Karen Mok (
The awards recognize the highest achievements in dozens of categories of popular, as well as classical, religious, traditional and Aboriginal music, as judged by a panel of judges drawn from all fields in the music business. Despite the inclusion of non-pop acts, the event is the most important award in the Chinese-language pop music world with entrants from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere.
Originally scheduled to take place in May, the ceremony was finally held after a three-month delay caused by the SARS epidemic. Last night's event went off without further delays and almost barely a mention of the sickness that forced it to be held in August instead of in spring.
There were few surprises among the winners, with Mok and Chan taking the singer honors and Texas native eVonne winning the Newcomer of the Year Award and SHE taking home the best Best New Singing Group Award. Chan was a double winner last night, taking home the best album award along with his singer of the year award. Chan and Mok, both from Hong Kong, are among the most prolific stars in Mando-pop but faced tough competition from long-time favorites like Jackie Cheung (
The one unexpected moment of the evening came when President Chen Shui-bian (
The Golden Melody Awards is an invitation-only event attended mostly by industry insiders, so for thousands of music fans the main draw of the event is the red carpet entrance that all the attending stars walk down. Under yesterday's beating sun, fans began crowding the walkway outside of Taiwan National University's new gymnasium at about 3pm for the best view.
The awards last year were dominated by Jay Chou, but this year awards were distributed more evenly to different artists and their producers, lyricists and songwriters. He didnt seem too bothered to be passed up at this years event. Arriving at the venue, when asked what he expected at the ceremony, he simply said "it'll be alright."
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white