My list of Top 10 Taiwanese models

Classiest, sassiest and hottest Taiwanese models of 2010/2011

Taiwan is full of beautiful women! I think that's clear to everyone who's ever visited that beautiful country. From young to old, most Taiwanese girls and young women are graceful and classy, but bold enough to be sexy when they feel like. Be it beautiful girls selling betel nuts on the countryside or sassy urban women in Taipei, who make streets look like catwalks, Taiwan is simply a pool of exceptional beauties like rarely seen in other countries. Why is that so, I'll leave it to someone else. What I want to do here is introduce to you the hottest Taiwanese models of 2010/11.

Interestingly, I only knew three models from Taiwan before (who are now over 30): The always labeled as number one model in Taiwan Chiling Lin (林志玲) and the the eternal runner-up Pace Wu (吳佩慈). These two dominated the model business few years ago, but are less active now. Even more famous is another model (turned actress) from Taiwan: Shu Qi (舒淇). She gained international fame by appearing in various popular movies. Who doesn't know her from the movie Transporter?


Today however, I want to show you, that the new generation of Taiwanese models are more than eager to grab that invisible crown from Chiling's head. The girls listed below were introduced to me by my girlfriend, who also helped me composing this post. However it was I, who picked and listed them in the order of my preference. So this may also be a list of Taiwanese beauties seen through a foreigner's eyes. These girls are pretty known, if not very famous in Taiwan. I'm sure most of them would land in the top ten of an average Taiwanese guy as well. They're not only models, who go to fashion shows or make photos for the magazines, they usually appear on TV in various Taiwanese talk shows, advertise beauty products and appear on various events. Some even act or sing. In Taiwan most celebrities have multiple talents and are usually engaged in a lot of projects at the same time. Many of them are also known in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and PR China. Beauty is very important in Taiwanese culture, especially for the women. And once you make it in the Taiwanese beauty business, wealth, fame and admiration are guaranteed.

The models on my list were all born in the 1980s, they're mostly tall, skinny and photogenic (which was the essential criteria to be on my list) and they're probably some of the hottest women in the country at this moment. Please vote on the poll at the end, I want to know your top ten. And be careful not to get blinded by all that beauty (wink).

My list of Top 10 Taiwanese models (name first, family name last):

01 隋棠 Sonia Sui 1981, 173cm

Sonia Sui or 隋棠 (pronounced Suí Táng) was born 22. 10. 1981 in Jhongsing village. She is one of the most famous Taiwanese models of our times. She's part of the famous Taiwanese model agency Catwalk Production House. I chose her as my number one Taiwanese model, because she has the perfect body of a model as well as a perfectly beautiful face with a gorgeous smile. She always looks classy, but with a touch of a cute girl next door. She's certainly a dream woman, who just looks perfect on every photo. Check also the video on the left to see how good she looks in TV commercials. She's also an actress, starring in several Taiwanese drama.

Photo and info sources: [WikiEN][WikiTW][FB Page][Nipic.com][MY POST]

02 姚采穎 Yvonne Yao 1981, 173cm

Yvonne Yao or 姚采穎 (pronounced Yáo Cǎiyǐng) was born on 16. 11. 1981 in Taipei. She's probably the most photogenic of all the models and has the perfect model body and face. She's not the cute girl next door, but more of a femme fatale. She's famous for a life with many ups and downs. She grew up in poor circumstances and without a father. She became popular as a model in 2000 and her fame peaked in 2004. Being in the focus of the media, a photo of her smoking a cigarette spurred an outrage, because she was engaged in an anti smoking campaign. She publicly apologized. In 2008 she was arrested and suspected to be in possession of marijuana (someone used her name), but tests proved, that she did not use any drugs. But the negative press damaged her name again. In 2010 a video of her smoking was leaked on You-Tube.
Photo and info source: [WikiTW][Blog][FB Page][Flickr pics]

03 王伊平 Vickey Wang 1983, 178cm

Vickey Wang or 王伊平 (pronounced Wáng Yīpíng) was born on 18.6.1983. She's famous for having a very nice curves and Taiwanese gave her the nickname "美胸名模", which means the "super model with a beautiful chest" (see a famous video of her walking). Besides these outstanding assets (no pun intended), she's one of the tallest models on the list and the one that probably has the most beautiful face. She's also one of these models that looks amazing in all types of clothes, especially in jeans. Besides being a supermodel, Vickey is a talented musician. She graduated in traditional music at TNUA. All that combined totally convinced me to put her in my top 3. Ain't she amazing? Photo and info sources: [Bio][Sohate.pixnet pics][Babe1616 pics]

