Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-cheng (王世堅) of the Democratic Progressive Party on Saturday gave film distributors permission to use his image to promote horror film Child’s Play after memes emerged linking him to Chucky, the killer doll in the movie franchise.
Wang said that he has not been part of a commercial advertising campaign before and he was not aware that he had generated a buzz online, as he rarely used social media or a smartphone.
“It is my job to protect the interests of Taipei residents, so I would be happy to be their Chucky to scare the mayor, city officials and others in authority so they do not abuse their power,” Wang said.
Photo: Yang Hsin-hui, Taipei Times
“Somebody needs to keep people with power in check,” he said.
Film distributors contacted him about an ad campaign and he agreed on condition that he does not receive payment and would not be asked to work on it until the city council is out of session, he said.
“From what I understand, Chucky was a good doll until it was possessed by an evil spirit... I am an easy-going guy when I am not working in the city council, but when I am asking the tough questions, I have a bit of a mean streak,” he said.
“The project sounds like fun and Taiwanese know how to have a good time, even when things are tough,” he said. “We understand that having a sense of humor is a good thing.”
Asked how he feels about the Internet memes, which link him to Chucky’s snarl and long, unruly hair, Wang said: “As an elected representative, I am fine with the way people see me and I respect their right to have harmless fun.”
“I happen to be a good guy who is possessed by my responsibilities,” Wang said. “I am not afraid of the dark.”
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese