The Taipei International Jazz Festival has come and gone, but the 2007 National Theater and Concert Hall Summer Jazz Party will keep you in the groove
By Noah Buchan
The Taipei International Jazz Festival has come and gone, but the 2007 National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) Summer Jazz Party should keep jazz aficionados shaking their bones into September.

[ FULL STORY ]

Damien Sargue singles out Taiwan for an exclusive concert
By Diane Baker
Damien Sargue may have done more to encourage Taiwanese to learn French that any of his countrymen, at least among the females of this country. The 26-year-old singer/actor had hearts across Taipei swooning in April when he reprised the role that brought him fame in France, Romeo in Gerard Presgurvic's Romeo et Juliette de la Haine.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Noah Buchan
Taiwan just can't stop dancing.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Bradley Winterton
Three performances of Engelbert Humperdinck's 1893 opera Hansel und Gretel are being mounted by the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (TSO) this weekend. They will take place in the Metropolitan Hall on Bade Road, and the director is Li Huan-hsiung (黎煥雄).

[ FULL STORY ]

Compiled by Jules Quartly
Wang Lee-hom (王力宏) was said to have been tickled pink when told he was a gay man's wet dream. In a poll run by the Web site Club1069, Wang came out on top of the sausage jockeys, beating thespian Takashi Kaneshiro (金城武), Malaysian singer Prince Nicholas (張棟樑), actor Mike He (賀軍翔) and the crooner Edison Chan (陳冠希). The newly crowned Emperor of Tutti Frutti was said by Apple Daily to have worn a "proud little smile" before "thanking all gays for their support" and saying he was "honored."

[ FULL STORY ]

By Queen Bee
The first and only Taiwanese DJ to have won gigs in both San Francisco and Miami (Space), David S. is shooting to stardom.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Ian Bartholomew
With 10 productions currently playing in major theaters around the world, and a touring group that has been on the road for three years, Mama Mia!, the musical based on a medley of ABBA songs was bound to hit Taipei eventually. Coming from highly successful runs in Shanghai and Beijing, the show will open tonight at the Hsinchuang Stadium (縣立新莊體育館) in Taipei County. Musicals have proved very popular with local audiences, with the recent touring production of the French Euro-pop musical Romeo and Juliet playing to packed houses, so it is likely that this Broadway and West End sensation will hit the right spot.

[ FULL STORY ]

When a top chef becomes the guardian of her niece, life turns upside down
By MATT ZOLLER SEITZ
If you've seen the commercials and trailers for No Reservations, you're probably anticipating a glossy, goofy romance between a tightly-wound head chef named Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and her new sous-chef, Nick (Aaron Eckhart), a rugged blond life force. Faithfully adapted from the German filmmaker Sandra Nettelbeck's 2001 feature Mostly Martha, the movie provides these stock elements and many others, including a wisecracking pre-teenage girl (Abigail Breslin of Little Miss Sunshine), lyrical montages and too-cute therapy scenes (with Bob Balaban as the shrink) that play like unsubtle attempts to fill in the taciturn heroine's past.

[ FULL STORY ]

Bungling cop Emilien Coutant-Kerbalec is back for another round of farcical chases and misunderstandings aided by his taxi-driver friend

[ FULL STORY ]

By A. O. SCOTT
Disturbia, a kind of adolescent Rear Window, is nowhere near as clumsy or grandiose as its title. The hero, a troubled but basically decent young man named Kale (Shia LaBeouf), does remark once or twice on the dullness and fakery of his suburban milieu, but this is really just antisocial teenage posing.

[ FULL STORY ]

The magic gourd can grant any wish, but is it right to use it?
By Ho Yi
An indolent, 11-year-old boy, the laughingstock of his school, goes fishing and discovers a magic gourd that will grant him any wish. He quickly becomes class hero and the star of the school swim team. Life is perfect until he begins to question the morality and fairness of using the gourd. In the end, he must decide whether to continue relying on supernatural powers to succeed, or work hard and earn his own rewards. The outcome of the swimming final hangs on his decision.

[ FULL STORY ]

Seven films showcase the talents of Jacques Demy and Agnes Varda
By Ho yi
The L'Amour Film Festival brings back French icons, including Catherine Deneuve and Jeanne Moreau, to the big screen. The series of seven films by Jacques Demy and Agnes Varda, one of the most renowned husband-wife directing teams of French cinema, highlights several award-winning films.

[ FULL STORY ]

Late Taiwanese director Edward Yang (楊德昌) will be named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at the Pusan International Film Festival this October, organizers said Wednesday.

[ FULL STORY ]

Highlight

[ FULL STORY ]

Restaurants: 'Ecole Cafe (學校咖啡館)

By Ho Yi
A new addition to the quiet alley near Shida neighborhood, 'Ecole Cafe is conceived of as a retreat for people who want to shy away from places occupied by boisterous 20-somethings who frequent the area. It offers an admirable collection of music, magazines and books, displayed on European antique furniture.

[ FULL STORY ]

---

Restaurants: Tito (植物園義法創意小廚)

By JULES QUARTLY
Tito's been open for five years and has expanded from a small little eatery tucked away down an alley. It has become a charming spot, overlooking a park, where one can tuck into Continental cuisine and while away the hours over a cup of coffee, herb tea or fresh juice.

[ FULL STORY ]

---