body to make herself even more appealing before the camera so she can help you decide to buy that diamante cummerbund you’ve always wanted.
While some have to go under the knife to ensure the fat monthly paycheck keeps rolling in, others just lay back and think of England. Well, in the case of Michelle Reis (李嘉欣), she was probably thinking about dollar signs.
The Macau society belle with a roving eye for wealthy, married men has wed Julian Hui (許晉亨), the son of Hong Kong construction baron Hui Sai-fun (許世勳).
Next magazine reports that parental approval for the match had been withheld until it was revealed that Reis was already two months pregnant. Hui Senior was definitely not in a fun mood for the event, especially as the family had gone out of its way to protect Junior from the clutches of entertainment industry gold diggers.
The Hui clan had put the kibosh on Junior’s relationships with Carina Lau (劉嘉玲) and Gigi Lai (黎姿), but Reis played hardball and won.
Although the nuptials were a relatively low-profile affair, Reis was not going to let this stop her being the belle of the ball, and Next magazine reports that she spent NT$21.5 million on two wedding gowns and five evening gowns for the occasion. Now that the Lothario and the gold digger are man and wife, the story, as far as the gossip rags are concerned, has only just begun.— COMPILED BY IAN BARTHOLOMEW
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