04 王思平 Jenna Wang 1987, 173cm

Jenna Wang or 王思平 (pronounced Wáng Sīpíng) was born on 22. 5. 1987. She part of the younger generation of the current top Taiwanese models and proved herself to be a very versatile and photogenic model. She became popular in 2009 by being on the cover of FHM Taiwan (see the photo shoot in the video). She's not so famous like some other girls here, but I really like her photos, because she always looks good on them, especially when she's wearing elegant clothes, such as gowns. She's also amazing casual wear, such as shorts and tops. She's definitely the cute girl next door type and not a vamp like Yvonne Yao or Vickey Wang. I'm sure she'll be more famous in the future. Photo and info sources: [WikiTW][Blog][FB Page][Moko.cc][MY POST]

05 赖琳恩 Lene Lai 1989, 169cm

Lene Lai or 赖琳恩 (pronounced Lài Línēn) was born on 6. 6. 1989 in Taipei. She the youngest on the list. She has recently became popular and is known as a very versatile and talented young woman. She started her career with beauty pageants (2nd runner up in Miss Asia Pageant 2008) and continued to play in dramas, movies and music videos, as well as appearing on various TV channels either as a guest or as a co-host. She's said to be the younger version of another famous model named Ruru Lin (the girl below), because they look alike a little. I think she belongs on this list, because she extremely likable and cute, probably the cutest of all the girls on the list (check her video). In a couple of years, she'll probably be the number 1 model in Taiwan.

Photo and info: [WikiEN][WikiTW][FB Page][RainDog pics][Purple gown pics][MY POST]

06 林葦茹 Ruru Lin 1981, 175cm

Ruru Lin or 林葦茹 (pronounced Lín Wěirú) was born on 28. 11. 1981 in Taipei. She's a popular TV presenter and model. She also appeared in music videos and did several advertisements and promotions. She's one of the "oldest" on the list here, close to that dreaded 30 mark, but she looks way younger. If I didn't know she's born in 1981, I would think she's way below 24 years old. She does have an awesome body (like most girls on the list) and obviously she feels great doing shoots in bikini (it wasn't easy to find pics of her not in one), because that's where she looks the best. But she also has a face to remember, a cute girly face that is. She looks more like a hot girl next door than like a supermodel (compare to Yvonne Yao). She could've easily be in the top 3 here, but I gave other younger girls the chance to be higher on the list. Photo and info sources: [WikiTW][Blog][Album][FB Page][Osaki99 pics]

07 李毓芬 Yufen Li 1985, 163cm

Yufen Li or 李毓芬 (pronounced Lǐ Yùfēn) also known as Tia or Keiko, was born 11. 5. 1985. She's said to look a bit like the younger version of Vivian Xu, a popular Taiwanese singer. But that wouldn't do her justice, because she's much than just a lookalike of her. She's the shortest of all the girls on the list, but she's definitely a great model. She makes up for the lack of height with her charming persona and beautiful eyes. She really has great modeling skills and if you'd not know that she's so short, you wouldn't think she's any different than other girls here. She looks petite and cute, these are her biggest assets. But she's also very good in looking serious and seductive. She's definitely on the right list. Photo and info: [FB Page][Blog][Osaki99 pics][RainDog post]

08 馮媛甄 Abby Fung 1982, 164cm

Abby Fung or 馮媛甄 (pronounced Féng Yuànzhēn) was born on 30. 10. 1982 in Chiayi. She a famous model and TV persona in Taiwan. Her nickname is little cutie (小可愛) and many people say she's the small version of Taiwan's famous supermodel Chiling Lin. Abby is probably the cutest girl on the list. She's also not the tallest, but you'll forget about that completely, when you hear her speak. She has the cutest voice ever. You gotta see the video and hear her speak. I asked my girlfriend, if it's really her voice and she guaranteed me, that this is truly her voice. Amazing, huh? She's not the supermodel type, but she's definitely the cute girl next door type, the one you'd love to have as a friend, if not girlfriend. She has a very good figure and a smile you won't forget. And I'm not even gonna mention her voice again.

