Happily married celebrities seem to be something of a rarity these days. And those who are can rest assured that, sooner or later, the paparazzi will seek to prove otherwise. The latest case in point is Dee Hsu (徐熙娣), better known as Little S (小S). The 31-year-old star made the front page of the Apple Daily and other publications this week as the alleged victim of domestic violence in her five-year marriage with Mike Hsu (許雅鈞).
Citing “a source,” Apple said that Hsu’s household had been classified as “high-risk” by the Taipei City Center for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault after a social worker investigated the star’s claims of abuse earlier this month.
Apple went on to speculate as to why Hsu’s marriage may be in trouble. One rather sexist theory the paper came up with is that her husband and in-laws are unhappy that she has failed to give birth to a male child. Another was that they’re embarrassed by Little S’ frequent teasing of male guests on the popular talk show Here Comes Kang and Xi (康熙來了) she co-hosts with Kevin Tsai (蔡康永).
The star and her husband emphatically condemned the report as a pure fabrication and said on Sunday they would file a lawsuit against the newspaper, though as of press time they have yet to do so. The Center for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault issued a statement saying it had not conducted the abovementioned investigation.
Rumor has it that Jay Chou (周杰倫) and Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) are getting back together — only this time they’ll be doing it for money. The king and queen of Mando-pop met in January for an “ice-breaking” round of bowling, and according to media speculation Chou’s record company JVR Music (杰威爾音樂) is angling to sign Tsai after her contract with Warner Music (華納音樂) expires in July.
To prevent its cash cow from defecting to JVR, Warner is said to have offered Tsai NT$100 million to renew her contract.
Local entertainer Jiu Kong (九孔), real name Lu Kung-wei (呂孔維), has been the subject of an online kerfuffle between Chinese bloggers and Taiwanese bloggers for what people in China are calling his lackluster impersonation of Brother Sharp (犀利哥) on the popular television show The Largest Political Party (全民最大黨).
Brother Sharp is a homeless man in the city of Ningbo whose photo was posted on a Web site (bbs.fengniao.com/forum/1527056.html). Comments on the man’s good looks, modelesque bearing and stylish bohemian attire posted on the Tianya Web site last
month quickly made him a hot item in China. Netizens have been calling him the “Beggar Prince” (乞丐王子), “Supreme Vagabond” (極品乞丐) and, most frequently, Brother Sharp.
Different versions of the man’s life story have circulated on the Internet. According to some he is a former solider who has fallen on hard times. Others say he lost his mind after seeing his wife killed in a car accident. Those interested in Brother Sharp can check out his profile on Baidu (baike.baidu.com/view/1465055.htm), a Chinese online encyclopedia.
Most heroes are remembered for the battles they fought. Taiwan’s Black Bat Squadron is remembered for flying into Chinese airspace 838 times between 1953 and 1967, and for the 148 men whose sacrifice bought the intelligence that kept Taiwan secure. Two-thirds of the squadron died carrying out missions most people wouldn’t learn about for another 40 years. The squadron lost 15 aircraft and 148 crew members over those 14 years, making it the deadliest unit in Taiwan’s military history by casualty rate. They flew at night, often at low altitudes, straight into some of the most heavily defended airspace in Asia.
Beijing’s ironic, abusive tantrums aimed at Japan since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly stated that a Taiwan contingency would be an existential crisis for Japan, have revealed for all the world to see that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) lusts after Okinawa. We all owe Takaichi a debt of thanks for getting the PRC to make that public. The PRC and its netizens, taking their cue from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), are presenting Okinawa by mirroring the claims about Taiwan. Official PRC propaganda organs began to wax lyrical about Okinawa’s “unsettled status” beginning last month. A Global
Taiwan’s democracy is at risk. Be very alarmed. This is not a drill. The current constitutional crisis progressed slowly, then suddenly. Political tensions, partisan hostility and emotions are all running high right when cool heads and calm negotiation are most needed. Oxford defines brinkmanship as: “The art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping, especially in politics.” It says the term comes from a quote from a 1956 Cold War interview with then-American Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, when he said: ‘The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war is
Like much in the world today, theater has experienced major disruptions over the six years since COVID-19. The pandemic, the war in Ukraine and social media have created a new normal of geopolitical and information uncertainty, and the performing arts are not immune to these effects. “Ten years ago people wanted to come to the theater to engage with important issues, but now the Internet allows them to engage with those issues powerfully and immediately,” said Faith Tan, programming director of the Esplanade in Singapore, speaking last week in Japan. “One reaction to unpredictability has been a renewed emphasis on
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