It may be the 21st century, but feminist ideas have yet to penetrate the sequined tower of the Mando-pop glitterati. Vivian Hsu (徐若瑄), for example, has had to resort to divine intervention to provide her with a man in her life, after breaking up with F4’s Vanness Wu (吳建豪) three years ago. A visit to Taipei’s Xingtian Temple (行天宮) this March seems to have paid off: rumors are swirling of a blooming romance with Stephen Fung (馮德倫), who achieved prominence in the gossip press through his one-time association with Karen Mok (莫文蔚) and Shu Qi (舒淇).
Next magazine reports that Hsu prayed at every one of the temple’s many shrines, paying special attention to that of “the man in the moon” (月下老人), who is responsible for romance, and the goddess of childbirth (註生娘娘), whose cosmological function is self-explanatory. There is a good chance that we will be hearing more of Hsu’s romantic tribulations, as Fung definitely has something of an eye for the ladies.
In other news about celebrities looking for love, male model Jerry Huang (黃志瑋) has further damaged his chances of getting back with former girlfriend and high-society belle Terri Kwan (關穎) after being caught putting the moves on — shock, horror — an older woman. Huang has been playing the wronged lover now for nearly six months and clearly this role is not satisfying all his urges.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Although the font of much showbiz insider knowledge, Next does not have things all its own way. The mag has been clobbered with NT$400,000 in damages after it went too far in reporting on the sexual shenanigans of TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲), according to a report in the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper).
It is possible to believe almost anything in relation to Wu’s association with the fairer sex, but when Next reported that he had fessed up to having sex with a fan called Linda, the notorious womanizer decided to put the record straight. This makes it all the more interesting to read about suggestions published in Next that Jaycee Chan (房祖名), son of martial arts superstar Jackie Chan (成龍) and friend of the recently disgraced Edison Chen (陳冠希), is reported to have been caught with his pants down on the Internet. Little evidence seems to have been produced in this initial report, but, as they say, watch this space: either for Jaycee facing the same kind of hypocritical public outrage directed at Chen, or Next magazine getting it in the neck once again — an altogether more cheering prospect.
Contestants in CTV’s One Million Star (超級星光大道) talent contest continue to grab headlines, as yet another of the “reality” TV show’s alumni has been censured for being arrogant. Aska Yang (楊宗緯), one of the most successful celebrity wannabes to emerge from the first season, has repeatedly come in for a basting. Caught in the crosshairs this time is season two second-place winner Liang Wen-ying (梁文英). Next worked itself into a frenzy over her lack of professionalism at a concert given for high-ranking staffers of the Shin Kong financial group, turning up to perform in a cardigan and jeans instead of the halter top and tutu that had been agreed on. Third-place winner Yeh Wei-ting (葉瑋庭), who dutifully donned hot pants and a low cut V-neck for her performance, was lauded for doing the right thing. Liang, many of whose fans believe she should have won the second season and who has received numerous endorsement contracts since appearing in the show, may now face a media lockout for what is regarded as unacceptable behavior.
The cherry on the cake for this week’s celebrity goings on is the revelation by sohu.com, an Internet celebrity gossip site, still unsubstantiated, that Andy Lau (劉德華), one of Hong Kong’s biggest stars, and long time girlfriend Carol Chu (朱麗倩), who had announced their forthcoming marriage, have actually been married for 18 years and already have a 15-year-old son.
April 14 to April 20 In March 1947, Sising Katadrepan urged the government to drop the “high mountain people” (高山族) designation for Indigenous Taiwanese and refer to them as “Taiwan people” (台灣族). He considered the term derogatory, arguing that it made them sound like animals. The Taiwan Provincial Government agreed to stop using the term, stating that Indigenous Taiwanese suffered all sorts of discrimination and oppression under the Japanese and were forced to live in the mountains as outsiders to society. Now, under the new regime, they would be seen as equals, thus they should be henceforth
Last week, the the National Immigration Agency (NIA) told the legislature that more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) risked having their citizenship revoked if they failed to provide proof that they had renounced their Chinese household registration within the next three months. Renunciation is required under the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), as amended in 2004, though it was only a legal requirement after 2000. Prior to that, it had been only an administrative requirement since the Nationality Act (國籍法) was established in
Three big changes have transformed the landscape of Taiwan’s local patronage factions: Increasing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) involvement, rising new factions and the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) significantly weakened control. GREEN FACTIONS It is said that “south of the Zhuoshui River (濁水溪), there is no blue-green divide,” meaning that from Yunlin County south there is no difference between KMT and DPP politicians. This is not always true, but there is more than a grain of truth to it. Traditionally, DPP factions are viewed as national entities, with their primary function to secure plum positions in the party and government. This is not unusual
The other day, a friend decided to playfully name our individual roles within the group: planner, emotional support, and so on. I was the fault-finder — or, as she put it, “the grumpy teenager” — who points out problems, but doesn’t suggest alternatives. She was only kidding around, but she struck at an insecurity I have: that I’m unacceptably, intolerably negative. My first instinct is to stress-test ideas for potential flaws. This critical tendency serves me well professionally, and feels true to who I am. If I don’t enjoy a film, for example, I don’t swallow my opinion. But I sometimes worry
RSS