Photo and info: [WikiTW][Bio][Blog][Osaki99 pics]

09 白歆惠 Bianca Bai 1982, 175cm

Bianca Bai or 白歆惠 (pronounced as Bái Xīnhuì) is born on 23. 10. 1982 in Taipei. She's born in a family of entertainers, her father used to work for a TV, her mother was a singer. She's a famous model and TV persona, who starred in dramas and music videos and also did a lot of TV ads and other promotions. She's famous for a large chest, which she cleverly uses to her advantage (just check the video on the left and you'll know what I mean). Once on a fashion show her nipple was exposed (see NSFW photo), the media gave her the nickname "pink nipples" (粉紅乳暈), because according to my girlfriend (*cough) that color is rare (*cough) for Taiwanese women. I have never even thought about it, and I guess you haven't, too. But well, now you know it :-P Anyway Bianca deserves to be on this list, because she's really a great model with a lot of grace. Maybe not the model type at first glance, but once you see her TV ads, you'll realize how talented she is. Photo and info sources: [WikiTW][FB Page][Baidu pics][Osaki99 pics]

10 劉伊心 Yihsin Liu 1984, 170cm

Liu Yihsin or 劉伊心 (pronounced Liú Yīxīn) was born on 30. 11. 1984. She became known in 2009, when she won few beauty pageants (Miss Asia Beauty Pageant) and ever since, she's doing photo shoots and appear in TV shows, but unlike most of the other girls here, she's not really famous. She has a curvaceous body and a beautiful chest, which she loves to display in various photos she makes. A photo of her nipple slip was leaked and people thought she did it on purpose, which garnered her some attention online. I put her on this list, because I thought she has a nice body and a very memorable face. She looks very sexy in most of her photos, but she's more like a photo model and less a fashion model, hence no 10 on my list. Photo and info sources: [WikiTW][Blog][Album][Yuan3652 pics][Iamayuan pics]

It took me a while to compose this post and I want to thank my girlfriend again, who provided me all the information I needed about the girls. I hope you have learned something more about Taiwan and about the Taiwanese idea of beauty. There are of course thousands of Taiwanese girls like them, who could be put on this list, but these girls, albeit seen everywhere on Taiwanese streets, are not famous. Many dream to be famous, only few succeed. And I've chosen the ones who have broken through and climbed all the way up to the top of the Taiwanese beauty industry. And believe me, it's not easy, because the competition is fierce. This post will be translated in Chinese and also I may do another list next year to see how much has changed in a year. For now, I want you to vote on the poll on the left and tell me which girl is currently your number one Taiwanese model.

If you can't vote on the poll, go and vote here>>

Related: [My TAIWAN page][My TAIWANESE WOMEN page]

Theme restaurants in Taipei are totally in!

Do you want to dine in a hospital, a classroom or in an airplane? Come to Taipei!

A video about theme restaurants in Taipei was linked to me on Twitter via a Taiwanese friend. And since it's quite rare for CNN and other international media to mention Taiwan in relation to something cool, I thought of posting it here for you. And it's not about some scandalous theme restaurants from the past like The Jail (惡魔島), which caused an uproar some years ago, because they depicted Nazi camps with gas chamber signs. No, the ones in the recent years are funny and cool. And they're totally in. If you come to Taipei, you gotta visit one.

CNN's video introduces several theme restaurants in Taipei. They mention the Airplane theme restaurant (A380 In-Flight Kitchen 空中廚房), the Hospital theme restaurant, the Classroom theme restaurant and a specially designed restaurant, where everything's made of paper. There's even one, where you play with hand puppets. Crazy. Yep, Taiwanese are totally into wacky stuff.

My best experience with a theme restaurant in Taipei so far was dining at the Modern Toilet, a restroom themed restaurant and probably the most famous restaurants of this kind in the world. And it's a totally Taiwanese invention. If you ever come to Taipei and want to have a wacky dining experience, let Modern Toilet be your first choice. Later you can try some crazier stuff like the Hospital themed restaurant. As far as I am concerned, I plan to visit all the famous theme restaurants in Taipei. I will list them here for you. Hopefully the list will become long through time. And I hope I can help you finding these places and showing you how they look like. The rest is up to you. Enjoy!

✰ Modern Toilet, Shilin, February 2010

✰ Modern Toilet, Ximending, May 2010
✰ Gayke, Ximending, Dec 2010

Would you go to any of these theme restaurants and do you think it's fun or just a waste of money? And which one would you like to try the most?

