Monday, April 02, 2018

Blind Item #13 - A Reader Blind Item

I have lived in Asia for several years, practically grew up here. Through work in the publicity sector and contacts in the hospitality industry, I have had several encounters with celebrities, some nice, some not so nice, and some a bit odd. (Although no one will ever be as nice as a now-deceased UK singer, who took the time to meet and chat with my family when he went to perform in one particular country that was just opening up to the world.) One incident in a neighboring place involves a famous supermodel. She had flown into one of the Asian dragons to grace the cover of the new local edition of one of the world's biggest fashion magazines. She was originally denied entry into the country because her passport did not have six months left on it. She then threw a huge fit in the immigration line, screaming at the airline rep as well as the customs officer, then went way off to the corner to sulk and smoke. Because of the way she was dressed, most people thought she was just another one of these F-list, newbie models just getting their start that they fly in for catalog work. Her childish fit (which admittedly was worthy of even the bitchiest supermodels) and smoking was widely reported, although her handlers denied everything.

The Canadian embassy then came to her rescue and she was let in. What many people don't know is that it got worse during the press conference for her cover shoot. The press conference took place at a hotel that was built where a shantytown once stood, and ties into several other celebrities in this blind. The magazine had originally planned to have her wear something by a local designer. She refused, and instead insisted on wearing something she had brought by a classic American designer whose initials are not CK or MK. She spent much of the press conference snapping at both local and foreign reporters, telling them to leave if they didn't have any interesting questions to ask her. In a place where face is so important, to say she angered and embarrassed her local  hosts is an understatement.

A few years later, a European band came into town to promote their third, and just about final, album at the same hotel the supermodel held her press conference. They had had some pretty big international hits and were often compared to another quartet from their same country who hit it big in the 70s. The visiting group had managed to squeeze out one last hit before disappearing. I knew someone who was covering their press event so I managed to attend that and then hang out with the band afterwards in a VIP space off to the side after the event. This was the same hotel where a pop king had stayed a few years earlier, and had spontaneously invited an Indian couple and their child up to his room for photos with their child, photos that the couple would try to shop around to the press (not for any scandalous reason, but just to brag that they met the guy).

There was nothing special about the photos, except that the singer looked hideous in them--his face was literally falling off. This was at the same time the singer was facing some serious allegations, and his family came out to defend his innocence, staying at another five-star hotel across town. Despite the accusations and accompany stress, he performed two knock-out, perfect shows. Back to the European group, they were incredibly nice, more than happy to sign autographs, and seemed genuinely interested in anyone who talked to them, even though it was obvious their days on top of the charts were about over. Their bags didn't arrive in time and they were literally wearing the clothes they flew in on. One odd thing, however, is that one of the members never showed up. In fact, you can see on their album art, that she sort of fades in the background.

They really didn't seem to want to talk about her, saying she was afraid of flying, and kind of leaving it at that. This was in the same room, by the way, that a few years later a Disney star turned singer would channel the supermodel and have a huge fit where nothing was right while trying to rehearse for her press conference. The hotel where all these singer events took place would become famous in its own right several years later, when it became a filming location for what was a current big actress star's first big bomb. A couple years or so after the European band's visit, a Latino heartthrob who is enjoying resurgent fame in a TV role stayed at a different hotel across town.

This hotel is rumored to be haunted as it was build over an old graveyard. His first concert in this city, he enlisted a local (Hong Kong born, but North American raised) Asian superstar singer, who mostly sings in Mandarin and whose English-language debut flopped, to sing a duet with him. She would brag about being a virgin and loving her adopted country (not everyone thinks it is a country) but everyone knew she was not a virgin and everyone knew she would rather live somewhere else. As for the heartthrob,  in addition to spending a lot of time at the hotel gym's sauna, he ordered up both male and female escorts. Although it was not clear at the time, we now know which escort was meant to throw the scent off the trail, and which one he enjoyed.    

45 comments:

Tricia13 said...

George Michael the singer

sandybrook said...

Pammie for the supermodel?

Tricia13 said...

Linda Evangelista The bitch?

sandybrook said...

Michael Jackson the pop king?

Tricia13 said...

Oasis/Beatles (but they big in 60s no?)MJ as King of Pop

Tricia13 said...

Maybe the Spice Girls for the group/Posh the one who didn’t show/Demi or Selena for Disney

sandybrook said...

ABBA and Roxette for the European bands?

T. W. said...

Is the country Taiwan or Hong Kong?

Is the band on the decline The Cranberries?

Now! said...

The band on the decline is Ace of Base. From the same country as ABBA.

Thonker said...

