​Taiwanese actresses Janine Chang and Ivy Chen have been besties ever since they starred in 2009 Taiwanese drama Black & White together. 

Recently though, there have been rumours that their friendship has soured. Netizens came to that conclusion because of the lack of online interaction between the two 37-year-olds over the past year. After all, these days, are you really friends with a person if they don't exist on your social media? 

According to the netizens, the pair fell out because they have been fighting for the same acting jobs. It's also said that Ivy is now busy with family life after giving birth to her son last year and the differences in their lifestyles have only pulled them further apart. 

Though none of these allegations have been verified, the rumours have started spreading like wildfire on the Internet with more and more people actually believing that the actresses are really no longer friends. 

​Janine has since responded to the rumours in a statement via her manager: "Why are you guys like this? The COVID-19 pandemic is more important during this period, please leave more space [on news outlets] for reports on that." 

And in a show of solidarity, Janine and Ivy posted this same image and caption at the same time on Tuesday (Mar 31) to a) let everyone know they're still friends, and b) remind everyone of just what they should be obsessing about.

"Have you washed your hands today? Remember to do a good job in protecting yourself from the virus!" they wrote. 

Well-played, ladies.

​As countries across the globe continue to reinforce their travel bans to curb the spread of COVID-19, families living and working in separate parts of the world have, sadly, been forced apart. 

Among those who have to be away from their loved ones for the forseeable future is Taiwanese actress Vivian Hsu, 45, who left her businessman husband, Sean Lee and her two stepdaughters in Singapore when she flew to Taiwan for work at the end of February.

The Singapore-based star was back in her home country for a myriad of reasons: to announce her return to music by releasing a new single 'Yours Always', to promote her movie Little Big Women, to shoot a commercial for a brand she endorses, as well as to film the drama Who's By Your Side.  

As filming for the drama is expected to last for at least 90 days, Vivian decided to take her son Dalton along with her to Taiwan, as she figured that Sean and the rest of their family could visit them anytime. 

But as the pandemic worsened and both Taiwan and Singapore started to exact strict travel restrictions, it became clear that Vivian would be unable to reunite with her family for the near future. 

According to Vivian, the last time she saw her family was a month and a half ago. Lucky for her, she has her three-year-old son by her side, right? Well, not quite. The star revealed that she left Dalton in the care of her family in Taipei while she films the drama in Taichung, which is located almost three hours away. 

"During the COVID-19 period, I think there should be as much adult supervision as possible so that the children do not run wild. D is currently staying in Taipei with my mother and sister, and my grandmother cooks him his meals daily. And I make it a point to go back to Taipei once a week to see him. He is happy and healthy, and I have no worries” Vivian said, adding that she has also arranged for classes such as music, piano and sports to occupy Dalton’s time.

Ever since her recent COVID-19 scare, Vivian has been very careful when it comes to outdoor shoots. She said that the crew have their temperatures monitored twice a day, frequently wash their hands with soap, wear face masks and take vitamins. The set is also cleaned and disinfected daily. 

"A strong immune system is one of the most important things to have during an epidemic. On set, we are provided fruits, which are rich in vitamin C. We also ensure that we wear face masks at all times when we’re not in front of the camera,” Vivian revealed. 

Vivian may be far away from her family now, but her celeb pals have made sure that she's feeling loved. Take Jerry Yan and Weber Yang, for example. According to Vivian, the Taiwanese actors would visit the set with food and drinks.

“The crew has a strong bond and we are quite close. Everyone is staying united despite the virus. Other than just wearing masks, the director and main cast will take turns to treat everyone to meals..." Vivian said, adding that she has no plans to return to Singapore before filming wraps. 

“I’ll have to finish filming the show first [before returning to Singapore]. Luckily, my husband is supportive and understanding. We video call every day to update one another about our day. I guess we can only have each other in our hearts now,” Vivian said. “During this pandemic, we can only focus on our health and safety.” 

​Kevin Cheng’s 28-year-old wife Grace Chan is now an entrepreneur. With the launch of her beauty label Snow Queen, she now joins fellow Hongkong stars Charlene Choi, who owns skincare brand Enfantskin, and Charmaine Sheh, who runs cosmetics line Sh, in the beauty industry.