Related: [FOOD in TAIWAN][FOOD in TAIPEI][My TAIPEI page]

Apocalypse Man

Apocalypse Man - Rudy Reyes demonstrates surprising survival techniques, including making fire from steel wool, finding safe shelter, and creating shortwave radio transmissions.

Apocalypse Man Schedule:

Thu 1/7 1:01-2:01am HISTORY
Fri 1/8 11:00-12:01am HISTORY
Sat 1/9 3:01-4:02am HISTORY
Sat 1/9 12:00-1:00pm HISTORY

All the latest SMACK at CelebritySmackBlog.com!

About hypnotized killers and lovers

I was recently watching a show where they proved, that you can hypnotize a person to have full control over him and actually use him even for killing someone. There was a case was used for robbing a bank and killed two people along the way. But when they found out that he was hypnotized and therefore had no control over his actions, they started to look for the person behind all this. They found him, charged him with murder and sentenced him to prison. An interesting twist.

That made me think. I would never use someone to commit a crime, but I was thinking about something else: Would it be possible to hypnotize your dream woman to fall in love with you? I think it would be. But then again, how long would such a hypnosis stay? And something else would bother me: Wouldn't it be so fake when someone loved you, because you programmed him or her to do so? It would be a thrill for a short while, but some time later, at least for me, the magic would be gone. It just wouldn't be real, because the person would lose its original personality and it wouldn't be the dream girl or guy you used to phantasize about.

There's another thought I had: Isn't it same, when someone has a strong crush or an obsession? The admired person could also manipulate the obsessed one. Then again, I don't understand the joy of manipulating people. For me obsessive behavior is deemed extreme and unhealthy and it's a huge turn-off. I think it would be wiser to bring the obsessed person back to reality.

For me there's nothing more rewarding than real love that comes naturally. Every relationship has an initial period where you project all your desires and unreal expectations on your partner. But soon there comes a time, when you actually start getting to know the real person behind the image you created, you see all his or her flaws and downsides. In my experience that comes after a year. That's the time when your own hypnosis starts fading.

Damn, it happened to me 3 times, I need to learn from this. The next woman I fall in love with, I need to sober down in the initial phase and try to check the facts: Do we really have common interests, values and expectations? Not like what I usually do: Oh, you're not into politics? Oh, no problem. You don't like to talk about history, culture, world events? You have no opinion on any of these things? No problem. Well, it becomes a problem after a while when we have nothing to say to each other and the sex can't compensate for everything else that doesn't match. I want my girlfriend to be my best friend, my confidant and my lover. Is that too much to ask for? Some say they found their soulmate. Well, I don't know… I don't know wheather you're out there, but I won't push it to find you, I wish you'd find me. But maybe I'm hypnotized and don't want to face the reality. Maybe there's no perfect match out there for me.

[Photo: Screencap of Ayumi Hamasaki video]

Has Michael Jackson ended the Iranian uprising?

So, there we go. Unfortunately, I was right. My theory about the Iranian post-election protests was, that the regime will harden, tighten the security, put more police and military on the streets and sooner or later, there will be something else in the news. And now, Michael Jackson is dead: Who's following the Iran protests now? The momentum is lost, the media has now diverted it's focus and we will get less and less information out of Iran. Soon there will be summer holidays, we will all forget Iran and Michael Jackson and go to the sea side or pools, swimming and barbecueing and enjoying life. That's human nature! Nobody can convince me otherwise.

As I said many many times, if people in Iran, who want change, don't grab guns and start shooting back at those bastards in the riot police and defend themselves with equal means, nothing will change. Be real. Nothing will change and you know it. This brutal regime survived 30 years, you can bet it has means and measures to sustain itself. Peaceful protests won't do anything, the regime doesn't understand peace, it's ruthless and hateful. Stone throwing won't help either. You need to give the regime what it exports to other countries: Suicide bombers, martyrs, mujahedin. Give them a taste of their own medicine. Turn Tehran into Bagdad and they will see, if they still have that smirk on the face like they used to have, when USA couldn't secure Iraq.

