Wu Bai and China Blue are expected to pack stadiums when the legendary rockers take their 2007 Flower Tour on the road across Taiwan
By Ron Brownlow
Wu Bai (伍佰) and China Blue, who made live, guitar-oriented rock 'n' roll popular in Taiwan, kick off a four-city tour starting at the end of this month and tickets are expected to sell out quickly. Labeled "the king of live music," Wu Bai is one of the biggest pop music stars in East and Southeast Asia, though he has also maintained a measure of local street credibility as the epitome of taike (台客) chic. Once a derogative appellation used to refer to someone with a low-class attitude or style, taike has now been subverted and has gained street credibility

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by Ian Bartholomew

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by Ian Bartholomew
Life is not all wine and roses for the beautiful people of Taipei's entertainment industry, but they are at least able to find some compensation. Penny Lin (林韋君), the B-movie actress and TV host notorious for her amorous adventures, has decided that a couple of months with pop star David Tao (陶?) is about all a girl can bear, and has moved on to pastures new. Next magazine has had a crew of paparazzi following the couple's every move, and have captured Lin possibly holding hands with an as yet unnamed young man. What is the world coming to? She quickly pulled away when she caught sight of the media crew, as clear an indication as the local rags need to launch into a frenzy of speculation.

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by Noah Buchan
Liu Feng-shueh (劉鳳學) has a 30-year history of creating abstract and minimalist dance performances that draw on Oriental and Western elements. The artistic director of the Neo-Classical Dance Company (新古典舞團) has, however, over the past few years taken an interest in the anthropological aspects of Aboriginal culture, elements that she has incorporated into Flying Fish in Silence (沉默的飛魚), her latest dance creation that begins tonight at the National Theater.

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by Ho Yi
FIR's (飛兒樂團) self-titled debut album, released in 2004, blasted the pop trio to the top of the Mando-pop music scene. Since then, all four of the group's albums have topped charts in China, Hong Kong and its native Taiwan. Tomorrow night, the band, comprised of producer and keyboardist Ian Chen (陳建寧), vocalist Faye (飛) and guitarist Real (阿沁), will hold its first-ever concert at the Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋). Stefanie Sun (孫燕姿) and lead singer Shin (信) of Shin Band (信樂團) will make guest appearances at what promises to be a packed house.

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by Noah Buchan
The Dream Community Culture and Education Development Foundation's (夢想社區) annual carnival (夢想嘉年華) starts tomorrow at 3pm. The parade, which is usually held on the streets of Sijhih (汐止), has moved to Taipei City, and will set off from Xingan Elementary School (幸安國小) on Renai Road, finishing with performances and a pageant at the Presidential Office on Chongqing South Road at 6:30pm.

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By Queen Bee

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This fairy tale - directed by a man best known for filming grimy gangster flicks - takes audiences on a fantasy joyride to a magical realm
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
In Stardust, a sprawling, effects-laden fairy tale with the thundering stamina of a marathon horse race, Michelle Pfeiffer is Lamia, as deliciously evil a witch as the movies have ever invented. Shooting deadly green lightning from rings on her tapering long-nailed fingers, she suggests a seriously lethal beauty contestant of a certain age who will stop at nothing to seize the crown.

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After 'Syriana,' 'Good Night and Good Luck' and 'The Good German' comes 'Michael Clayton,' the next expression of George Clooney's unquiet conscience
By MANOHLA DARGIS
Dark in color, mood and outraged worldview, Michael Clayton is a film that speaks to the way we live now. Or at least, the way certain masters of the universe do, as they prowl the jungle in their sleek rides, armed with killer instincts and the will to power. It's a story about ethics and their absence, a slow-to-boil requiem for American decency in which George Clooney, the ultimate in luxury brands and playboy of the Western world, raises the sword in the name of truth and justice and good. Well, someone's got to do it.

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In London, England,American college student Lisa and British glaciologist Matt conduct an onscreen affair with real sexual encounters
By STEPHEN HOLDENNY
The notion that our sexual behavior is the purest expression of our deepest selves is delicately explored in 9 Songs, Michael Winterbottom's lyrical, graphically explicit chronicle (although about a minute of those scenes has been cut from the version to be released in Taiwan) of an ordinary love affair between two attractive people. The movie is the first to scrutinize at length one couple's bedroom etiquette in a search for their identities. If anything, 9 Songs, conceived and directed by Michael Winterbottom (In This World and Welcome to Sarajevo) proves that showing what people do in bed may not reveal all that much. The truth lies hidden in their minds.

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By RACHEL SALTZ
Dynamite Warrior, a Thai martial arts film, starts with a bang, which is to say a fight: It's fast, colorful and well choreographed.

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Theater

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Orphans of the muggle variety

'December Boys' yanks your heartstrings so hard they might snap
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS
In December Boys, Daniel Radcliffe takes a holiday from Harry Potter to play another orphan, this time of the muggle variety. Too bad his destination is a coming-of-age tale so treacly it doesn't just tug your heartstrings, it attempts to glue them to your ribs.

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Mischa Maisky can't get enough of Dvorak

by Bradley Winterton

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Mormon way of life explored in 'Big Love'

By Ian Bartholomew
Could there be life after The Sopranos? Well, kind of. Bill Henrickson, with his three wives, seven children and a conniving, money grubbing father-in-law has family problems to match those of Tony Soprano, and Big Love is already looking at a third season in the US.

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OTHER RELEASES

Compiled by Martin Williams
Exte: Hair Extensions

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REEL NEWS

AGENCIES
In the run-up to the Oscars, a record 63 countries have entered the race for Oscar glory in next year's best foreign language film category, officials said Wednesday.

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RESTAURANTS: Shizuka (靜香)

By Ho Yi
A newcomer to the Yongkang neighborhood, Shizuka has a snug look that blends in with the area's cluster of restaurants and cafes. An adequate selection of sake, homemade foods, charming decor and relaxing atmosphere have helped the restaurant build up a loyal customer base quickly.

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RESTAURANTS: Gusto Tapas Beer Bar

By Noah Buchan
When Kathy Chiou (邱凱西) was designing her Spanish restaurant, she wanted to recreate the architectural features of Madrid where she studied cookery five years ago. But on a recent trip to the small villages that line the east coast of Spain, she changed her mind and ended up designing a restaurant with Moorish arches.

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