Singer-turned-producer Bao Xiao-bo (包小柏) was assaulted by four gangsters dressed in black at Chinese Television System (華視) studios earlier this week.
While slapping Bao around the ruffians were said to have warned him to watch what he says in the future. Bao was one of the jurists who harshly criticized Ken Yu (余祥銓), the son of veteran entertainer Yu Tien (余天) one month ago, which allegedly trig-gered his nervous breakdown.
Rumors quickly spread, pointing to Yu as a possible mastermind behind the attack. In response Yu swore he would never take such action and condemned the violence. The family drama reached another climax when the apparently vulnerable son suffered yet another breakdown after hearing news of the assault.
A trawl through online chat sites and forums revealed what some members of the public are thinking: it's just no good a guy breaking down every two or three weeks.
Malaysian-born Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) is a sought-after star for both Chinese-language and international mega-budget movies, but not for Jet Li's (李連杰) new kung fu flick Fearless (霍元甲). Her part in the film found it's way onto the editing room floor.
Director Runny Yu (于仁泰) explained that the film would exceed two-hours running time if Yeoh's character was left in. As for Yeoh, the star struck a diplomatic note saying, "I respect the director's decision."
Hong Kong star Jordan Chan (陳小春) has become embroiled in the fallout from Gigi Leung (梁詠琪) and Ekin Cheng's (鄭伊健) split. Hong Kong press reported Leung had complained about Cheng in private after the breakup, saying there had been some bad influences on Cheng and Chan was one of them.
Chan wasted no time retalia-ting in gossip columns by saying, "It's really not a polite thing to say about me ... and I am supportive of Ekin about the split."
Home-grown pretty girl Little S (小S) became a mom last week and like every mom in the world, she believes her baby girl is the cutest thing on earth. "My baby is a super model in the baby world," the exuberant new mom proclaimed.
But the local entertainment industry may lose a potential super star as the family is worried that living conditions in Taiwan are deteriorating and plans to send the baby abroad for a better life.
On a more patriotic note, taike-chic promoters Chang Chen-yue (
The two said the term taimei has nothing to do with petty provincialism and is a compliment for girls who are confident, daring, wear attention-grabbing outfits and don't care about being high-society phonies.
To their mind, Shu Qi (舒淇) is premium taimei material. Also on the top taimei list are Jolin Tsai (蔡依林), Little S, Aboriginal stars A-mei (張惠妹) and Landy (溫嵐).
Local soap-opera actor Chen Zhao-rong (陳昭榮) divulged alarming news last week by admitting he and Mando-diva Faye Wang's (王菲) husband Li Ya-peng (李亞鵬) will be part-ners in an Internet business project. Chen said Li had long wished to leave the hostile showbiz world and with Wang start a new career. So it seems that the diva may step out of the spotlight any minute and become an entrepreneur, or else a supportive housewife.
One of the biggest sore spots in Taiwan’s historical friendship with the US came in 1979 when US president Jimmy Carter broke off formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan’s Republic of China (ROC) government so that the US could establish relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan’s derecognition came purely at China’s insistence, and the US took the deal. Retired American diplomat John Tkacik, who for almost decade surrounding that schism, from 1974 to 1982, worked in embassies in Taipei and Beijing and at the Taiwan Desk in Washington DC, recently argued in the Taipei Times that “President Carter’s derecognition
JUNE 30 to JULY 6 After being routed by the Japanese in the bloody battle of Baguashan (八卦山), Hsu Hsiang (徐驤) and a handful of surviving Hakka fighters sped toward Tainan. There, he would meet with Liu Yung-fu (劉永福), leader of the Black Flag Army who had assumed control of the resisting Republic of Formosa after its president and vice-president fled to China. Hsu, who had been fighting non-stop for over two months from Taoyuan to Changhua, was reportedly injured and exhausted. As the story goes, Liu advised that Hsu take shelter in China to recover and regroup, but Hsu steadfastly
You can tell a lot about a generation from the contents of their cool box: nowadays the barbecue ice bucket is likely to be filled with hard seltzers, non-alcoholic beers and fluorescent BuzzBallz — a particular favorite among Gen Z. Two decades ago, it was WKD, Bacardi Breezers and the odd Smirnoff Ice bobbing in a puddle of melted ice. And while nostalgia may have brought back some alcopops, the new wave of ready-to-drink (RTD) options look and taste noticeably different. It is not just the drinks that have changed, but drinking habits too, driven in part by more health-conscious consumers and
On Sunday, President William Lai (賴清德) delivered a strategically brilliant speech. It was the first of his “Ten Lectures on National Unity,” (團結國家十講) focusing on the topic of “nation.” Though it has been eclipsed — much to the relief of the opposing Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) — by an ill-advised statement in the second speech of the series, the days following Lai’s first speech were illuminating on many fronts, both domestic and internationally, in highlighting the multi-layered success of Lai’s strategic move. “OF COURSE TAIWAN IS A COUNTRY” Never before has a Taiwanese president devoted an entire speech to
RSS