But I guess all that won't happen. Now the media will only focus on Michael Jackson, they will go through all his ups and downs, scandals and medical conditions. Many celebs will share their opinions, even Barack Obama will be expected to say something. There will be a funeral, there will be non-stop reporting for at least 2-3 weeks. What will LaToya say? What will Janet say? What will Liz Taylor say? There's so much to come. It's a big shocker and of course Michael Jackson deserves the attention. He was one of the last big superstars, probably THE last superstar (Madonna is nothing comparing to him). So, it's understandable... But quite bad for Iranians. Bad timing, but as I said, even if Iran was the number 1 topic in the media, it still wouldn't make any difference.

Elections in Iran are worth a sack of potatoes

People rioting in Teheran (Photo: AP, Politico). The elections were rigged. The ugly dictatorship showed it's true face: Sending police on the street who are beating everyone senseless who doesn't look like he voted 'properly' (that means 'for Ahmadinejad'). That clown can declare victory, continue to spew his nonsense and hatered, while making his country even a bigger joke, but I feel bad for those young Iranians who honestly wanted change. They are influenced by the West, they wanna be part of the world, but have a brutal regime with almost no freedoms (it's basically not allowed that a man and a woman say 'hello' on the street unless they're married). And did you see on TV how Ahmadinejad campaigned? When he came to the country side, people greeted him with 'death to America' shoutouts. And to convince them to vote for him, he was giving some of them sacks of potatoes and cash. Unbelievable! Countryside Iranians can be so stupid sometimes. And if you ask me, these elections are one big fat joke, too!

Eminem deserved to be teabagged by Brüno!

[Pic of the day: Source MTV]

Have you seen MTV Movie awards few days ago? OMFG! The British comedic actor Sasha Baron Cohen, most famous for his role as Borat, pulled off an incredible stunt on the show. He came in butt-naked, hooked on a rope and dressed up like a bird. He was like flying above the audience and uttering some nonsense in broken German (playing out his role of the gay Austrian fashion reporter Brüno, the main character of his next film). When he was above Eminem, he suddenly pretended that something's stuck in his 'Kugelsack' (german slang for 'balls'), then he started cursing while someone let him down exectly above Eminem's seat (his face was pale and in pure shock). Brüno (or Cohen) virtually landed on Eminem's face with his naked ass! Incredible! I wonder how he staged that? I mean, the landing was perfect! PERFECT! Eminem freaked out repeating 'Are you serious!?', while Cohen kept teabagging him and saying 'Eminem, nice to meet you.' EM's entourage, 3 or 4 big strong black man, started to push an punch Cohen away, while he was mocking them. Finally he was pulled up and Eminem left the scene all pissed off! Now some say all was staged and Eminem was in. I'm sure Cohen staged all that, but I don't belive that Eminem was in on that. I mean, who wants to be involved in an accident where another guy puts his ass in your face? And I don't know what EM would gain from all that? It's not a good publiciy for a rapper, especially someone who repeatedly used the term 'fag' in his songs. On the other hand it's a perfect PR for Cohen's new film Brüno.

I think Eminem finally got what he deserved. Always dissing others, poking fun at them in his videos is great! You sell a lot of songs, earn a lot of money. Now you're the laugh of the world and Sascha Baron Cohen will make some money out of you. What goes around, comes around.

UPDATE: Recent sources say Eminem was in on the joke and that he and Cohen were even rehearsing this stunt. I refuse to believe that until I hear Cohen confirming it. I'm sure Eminem would like to appear cool after what happened to him, to distract from the humiliation and play it down that way. If Cohen confirms it, then I'll change my conclusion (in italics). This photo was released from a supposed rehearsal a day before. Still wondering though if everything was staged. Anyway, I still think Eminem deserved a butt in his face :)

Did Susan Boyle freak out?

I was a bit shocked when I saw Susan Boyle, the singer who came to fame in the show Britain's Got Talent, freak out like a mad man. I was watching the last episode of Prison Break, where she played an inmate in a female prison. Someone started a fight and accidentally bumped into her when she ate. She became furious like there's no tomorrow. Why did she freak out like that? (See photos below!) Is now her clean image gone?

Actually no... :) That's an actress that I found and she's really a Susan Boyle look-alike, ain't she? I don't know where I get these connections and why I make posts like this one. I guess I am a bit 'loco'.

[Photo aboveby PA: Source, Photos below: Screen caps of PB final episode]

North Korea launches nuclear missiles

And what are we hearing from the media and politicians?

