The invincibility of Asia's king of pop Rain has been called into question after tickets for his Taoyuan (桃園) concert last week failed to sell like hot cakes. An unwise choice of location and hasty preparation are said to have contributed to the lackluster sales with 40 percent of tickets left unsold: Could the South Korean megastar's sex appeal be waning?
A poor turnout didn't seem to dampen Rain's high spirits and superman-like vigor. During his four-day stay, the star was spotted regaling himself at feasts sometimes with mentally challenged kids as a gesture of philanthropy. He was also spotted going late-night bowling after physically demanding rehearsals that would exhaust an untrained body.
The concert itself was hot, just as expected, but the eye-popping fire spectacle got out of control and set fire to the stage roof that failed to alarm the absorbed crowds but sent two Korean staff members to hospital with slight burns.
After the post-concert party on Sunday night at Barcode, and three-hours of bowling Rain, hit the sack at the break of day.
Rain's first movie I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK is scheduled to hit local screens in the middle of next month, which could indicate the direction of his popularity.
On the other side of the Taiwan Strait, local girl outfit S.H.E. had a slipshod party to celebrate Hebe's 24th birthday last Saturday at Muse, one of Carina Lau's (劉嘉玲) lucrative investments and now the hottest nightspot in Shanghai, since it is the place where the actress and tycoon Terry Gou (郭台銘) first met.
The S.H.E. trio in fashion-deficient outfits immediately became the focus of the night as the liquor quickly kicked in.
The intoxicated Hebe was heard talking in odd English throughout the night and local paparazzi dutifully recorded the birthday girl's last mumble as she paid the check and called it a night: "I bought the YSL by myself, I am an independent woman."
After Tony Leung's (梁朝偉) withdrawal from John Woo's (吳宇森) Battle of Red Cliff (赤壁之戰), the film may yet suffer another last-minute change of cast as recent rumors suggest actor Chang Chen (張震) could be replaced by Chinese actor Liu Ye (劉燁).
When asked by local media about the replacement, Woo didn't give a direct answer but hinted at Chang's dismissal by saying, "Liu is an actor I admire a lot and I've wanted to work with him for a long time."
Four years have passed since Hong Kong legend Leslie Cheung (張國榮) jumped from a hotel roof and ended his colorful life on April 1, 2003. Though fans in Hong Kong and China held commemoratory events on Sunday in remembrance of the late actor and singer, to some the late star is still alive, at least in the widely-circulated tales saying Cheung is spotted living safe and sound in various places across the world.
Some say the actor is in fact leading a reclusive life in China's remote mountains while others believe Cheung now lives in Buenos Aires. And the most farfetched story involves director Zhang Yimou's (張藝謀) meeting the actor for film projects in Singapore last year.
Taiwan, once relegated to the backwaters of international news media and viewed as a subset topic of “greater China,” is now a hot topic. Words associated with Taiwan include “invasion,” “contingency” and, on the more cheerful side, “semiconductors” and “tourism.” It is worth noting that while Taiwanese companies play important roles in the semiconductor industry, there is no such thing as a “Taiwan semiconductor” or a “Taiwan chip.” If crucial suppliers are included, the supply chain is in the thousands and spans the globe. Both of the variants of the so-called “silicon shield” are pure fantasy. There are four primary drivers
The sprawling port city of Kaohsiung seldom wins plaudits for its beauty or architectural history. That said, like any other metropolis of its size, it does have a number of strange or striking buildings. This article describes a few such curiosities, all but one of which I stumbled across by accident. BOMBPROOF HANGARS Just north of Kaohsiung International Airport, hidden among houses and small apartment buildings that look as though they were built between 15 and 30 years ago, are two mysterious bunker-like structures that date from the airport’s establishment as a Japanese base during World War II. Each is just about
Two years ago my wife and I went to Orchid Island off Taitung for a few days vacation. We were shocked to realize that for what it cost us, we could have done a bike vacation in Borneo for a week or two, or taken another trip to the Philippines. Indeed, most of the places we could have gone for that vacation in neighboring countries offer a much better experience than Taiwan at a much lower price. Hence, the recent news showing that tourist visits to Pingtung County’s Kenting, long in decline, reached a 27 year low this summer came
Japan is celebrated for its exceptional levels of customer service. But the behavior of a growing number of customers and clients leaves a lot to be desired. The rise of the abusive consumer has prompted authorities in Tokyo to introduce the country’s first ordinance — a locally approved regulation — to protect service industry staff from kasuhara — the Japanese abbreviated form of “customer harassment.” While the Tokyo ordinance, which will go into effect in April, does not carry penalties, experts hope the move will highlight a growing social problem and, perhaps, encourage people to think twice before taking out their frustrations
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