I'm probably the only one curious about the Hong Kong born American raised singer whose debut in the US flopped lol all famous singers who sing in mandarin I know are from Taiwan...

Brayson87 said...

Don't leave out the most important detail, how was the shower water pressure there?

pwal said...

Ricky Martin is the the Latin pop star.

Tricia13 said...

😂😂😂
That is literally-first thing I check in hotels or when house hunting/ renting lol

El Roy 13 said...

Was that Scarlett Johansson/ bill Murray, Sofia Coppola directed flick considered a bomb? I didn't like it, but that usually means it's a hit, lol. Oh, LOST IN TRANSLATION!

Kno Won said...

Totes.

Tricia13 said...

No it won Oscars... and was pretty good actually

Brayson87 said...

You know it Tricia! At least with a house you can adjust the water pressure regulator. Otherwise your best bet is removing the shower head and taking out the water restrictor part, they usually just screw off nowadays. I know it's popular for my female friends with handheld shower heads, they tell me it really gets the shampoo out.

Cat said...

Ace of Base for the group (ABBA being the predecessors). The Flowers album cover shows the blonde lady right at the back.

Tricia13 said...

Cyber soul-mates:)

El Roy 13 said...

Ah. OK. Thanks!

Peerless Phil said...

This is the Grand Hotel in Taipei. Built on an old Shinto Temple.

Asian Superstar is Coco Lee. Latin Heartthrob is Ricky Martin. He played Taipei on 11 October, 2000.

Peerless Phil said...

Finally, Linda Evangelista was on the first cover of Vogue in Taiwan.

Gator said...

Linda Evangelista was not well liked for good reason.

Seachica said...

Linda Evangelista for the Canadian supermodel

Kate k said...

Or Ace of Bass for the recent group, ABBA for the 70s group.

Kate k said...

Yeah that's what I meant. Good one!

#TEAMGEELJIRE CLASSIC said...

Yeah I thought Leehom Wang but he's Taiwan

gauloise said...

SHalom Harlow or Linda Evangelista for the Canadian supermodel

Tricia13 said...

I dig it Kate K- great guess

Velvet Voice said...

CANADIAN SUPERMODELS:

LINDA "SNOW" EVANGELISTA

YASMMEN GHAURI

SHALOM HARLOW

Yasmeen was a super professional low profile top model, also Shalom - she even tolerated Vincent Gallo- ... Linda ... well she was always a BXTCH who thought was a 8th wonder of this planet...

Lo Key says stop with the censorship already! said...

I see what you did there, Brayson.

Sakebomb said...

I was at a party in the Hamptons a few years ago, and hung out with Coco Lee. I asked what she did for a living, completely clueless as to who she was. She couldn’t have been more sweet and humble, simply saying that she was a sang for a living, leaving out that she’s basically the Christina Aguilera of China...only bigger, with over 1 billion people tuning into her as a judge on the Chinese version of Idol. Also, she’s a billionaire. I was told all of this later by a third party.

Sakebomb said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dusty Fairy said...

Such a great reader blind. Thank you!

Court b said...

Love the movie, but yes, I recognized the reference immediatly

Mango said...

Meeks is a validated gang member and dirty as hell, but the HIV rumor apparently started on CDAN. Certainly not impossible but was it created for more clicks? That said, if it’s not already happening, let’s see what Chloe thinks of the Crips bleeding Meeks of her (ie. daddy’s) money.

Hugo Pedersen said...

Yep, Ace of Base/ABBA. One of the singers was attacked in her home when they were at top of their fame. She basically became a recluse after that, so the story fits.

AntOrDec_NowJustDec said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AntOrDec_NowJustDec said...

She is pregnant now. In the UK press last week.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/5917754/chloe-green-pregnant-claims-jeremy-meeks/

Unknown said...

Linda Evangelists for the model... Ricky Martin for the heartthrob

Unknown said...

Michael Jackson as the pop singer

jpriest901 said...

yeah the face literally falling off is a dead giveaway. def MJ.

MissD said...

I'm grateful to the reader for sharing her stories. But this doesn't really come off as a blind, but more like "compiled stories of celebrities I met at X hotel'

Justonce said...

"In fact, you can see on their album art, that she sort of fades in the background"

Ace of Base, you can see it on the album flowers, that might be a pun on the term "fading like a flower", a song by fellow Swedish group Roxette

TheTK said...

Disney star - Christina Aguilera
Current big actress star's first big bomb: Scarlett J., in Lucy, filmed at Taipei's Regent Hotel
Hotel Built on a Shantytown: Regent Hotel Taipei
Haunted hotel: Grand Hyatt Taipei

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