Harsh words - denouncing - threat to stability - warnings - concerns - act of defiance - options - latest development - Pyongyang - Chinese propose dialogue and negotiations - 6 party talks - framework - UN Security council - tougher resolutions - frustrations - sanctions - influence NK behind the scenes - strong statements - offering - commitment - reciprocate with commitment - action from United States - what can we do? - stern action - special crisis task force to deal with the threat - new diplomatic push - what happens now? - dilemma - statement from the White House - the data - blatant - grave concern - recklessly challenging the international community - Brown condemned the test - isolation - analysis - security breach at Buckingham palace.

IT'S JUST WORDS WORDS WORDS!
NOTHING BUT WORDS!

As usually, nothing will happen! No action, no change! A big fuss for nothing. And the old evil Kim will laugh today, when he'll take a crap and read the newspaper reports on the international reaction to his missile test. He's mocking the whole world and noone does anything. G8: You're pathetic!

TV is dead.

Tuesday really sucks when it comes to TV. There's nothing to watch. I remember when I was a teenager, that was between 1990-1995, TV was number one. Nobody had laptops and internet, there was no chats, no Twitter, no Facebook, no blogging, no online news or You-Tube. Sure, these things are nice, but they make us estranged and isolated. Where are those saturday evenings when the whole family gathered infront of the TV and watched a show together? A show that would be discussed on Monday with your school mates? Or those Saturday night movies like Rambo or Die Hard or some Arnie flick. I remember how the discussion about the movie was more exciting than the movie itself. Have you seen how he punched him? Have you seen how he tricked them all? Those where the times when you knew that action heroes are real heroes with high values and morals. It was predictable and sometimes silly, but I loved happy ends. I loved those last scenes where the hero kissed a woman or where the kid said: Dad, I love you and he replied: I love you, too, champ.
And what we have now? A Batman full of vengeance, a blond James Bond full of anger? Most of the movies nowadays are sometimes so complicated, that you really don't get the begining and the end. Some just don't make sense and a happy end is rather exceptional than the norm. Movies nowadays are about special effects rather than plots. That's why you get something for the eye, but nothing for the brain and heart. There's exceptions, of course. But I'm talking about Bolly I mean Hollywood, the mainstream suppliers of movies. (Where's the difference anyway?) So, sometimes, when I off my laptop and sit infront of the TV, I just keep switching those channels and there's nothing to watch. Always, when I'm online on my laptop reading or writing a blog, I have CNN on. 10 years ago I would have MTV on... But what can I do? MTV is dead, too! I'm sick of those moronic 'reality shows' like Rock of Love or Paris Hilton looks for BFF. These shows are all fake and trashy. MTV should change its name, it's not a music television anymore. It's a freaking Freak show TV (what a sentence, if you use this one, please quote me). Anyway. TV is dead. It's shallow, fake and boring. One day I will tell my kids how it used to be. They will hardly believe me.
So, TV is dead. Internet is now about 15 years old, it's a teenager. Soon it'll be full age, then grown up... and it'll die around 2050 (my prediction). I'm sure something else will be born instead. But who knows... Ok, I'm switching off now. (Garfield)

My tweet was on Larry King

,Two days ago, Larry King hosted Joy Behar, my favorite host of The View. I can watch The View only on You-Tube and I do that sometimes. I'm following Larry King on Twitter and I saw his message asking for thoughts on Joy Behar. So, just for fun, I wrote something and replied back very fast. And they showed my tweet on Larry King! You can see it on the screencap below. Thanks to twitterer TheNiceLife, who saw my Twitter-name on Larry King and sent me a tweet with the link to his blog, where I checked out the video with the Joy Behar interview. So, now I'm buddies with Jessica Alba and a serious pundit on CNN :P Just kidding.

[Photo: CNN video screencap]

