"President Chen Shui-bian" (陳水扁) begs a pop star to write him cheerful songs to reverse his sagging approval ratings. Meanwhile a feminist "Vice President Annette Lu" (呂秀蓮) launches a campaign to purge sexist Chinese writing characters.
Welcome to the world of The Big Pressure Cooker (全民大悶鍋), a hugely popular satirical televion show incorporating a cheeky blend of comedy sketches, rap music and unflattering mimicry of politicians.
The show, broadcast five nights a week, reflects the nation's transformation into one of Asia's freest societies.
As late as the mid-1990s, the nation's conservative establishment would have dismissed spoofing local bigwigs as culturally inappropriate.
And the show also lampoons Chinese leaders -- though gently, with Chinese officials providing effective if authoritarian solutions to Taiwan's social headaches.
One figure parodied on the show is Zhang Mingqing (張銘清), China's spokesman on Taiwanese affairs, who is played by comedian Tai Chih-yuan (邰智源).
In one sketch, "Zhang" urges Taiwanese officials, perplexed by problems such as an unruly media, "to learn from the motherland."
"If our media don't follow orders, we don't shut them down," the "official" says. "We have them shot."
The show also targets US President George W. Bush, with a character playing the US leader frequently referring to Chen as "little brother."
He then proceeds to scold him for not being subservient enough to the US power.
Though the show's audience is mostly domestic, it also reaches China, as well as Hong Kong and Singapore.
Pressure Cooker producer Wang Wei-chung (王偉忠) says the show's success comes from turning politicians into objects of fun, rather than preaching partisan doctrines.
"We make the politicians look clownish," he said. "But we don't demonize them."
Endless political feuds leave many depressed, said one of the show's scriptwriters, Hsieh Nien-chu (謝念祖).
"We get the viewers to laugh their hearts out, and the politicians can't help but go along with it," he said.
The show has no shortage of material to draw on.
insecurities
In one of the show's recent sketches, comedian Tang Chung-sheng (唐從聖) appeared as an effusive President Chen lookalike, revealing his insecurities to guests -- including pop icon Jay Chou (周杰倫), played by another actor -- in a corner of the presidential offices.
The "pop star" looked on bemusedly as Tang, sporting Chen's trademark perpetual smile, asked him: "Will you write me a song to help prop up my plunging popularity?"
In another recent satirical sketch wig-wearing male actor Hsu Chieh-hui (
She soon fastened onto the character for "concubine," which includes the radical for "woman."
With the flick of a pen, she replaced "woman" with "man."
Wang said that when he began his television career in the 1980s, censors kept satire far more moderate than Pressure Cooker off TV.
But now, he said, censors wouldn't dare be so intrusive.
"For thousands of years, Chinese have treated their leaders as saints, [and officials] have required that works of art serve political purposes," he said. "We've come a long way."
Filmmaker Khan Lee (李崗) -- brother of Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (李安) -- agrees with Wang's assessment.
"With its fast pace, explosive subjects and major events, the Pressure Cooker show epitomizes Taiwanese culture," he said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS