Magician's sleight breakdown melts ice maidens' hearts
By Hu Deman (China Daily)
2009-06-04 10:05
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Liu Qian reckons he earned more than 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) in just three months after his breakout Spring Festival Gala performance at the end of January this year. The moneyed magician is now about to capitalize further on his new-found fame and anchor a CCTV show called Magic Miracle.
But could it be too much for the man with the golden sleight of hand? He appears to be experiencing a Susan Boyle-type of breakdown. Before going on stage in Nanjing last month he apparently dissolved into tears and complained about the pressure that comes with success. According to tom.com he said: "Fame came so quick I don't think I was ready for it." Liu's apparent fragility has only encouraged some of his female fans and in Hunan recently they sent him ice cream backstage to cheer him up.
Another man who did well out of the Spring Festival Gala is Xiao Shenyang, who on Monday turned up to take part in Zhang Yimou's new film, Amazing Stories: Three Guns. According to qq.com he will reprise the sissy-style persona that made him a national celebrity. He is expected to play the part of an employee in a noodle shop who has an affair with the boss's wife. It sounds intriguing and would be even funnier if the love scenes hadn't been ruled out.
It's hard to ignore Edison Chen, even if you wanted to. There are around 1,300 photos of him and various starlets in flagrante delicto washing around on the Internet. Now he appears to be trying to reestablish his career, starting with last night's CNN interview, in which he explained his part in the sex scandal that made him infamous.
In the West, notoriety is often a career blessing but Asia appears to be more conservative when it comes to role models. So, it could be an uphill battle for Chen to convince people that when he said, in English: "I will be away from Hong Kong entertainment indefinitely," this did not mean forever. Web portal Vodone took up this issue yesterday and pointed out that in the CNN interview he finessed the statement: "What I initially said is unlimited time ... I have not said forever." Actually, Chen's correct. Indefinitely means no set limit.
Someone in need of a sex scandal is Nicholas Zhang, also known as Nicholas Teo, a Chinese-Malaysian singer who won a student singing contest before launching his pop career in 2003. Since then he has failed to make much of an impact.
In order to promote his latest music video, in Taipei, Zhang appeared on stage with a model who was wearing just a short red skirt. He looked uncomfortable in the presence of bare breasts but the publicity should be priceless and the video is already a popular download, according to Vodone.