Snow Queen, which she started with her friend, YouTuber Sharon Yung, was launched last week and promises to use the “highest quality materials that take care of you and your skin”. First on their product line are cotton facial pads, which the brand says can help remove makeup and purify your skin at the same time. The materials for the cotton pads reportedly originate in Japan, and are manufactured in a factory in Taiwan.

According to reports, each box of 60 cotton pads retails at HK$24 (S$4.50), which works out to be about 75 cents per piece, and netizens have remarked that the wallet-friendly prices have convinced them to give Grace's product a chance. 

“Not that I’m complaining, but aren’t these a little too cheap?” one netizen wondered, while another said, “I would have expected a brand that was created by a celeb to be more expensive. Can she really make money by selling cotton pads at this price?”

Others have reasoned that rather than aim for the luxury market, Grace and Sharon could very well be targeting the mass market instead, and that it could work to their advantage in the long run. They have also noted that Grace’s new business venture possibly means she is taking further steps away from her acting career.

​After announcing that she was pregnant with her first child back in November 2018, Grace started cutting back on onscreen work. The 28-year-old has also confessed that she would rather have another baby at this point in her life, and that her entertainment career will take a backseat 'cos of that. 

Grace and Kevin's son Rafael is now 13 months old.

Unlike some other pop groups, the members of Taiwanese girl group S.H.E, who debuted 19 years ago, are still as close as ever.

While there have been very few public group appearances since the trio parted ways with HIM International Music in 2019 to establish their own individual management agencies, Selina Jen, 38, Hebe Tien, 37, and Ella Chen, 38, still meet up a lot on their own time. And most recently, they got together to celebrate Hebe’s birthday.

And what better way to celebrate a birthday during this pandemic than to do something sporty, like go hiking together? On Monday (Mar 30), Hebe, Selina and Ella journeyed over to Badouzi Coastal Park in Keelung, Taiwan, where they visited the Wangyou Valley.

“Happy birthday [to me], went for an interesting spring hike outside with my sisters," wrote Hebe on social media. She also shared pictures of their hike.

​Selina and Ella also left separate comments on Hebe’s post. 

“In order to be healthy to celebrate your birthday, we went on a hike. For you, I’m willing to hike to the moon, I love you, my wife! Happy birthday,” Selina wrote. In case you don't know, Selina and Hebe are so close, they refer to each other as wives. 

Ella also wrote that it was a “healthy and happy" celebration, quipping that there’s “a type of happy hour called a sister’s outing”.

Now who doesn't want friends like these? 

People are coming up with more and more interesting ways to spend their time at home now that safe distancing and lockdowns have become a part of life. 

Gillian Chung, who is currently undergoing a two-week isolation period after returning to Hongkong from Malaysia, has been spending hours of her time on Douyin, which is the China's version of Tik Tok. Earlier this week, she grabbed eyeballs after she uploaded workout videos that accidentally revealed her extensive branded bags collection.

She has clearly been spending a lot of time on the app, and has taken keen interest on one content creator in particular. According to reports, Gillian, 39, has gifted thousands of dollars in 'presents' on Douyin user Yu Yanlong.

One such incident happened in the wee hours of yesterday morning (Mar 31) when fellow Douyin users spotted Gillian popping up on the list of those tuning in to Yanlong’s live stream. She started chatting with the other users, and revealed that she chanced upon the 20-year-old’s account the day before. She then started watching his live stream because she found him good-looking, and had gifted him 20,000 yuan (S$4,000) so she could pick a song for him to sing.

Netizens later found out that Gillian has spent over S$8,000 on Yanlong so far, leading netizens to tease her about being "too deeply poisoned" by her love for the influencer. 

Interestingly, Yanlong has been dubbed 'China's answer to Edison Chen' because of his striking resemblance to the star. So we guess, Gillian has a type? In case you forgot, Gillian and Edison shocked the world 12 years ago when their sex photos were splashed all over the Internet. The scandal destroyed both their careers and Gillian broke off all ties with her former lover. 