How they screwed up Prison Break

Yesterday, after a 4 months hiatus, Prison Break continued with it's 17th episode of season 4. It was a decent episode. And in 1 month we will see the series come to an end: A double episode finale is scheduled for May 15. So, after almost 4 years, the series comes to an end. And I'm really happy! Because it sucks big time.
When I watched the 1st season of Prison Break 3 years ago, I felt that it has no competition in the genre. It was brilliant with a very intelligent storyline and an incredible cast. Every episode ended with a cliffhanger that gave you goose bumps and you wanted to watch more and more. I remember I borrowed from my sister's friend the whole season and I watched it all at once in one night. I just couldn't stop. It was an amazing experience. Then came season 2, Manhunt. Also a very decent season. And the end of season 2 was where they screwed up big time. It should be the end of Prison Break. I wanted Michael, Linc and Sarah sail into the sunset. But no, they turned it around and made a new show out of it: Sona. They just try to copy season 1, but they failed miserably. Of course season 3 had some good moments, but it was a totally different show, different (new) characters and now in the overall storyline, it makes no sense. Then you add season 4 and you get again a totally new show. Again new characters, new concept and a totally new focus. I call this season: The Company. Michael suddenly gets sick and all whiny. His brilliance lacks, he's too much emotion-driven. And the actor became really fat. I wondered where was the muscular whole-body-tatoo tough guy from season 1? And then there's Linc, Michael's brother. His storyline is very poor, he seems lost and confused, his actions seem incoherent. Yeah, there was some good moments, too. I liked first few episodes when they try to steal Scylla. We saw some of Michael's genious, but in the middle of the season, they started to complicate the storyline again. Now we know that behind some of the evil there's Michael's and Lincoln's mother. Come on! Give me a break! It is just ridiculous. And it's getting more and more absurd. I'm waiting for the finale, I wonder how they will conclude the whole story. But for me Prison Break is already over for a long time. The real Prison Break is only the first two seasons, the rest is just some kind of spin-off (with same but more confused characters). And it's not just me, I guess many people see it same like me. I saw the ratings dropped for nearly 40% since season 1. That's why it's better to adapt the length to the stroy rather than the story to the length. They just wanted to make more money and stretched it. Money beats art, that's the sad truth. But I'm really glad we have the first two seasons which will remain my all time favourites.

[Photos: Source]

Obama is a genius!

My whole last year 2008 was accompanied with excitement about the US presidential elections and Barack Obama. I can say, I heard about him already in 2006 when he went to Kenya and CNN reported it. One year later, in 2007, I watched on CNN how he announced his presidential campaign. And they began to report more and more about him and I already became a huge fan. At that time, everyone was excited about Hillary Clinton. Most of the meadia thought she already won, but not me. I knew Barack Obama was the best candidate with the best ideas that reflected my views and conceptions. I didn't doubt Obama, I doubted the American people due to the recent history of racism and the dominance of the right wing (that's was the perception). Anyway, luckily I was proven wrong and Obama was elected. It was a roller coaster: From Iowa to the Supertuesday to the debates with Hillary Clinton. Then came Bill Clinton's 'Fairytale', reverend Wright, 'Bittergate', Pennsyilvania and a lot of distress. Was I relieved when he won North Carolina and virtually wrapped up the nomination. I was so sick of those CNN pundits and all their bickering and ridiculing. I got goose bumps when I saw him in Denver in that big stadium. Joe Biden was a great choice, too. It seemed perfect. And then came McCain and the Republicans with their low shots and of course the joke of the year: Sarah Palin, her stupidity and ignorance. It was hillarious. I loved the presidential debates with McCain. Obama showed that he has an exceptional intellect. And then: election night! When he got Pennsylvania and Florida I knew he won. I waited until 4am to hear him speak. That speech was really history made infront of my eyes. I will always remember where I was when I heard it. I felt I was there in Chicago, I felt I was American and all the positive things that are associated with it. I felt that in 1 single day the world became a better place.
And now here we are. It's March 2009 and I tune in CNN and see president Barack Obama has a town hall meeting, answering questions and trying to increase support for his bold policies. After the election and until the inauguration I was in Malaysia and couldn't follow his interviews and all that was happening in that period. So tonight I heard him speak after a long time and I thought: Wow, he is a genius! In this moment I think there's not a single democratic politician in the world who is as intelligent, witted and articulate as Barack Obama. He could sell you any idea by the way he delivers it to you. It's still incredible, it won't decline and I think even after he will face tough backfire, make mistakes, he will give a speech and you will believe him or forgive him. Barack Obama is a genius. He will transform the presidency like Lincoln or FDR did. He won't be topped in my life time, he set the bar too high for any successor, it's a once-in-a-century thing. That's why, even in these hard times, recesion, terrorism, financial crisis... I know we (the whole world) have someone who's honestly working the hardest he can to make a difference. It's a great time to be alive.

[Photos take by me from the TV]

Miss USA Falls Onstage During 2007 Miss Universe Pageant

Miss USA Rachel Smith's strut down the catwalk to model her evening gown during the Miss Universe pageant didn't quite go as planned.



Smith slipped and fell on her rear during Monday night's Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City.

