0	1	Review, 2008:, Sex, Scandal, That, Made, Celebrities, More, Popular, Wrong, Way

In the middle of the cold spell that wrapped Hong Kong earlier this year, hot news circulated about sex photos of local entertainment stars. Involved were Edison Chen, Cecilia Cheung (wife of actor Nicolas Tse), Gillian Chung of the teeny-bopper group Twins, household names in Hong Kong entertainment industry. But it also included Bobo Chan, Candice Chan, Rachel Ngan, Vincy Yeung and Mandy Chen, artists trying to establish names for themselves.

A celebrity needs to be popular to deserve the name celebrity. But obviously, there are instances when being popular isn't desirable. In the case of names mentioned above, it involved photos too private for public consumption.

At first, there were staunch denials from the artists management companies, fearing the scandal would affect the marketability of their wards and lose their movie and commercial endorsements. It was claiming that the photos were not genuine and "digitally mastered". Alas, it's not like the accusation pointed towards a giant Fortress Hill ad. This one is true; no amount of PR will ever make the public believe the claims.

The more denials were released, the more curious people became. And in the process, photos leaked online and the topic has become the talk of the town... and beyond.

My blog which briefly noted about the story has noticed spike in visitor numbers during the brief period of time (most visitors were from Singapore and Malaysia who are ardent followers of these Hong Kong celebrities).

Because of lack of policies (or vagueness in interpreting them) that govern crimes such as publishing indecent/obscene photos, there was little Hong Kong authorities can do to prevent the spread of the illicit photos. Links were posted on public forums and e-mails were forwarded, containing attachments of these photos. It was a viral campaign unparalleled in effectiveness.

Authorities were quick to ban the distribution of the photos (translated as posting of links or uploading them on a public domain). But damage has been done. Computers believed to be the origin of the photos were confiscated and several people were arrested. The way the case was handled sparked outrage among people who thought it should have been done way better. But I can't fault authorities who were acting within the confines of the law that lacked clarity or teeth to safeguard the public against online publication of indecent photos.

Repercussions were expected. Edison Chen's endorsements of EPS debit card and Manhattan Titanium card, among others, were discontinued. He was cut from upcoming movie projects. The whole scandal could cost him HK$10 million worth of endorsements, not to include shame which I guess can't be quantified in dollars.

Management of Twins have decided to dissolve the group in July.Charlene Choi, the other half of the group, is now on her own showing up in many ads. She is hopeful a future reunion of Twins will take place.

The public's initial reaction was condemnation, but later many have showed sympathy to the troubled stars. May this scandal be a lesson to others.

Photo credit: Viofiddler