​Gillian’s manager has since spoken up about the star's actions, saying: “She has been paying attention to many content creators, but this was her first time giving 'presents' [on Douyin]. She didn’t just give presents to one person, but to multiple live streamers, both male and female.”

The actress-singer also spoke up on the matter. “People asked me why I haven’t been sending presents when I’m [on Douyin]. I felt bad after hearing that and sending presents is my way of showing my support,” Gillian said. 

She also clarified that she wasn't flirting with guys behind her hubby Taiwanese doctor Michael Lai's back. 

Guess this serves as a reminder as to how important the whole stay home movement and safe distancing is. On March 31, Hongkong media reported that the sister of TVB actress Aurora Li had tested postive for COVID-19. The news has created panic amongst her colleagues as Aurora, who had been in close contact with her sister, was at work on the day of the diagnosis.

Aurora, 28, had reportedly filmed scenes for TVB drama Warm Bodies as well as variety show All Things Girl on that day, which meant that she had come into contact with a number of the cast, like actresses Snow Suen and Kayan Choi, and the crew of both productions. It's said that her colleagues weren’t wearing masks since they had to appear on camera.

According to reports, Aurora had informed the producer of All Things Girl of her sister's diagnosis after they had shot the first scene. TVB has since released a statement saying that Aurora immediately went to get tested for COVID-19 and that her results are thankfully negative. 

In an interview with reporters, Aurora apologised for the worry she has caused her colleagues and company. She also said that she is under self-quarantine now and that TVB has suspended all her current jobs. 

Still, Aurora's colleagues are understandably worried. Snow told reporters that she “does not dare return home”, as she has a two-year-old son. The 37-year-old actress also said that she would be self-isolating away from home, in order to play it safe.

“I heard that Aurora has tested negative, but you have to take the test three times for the results to be accurate,” said Snow, adding that TVB has directed her to a medical centre for testing as well.

Kayan also said that she would be isolating herself at home for the next 14 days, in order to ensure everyone’s safety. For the time being, the 25-year-old actress does not intend to get tested for COVID-19.

It's said that the other stars who were involved in the filming of All Things Girl, like Hongkong singer Jinny Ng, 27, Malaysian-born actress Jacqueline Ch’ng, 39, and Hongkong actress Bowie Cheung, 28, all did not have prolonged contact with Aurora. And since Aurora has tested negative for COVID-19, they would just monitor their own condition over the next 14 days.  

Tavia Yeung, 40, is seven months pregnant and practically glowing. On Monday (Mar 30), the first-time mother unveiled a series of photos from her maternity shoot, and it's an understatement to say she looks absolutely gorgeous.

The pics, which showed Tavia sporting a baby bump, also featured the actress' 35-year-old husband Him Law. The couple then took the opportunity to announce the gender of their baby, which they had declined to share initially.

“One body, two heartbeats, although we have yet to meet, I feel it deeply [inside me]. In a woman’s life, this is the only journey where someone else will ‘unite with you, and be with you every step of the way’, through joy and sorrow, mealtimes and sleep. Grateful to be able to experience this wondrous journey,” she wrote, adding in the hashtag “my little princess” at the end of her post.

“They say that a pregnant woman is the most beautiful, I think this is because her face exudes a special type of glow that only those who are pregnant possess,” the 40-year-old went on to write.

Him also posted some pictures from the shoot on his socials, including this cheeky pic of Tavia’s baby bump.

“Seeing my wife’s belly grow bigger day by day... I’ve been able to interact with my little princess through [Tavia’s] stomach, I feel both amazed and proud. The baby’s growing inside, and the circle of life continues revolving. All I can do is to put in even more effort to protect and love the both of you… anticipating the arrival of my little lover, you’ve worked hard, my wife,” he wrote.

Tavia and Him tied the knot in March 2016, and announced that they were expecting their first child on February 13 this year.

The tragic death of Taiwanese celeb dancer Serena Liu Zhen has cast a dark cloud over the Taiwanese showbiz scene. And a lot of attention has been directed on her grieving husband Shin Lung and their four-year-old daughter Ni Ni, with many celebs offering to help the inconsolable singer babysit his kid. 