She was also seemingly booed during her interview by Hispanic audience members who were chanting "Mexico! Mexico!" until she spoke in Spanish, the Associated Press reports.

Smith's responsed with "Buenas noches Mexico. Muchas gracias!" , which earned her applause.

She finished fourth runner-up. Riyo Mori was named Miss Universe 2007.

Pageant co-owner Donald Trump said of Smith's ordeal, "Rachel has been a great Miss USA, and she's really a nice person, and I don't think they were booing Rachel, perhaps they were booing some policies of the United States, to be honest with you."

Source

Who Should Be This Years America Idol?

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Chris Robinson and Phil Stacey Speak About Their Time on American Idol

Chris Robinson and Phil Stacey were both eliminated this week on American Idol, the first double elimination ever in the show's history.

Entertainment Tonight spoke with the two Idol finalists and asked them about their relationships, their futures and who they think will walk away as this years American Idol.

ET: Was there a specific performance where the reaction from the judges surprised you?

PHIL: My big surprise came [during] country week. I am more in my comfort zone in country music, but I was so used to getting the critical feedback that when Randy was, "Dude, you were good this week," I was, "Really? Sweet!" That was the one time that my reaction was really surprised.

CHRIS: I remember back in the earlier rounds, I didn't think "Geek in the Pink" would go over too well with the judges. I went out there skeptical. I thought, "Would they like something different?" I went out there and did it. They seemed to really love it. I am glad I did that now.

ET: We know Phil is married, but Chris, are you dating anyone? We heard you might be seeing Lauren Conrad?

CHRIS: I just got out of a three-and-a-half year relationship back home. That's about it. All the other stuff is just rumors. Those people are just my friends and acquaintances. I am pretty much single right now, but still respecting the fact that I got out of a relationship with my girlfriend.

ET: Phil, your commitment to the Navy goes through October 2008. Do you know for sure if you will be able to go on the "American Idol" tour?

PHIL: My primary responsibility is to the United States Navy. The possibility exists that they will need me for a mission. If that is the case, I am committed to following through with my commitment to the Navy. So far, they have been 100 percent flexible with me with "American Idol." They have been gems. They are a huge support base for me. I give the Navy all the props in the world for letting me do what I have done this far.

ET: What song do you want to sing on the tour?

CHRIS: I haven't thought that far ahead. I have a lot of songs in the database. I've just got to figure out which one will best suit the style of music I will be coming out with on my album.

PHIL: I think if I get the opportunity to do the tour, I would really like to do something -- the "Idol Gives Back" thing really changed my life. I think one thing I want to do is be a positive influence on people, and a role model of sorts. I think as a Navy guy, I would like to go out and do something patriotic like "God Bless the U.S.A.", something to represent the Navy and be a unifying factor for us as Americans.

ET: Chris, how was it that you and Blake became so close?

CHRIS: It started in Hollywood. It was just one of those things where we clicked. We had a lot in common: music taste and music style, personality traits, and loyalty and friendship. It was just one of those things where we bonded.

ET: Chris, you had such unique looks on this show -- where did you get your clothes? Were they your own, or did you go shopping?

CHRIS: We would go shopping. I don't remember the names [of the stores]. I remember seeing things and liking it. Sometimes the outfits would go together and sometimes they wouldn't, but it was on purpose that I did that. When I shopped, I tried to fit my style and the theme of the week.

ET: Who do you see as the current frontrunner to become the next "American Idol"?

PHIL: I think the four people who are left have individual strengths that set them apart. Blake is most likely the most original contestant ever on "American Idol." He blew it out this week with Bon Jovi. Melinda is possibly the greatest singer I have ever heard on the show. Lakisha sings with so much passion, it is hard not to get chills. Jordin has a range that lasts for days. Her upper notes have so much power behind them. I think it is anybody's ballgame at this point.

CHRIS: I feel the same exact way.

Source

Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson Voted Off 'Idol'

American Idol made up for the lack of eliminations last week.

This week the show eliminated two people. Two of the three men left were voted off the show last night. Phil Stacey, the bald US Navy sailor and Chris Richardson, who is reminiscent of Justin Timberlake.

The only male left in the competition is Seattle native, Blake Lewis.

Four 'Idols' remain. Blake Lewis, LaKisha Jones, Melinda Doolittle and Jordin Sparks.

The "Idol" finale airs live May 23.

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