Chou gets flak for Swift concert ticket claims

Compiled by C.ARUNO, FARIK ZOLKEPLI AND R.ARAVINTAN

KING of Mandopop Jay Chou was called out online for lying about how he got tickets for Taylor Swift’s recent concert in Australia, reported China Press. The 45-year-old claimed that Swift’s staff member had specially arranged for him and his wife Hannah Quinlivan to be seated close to the stage.

“Brother is here to observe. Thank you to Taylor Swift’s team for arranging such fantastic seats for us. The acoustics are amazing,” he wrote on social media.

Many believed Chou’s claim as Quinlivan got to take a selfie with Swift’s father Scott Kingsley Swift.

However, it was later revealed that Chou’s seating area was reserved for “public relations purposes, advertisers, and self-purchase ticket holders”.

Internet users immediately turned against Chou, saying he was arrogant and that he was trying to ride on Swift’s coattails.

“When you are attending Taylor’s concert, you should instead learn from her and not prioritise being arrogant,” one netizen wrote.

However, Chou appeared to be unfazed by the criticisms against him. “I managed to see what I wanted to see. It is not a big deal,” he said.

The Eras Tour, Swift’s ongoing sixth concert tour which kicked off on Mar 17 last year in Glendale, United States, is set to conclude on Dec 8, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada.

> A job posting in China which offers 6,000 yuan (RM 3,987) for someone to dress as the Monkey King and be fed by tourists went viral on social media, reported Sin Chew Daily. According to the advertisement which was posted by a company operating in Wuzhi mountain in Hainan, the performer would have to work from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm with a break every two hours when a second performer would step in.

While working, the performer would just have to re-enact a scene from Chinese classic Journey to the West whereby Sun Wukong was trapped under a mountain for 500 years to learn patience and humility.

While being “trapped” in a man made cave, tourists will take turns to feed the performer.

The gimmick was so popular that the hiring manager said they were looking for a third performer to play Sun Wukong.

He added that the 6,000 yuan advertised was just the basic salary.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.