Pop Stop readers will know that Van Ness Wu (吳建豪) has recently gotten very cozy with God. The Taiwanese-American heartthrob called on his new best friend for support last week when his production company became embroiled in a drug scandal. Wu hauled a copy of the Bible to a press conference where he and Smash and Grab Productions
(天地仁和電影公司) co-founder Jimmy Hung (洪天祥) both denied any wrongdoing.
The trouble started when a police raid of the film company’s office uncovered a baggie of marijuana in an employee’s belongings. Apple Daily described 29-year-old Chou Ichuan (周毅銓) as Wu’s “clingy assistant,” but Wu’s manager insisted that her client had only known the alleged pothead for one or two weeks. Chou’s three roommates were also arrested on charges related to drug trafficking.
Hung and Wu appeared at a joint press conference after the arrests. Despite being clad in black leather and sporting a tough-looking buzz cut, Wu appeared very pious — and, indeed, demure — as he clutched the Good Book. He dismissed rumors that he’d shaved his head to avoid a drugs test, saying that his new coif was for an independent film he shot last month in the US. Both men distanced themselves from Chou and his alleged herbal remedy. “I told him not to bring that kind of stuff to work and he said he wouldn’t touch it again,” said Hung. “One of our employees made a mistake, it doesn’t mean it has anything to do with the rest of the company.”
Hung went on to kvetch about the police officers who’d searched Smash and Grab, complaining that he’d been ordered to leave the premises. “They acted like we were all drug traffickers,” Hung wailed to reporters, before adding that if urine samples could prove Hung and Wu’s innocence, both men would be more than happy to step up to
the cup.
According to Apple Daily, Chou admitted to possessing marijuana but insisted he didn’t sell it (his roommates also say they are innocent of the drug trafficking charges). While being questioned by police, Chou claimed he’d gotten drunk in the East District’s (東區) Room 18 and bumped into a blonde man outside the nightclub, who offered him the baggie of marijuana. Zhou said that the bag cost him NT$2,000 and that all he wanted to do was go home, have something to eat and drink and then “relax.”
TV producer Chen Yulin (沈玉琳) appeared to be on something at his wedding last week, but the only thing he was high on was life ... or his 25-year-old wife Wu Hsiao-chun (吳曉純), also known as Yaya (芽芽), who is 17 years Chen’s junior. According to reports in the Apple Daily, 700 guests attended the lavish 81-table banquet. Chen entertained the gathering with a failed attempt at hula-hooping, some very moist tongue wrestling with Wu and touching proclamations of love: “[Wu’s] a good daughter, she takes care of me, her bedroom kung-fu skills [床上功夫] are excellent and, most importantly, she’ll never bash me on television!”
The last part was a jab at Chen’s ex-girlfriend, television host Peajen (佩真), who he dated for eight years. The two climbed to the top ranks of show business (or at least the top ranks of the B-list) together before splitting up. Peajean has referred to Chen on her talk show as a heartless two-timer. Nonetheless, she put in an appearance at the banquet with a NT$8,000 hongbao in hand, telling reporters that she and Chen remained good friends.
Before the wedding, Wu’s friends ribbed Chen by forcing him to enter the hotel in a pair of high heels and sing while hula hooping (the toy fell almost instantly, crashing into a coffee table). At the banquet, Chen praised Wu for her skill at preparing instant noodles. The 700 guests, who caused a traffic jam in front of the reception venue, included semi-celebs, such as actors Ma Kuo-hsien (馬國賢), Jonathan Chang (張克帆),Ting Kuo-lin (丁國琳) and Riva Zhang (張芳奕). TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) was Chen’s best man and joked during his speech that the groom’s father was only interested in Ding’s cleavage.
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
There is perhaps no better way to soak up the last of Taipei’s balmy evenings than dining al fresco at La Piada with a sundowner Aperol Spritz and a luxuriant plate of charcuterie. La Piada (義式薄餅) is the brainchild of Milano native William Di Nardo. Tucked into an unassuming apartment complex, fairy lights and wining diners lead the way to this charming slice of laid-back Mediterranean deli culture. Taipei is entirely saturated with Italian cuisine, but La Piada offers something otherwise unseen on the island. Piadina Romagnola: a northern Italian street food classic. These handheld flatbreads are stuffed with cold
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In the tourism desert that is most of Changhua County, at least one place stands out as a remarkable exception: one of Taiwan’s earliest Han Chinese settlements, Lukang. Packed with temples and restored buildings showcasing different eras in Taiwan’s settlement history, the downtown area is best explored on foot. As you make your way through winding narrow alleys where even Taiwanese scooters seldom pass, you are sure to come across surprise after surprise. The old Taisugar railway station is a good jumping-off point for a walking tour of downtown Lukang. Though the interior is not open to the public, the exterior
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