The Midnight Rambler: Gossip and Unsubstantiated Rumors for Oct 12

Good evening once again, Beijing night owls ... welcome to the second installment in our occasional series on rumors and unsubstantiated gossip we've heard around town. Enjoy, and if you've got some hot tips, send them to us via the Beijinger here. -- The Midnight Rambler

Rumor has it ...

Taiwanese pop idol A-Mei played Gongti Sunday night on her "Utopia" tour. When asked for a quick summary of the once svelte pop goddess's  performance, one fan sitting in the cheap seats had only this to say:

"She got fat."

We're having flashbacks to Mariah Carey's gig last year. Fans can be the cruelest bunch.

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Whatever happened to Da Shan? It used to be that a foreigner in this town couldn't let out a single "Ni hao!" without being smothered with effusive praise about how their Chinese was as good as Da Shan's.

For you fresh-off-the-boaters, Mark Rowswell, as Da Shan is known in real life, was once one of China's most recognizable foreign faces. The caucasian Canadian rose to fame in the late 80s/early 90s when his Mandarin fluency was first showcased during the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

His shtick was his work in the traditional Chinese xiangsheng, a form of two-man standup comedy pretty much otherwise the territory of Beijing geriatrics.

His rise to fame led him to become dangerously overexposed, and his appearances in a number of irritating commercials earned him the ire of many a Chinese-speaking expat who were forced to fend off constant comparison to him (or a friendly "oh hey, do you know Da Shan?")

Since then, intentionally or not, his star has faded, and one suspects he can probably now walk down the street again without being singled out by the adoring masses.

Rowswell is in the middle of a long, drawn out image makeover, dumping his reputation as the token foreign monkey speaking Mandarin on Chinese television, dropping the oriental attire and showing up more or less as himself.

Sporting a scruffy beard and western attire, Rowswell has been working on a contemporary stand-up comedy act delivered in Mandarin. He's been in and out of Beijing working very on material at The Bookworm and other low-key venues, an act he's also tested on audiences in Toronto and New York.

According to Rowswell's Twitter account, he doesn't do talking monkey appearances on Chinese TV any more:

"I have now turned down three of the same-old same-old Spring Festival TV Gala type gigs to focus on Chinese standup comedy in 2015 #TimeForChange."

Anyone catch his act? Give us a tip.

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So who's the creative genius behind the Shameless account on WeChat we've all been following? We keep expecting to want to shit all over this guy when he runs out of material, but the gems just keep coming. We're dying to find out who it is that is  delivering such on-point cross-cultural hits with posts like 5 Myths Why Being Single is Awesome (aka Pathetic) or this cynical takedown of classic KTV songstresses:

Shameless (and I'm assuming it's a "he") constantly straddles the line of offensiveness, with virtually no sacred cows, yet also has a self-deprecating streak that prevents him from getting too arrogant. The guy has an obvious understanding of both eastern and western culture and provides a shareable post almost every time. Follow him at Shameless on WeChat.

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As if you needed to be reminded of this, do not sniff any tea thrust into your face by a street peddler. Rumors were shared around WeChat last week that police in southern China had discovered a scam in which street peddlers asked passers-by to sample the aroma of their Fujian Iron Goddess of Mercy (tie guanyin) tea. Sniffers unpleasantly discover that the tea was laced with a drug that causes them to pass out, and woke up without their valuables. So keep your nose to yourself.

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Go Away, Mr Oscar: Contrary to expectations, Wolf Totem, the film adaptation of the bestselling Chinese novel of the same name, will not be China's entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category of this year's Oscars, because, well, it's not Chinese enough. Taking its place on the shortlist of films for the Academy to consider from China is the tearjerker Go Away Mr. Tumor, based on the true story of a cartoonist that dies of cancer.

One catty Chinese director, not jealous or anything, had this to say about the film's inclusion, as quoted by the People's Daily: "This film is good only in China. I do not understand why this film has entered into the awards. Relevant authorities please give me a reason."

Yeah, dying of cancer is one of those stories only Chinese would understand.

Got some interesting gossip about Beijing, its inhabitants and its venues? Send it to me via the Beijinger here. – The Midnight Rambler