One of the latest celebs to lend a helping hand is Dee Hsu, who has three daughters of her own. Serena was a frequent guest on Dee's now-defunct talk show Kang Xi Lai Le, where the pair would often jokingly bicker about who is the better dancer.  

“I spoke with [Shin Lung] at length," said Dee after attending the late star's memorial service. "Both of us feel like [Serena] is still with us. I asked about his daughter. And I told him that he and his daughter can come to my home any time to play with my daughters whenever he is ready. I don’t want her to be alone.”

​Dee continued, “I don’t think anyone is able to describe how he feels in words. [Shin Lung] only said that he’s hurting a lot. The only thing I could say to him is that I will help him in whatever way I can.”

The host also asked the public to give Shin Lung space. “As long as he needs it, we’re always ready to speak to him. If he wants his daughter to have playdates with my daughters, we would do that. If he needs someone to cry with him, we would do that. I just hope that he wouldn't look at [Serena’s] high heels and clothes while he's home alone, because that would be too much grief [for him to handle].”

Dee has three daughters, Elly, 14, Lily, 12, and Alice, 7.

It is not uncommon for celebrities to date their managers — we're talking about you, Leo Ku — and Taiwanese singer Jam Hsiao, if rumours are to be believed, may have been part of that club for a while now.

Jam and his manager Summer Lin have worked together since his showbiz debut over a decade ago. But their supposedly more-than-friendly behaviour with each other has led ignited romance-related gossip on a number of occasions.

Recently, the rumour mill began churning again when a preview of Jam’s guest appearance on Dee Hsu and Kevin Tsai’s talk show Hua Hua Wan Wu was released. In the short clip, the famously direct Dee asked Jam, “Is your girlfriend your manager?”

The teaser then shows Jam saying, “... Because she treats me very well. She makes me want to…” before his words get censored, building up anticipation for his complete answer in the full episode.

Dee is then shown probing further: “Then what about marriage and kids?” To which Jam responds, “[I’ll] have to see if she wants that or not.”

Seemingly concerned that they might have gone too far with their line of questioning, Kevin asks Jam how Summer would react if she found out they were talking about her, but Jam nonchalantly gestures towards the audience and says, “She’s right there!”

“Are you okay with this?” Kevin checks with Jam, who maintains his calm demeanour and shrugs, “Once this is broadcast, what can I do about it?”

There's not much to go by and the trailer could have been edited to be more sensational than the full story, but it has led the Taiwanese media to take it as a sign that Jam is ready to go public with his relationship with Summer.

​That’s not all.

Jam celebrated his 33rd birthday yesterday (March 30) and posted a series of happy selfies on Instagram declaring his love for his fans and friends. Many of his fellow celebs left their well-wishes in the comments section, including Jay Chou, Show Luo, Ella Chen, JJ Lin, Patty Hou, and Yvonne Lim.

However, no one got a more affectionate reply from the birthday boy than Summer, who was bombarded with 63 heart emojis. (Yes, the Taiwanese media counted.)

Now if that isn’t making it obvious, we’re not sure what is.

Taiwanese singer Landy Wen’s latest social media post has been roasted by netizens. The 40-year-old recently went online to promote the use of tea tree or roman chamomile essential oil mixed with vegetable oil or alcohol as a disinfectant to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

But it wasn't the content of her post that got netizens all riled up. Questionable COVID-19 prevention advice aside, netizens could not help but notice how strange Landy looks in the video. 

You see, netizens felt that Landy’s face looked unnaturally stiff, and that her chin and nose were way too sharp. 

“What happened to your face?” a concerned follower asked, while others went straight for the jugular. "Is that a swollen pig's head?" said one particularly nasty netizen. 

​Landy, however, was not affected by the comments. In fact, she responded by saying that pigs “are very smart, and clean”. She later said that her younger brother had told her she had held the camera too close to her face, which was why she looked different.

It's not the first time Landy has been accused of going under the knife but the singer has always maintained that she has never “fine-tuned” her face.