Karen Mok (
The awards recognize the highest achievements in dozens of categories of popular, as well as classical, religious, traditional and Aboriginal music, as judged by a panel of judges drawn from all fields in the music business. Despite the inclusion of non-pop acts, the event is the most important award in the Chinese-language pop music world with entrants from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere.
Originally scheduled to take place in May, the ceremony was finally held after a three-month delay caused by the SARS epidemic. Last night's event went off without further delays and almost barely a mention of the sickness that forced it to be held in August instead of in spring.
There were few surprises among the winners, with Mok and Chan taking the singer honors and Texas native eVonne winning the Newcomer of the Year Award and SHE taking home the best Best New Singing Group Award. Chan was a double winner last night, taking home the best album award along with his singer of the year award. Chan and Mok, both from Hong Kong, are among the most prolific stars in Mando-pop but faced tough competition from long-time favorites like Jackie Cheung (
The one unexpected moment of the evening came when President Chen Shui-bian (
The Golden Melody Awards is an invitation-only event attended mostly by industry insiders, so for thousands of music fans the main draw of the event is the red carpet entrance that all the attending stars walk down. Under yesterday's beating sun, fans began crowding the walkway outside of Taiwan National University's new gymnasium at about 3pm for the best view.
The awards last year were dominated by Jay Chou, but this year awards were distributed more evenly to different artists and their producers, lyricists and songwriters. He didnt seem too bothered to be passed up at this years event. Arriving at the venue, when asked what he expected at the ceremony, he simply said "it'll be alright."
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest