from the electric new paper
DARE TO BARE
She strips for shower scene in music video but insists online leak is not publicity stunt.
By Maureen Koh, August 20, 2007
SHE is no stranger to controversy.
She denied going under the knife and attributed the gain to eight months of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. The attention put her in the top eight at the pageant finals held in Hong Kong last year.
Bella Chen Yu-han hogged the headlines the following day after she squatted in her evening gown, her twin assets threatening to spill out as she blew kisses to the crowd.
After signing on with Asia Entertainment Group (AEG) Hong Kong, she returned to Taipei to graduate from the Chinese Cultural University with a degree in Chinese Opera.
Now, it seems Bella, 23, is ready to launch her showbiz career in the same controversial fashion.
Early this month, she was 'devastated' after nude photos of her in the shower were circulated on the Internet, reported Next magazine.
The scandal came two weeks ahead of the release of her debut single, Bad Lover, on Wednesday.
Last weekend, a billboard advertisement of a naked Bella lying on a fur rug caused traffic chaos near the busy Taipei Railway Station.
On Friday, she was again eye candy when she modelled in a provocative Swarovski crystal-studded bikini top and feathered skirt at the Taipei Wedding, Banquet And Jewelry Show.
This inevitably led cynics to wonder if the nude shower photos incident was a coincidence, or a well-timed publicity stunt.
In a phone interview with The New Paper on Sunday, Bella was defensive.
In a soft, coquettish voice, she said: 'I really can't help it if people prefer to focus on my body.'
And no, she insisted, none of the recent incidents were publicity stunts.
Bella, the Kaoshiung-born daughter of a former army officer and a housewife, said she 'first learned of the photo leak' from a friend.
She claimed: 'I didn't understand what she meant, so I dashed off to the convenience store near my home and was shocked to see the photos in the magazine.'
She called her 'equally surprised' manager Samuel Yu, who 'immediately launched an investigation'.
Meanwhile, they decided she would stay away from the media.
Bella said: 'If it was a gimmick, we should've pounced on the chance to lap up the publicity at once. Why wait a week? By then, we'd risk people losing interest, won't we?'
She was more concerned over the reaction of her family members, particularly her 76-year-old grandmother. She also has a younger sister, 19.
They have since accepted her explanation, she said.
It turned out the photos were taken when Bella was filming the music video for Bad Lover in late July.
Mr Yu told The New Paper on Sunday: 'The MV (music video) director decided on the shower scene last minute.'
They had filmed at a beach earlier.
Mr Yu said they had taken all necessary measures that included covering the shower screens with towels, which were removed only when the camera started to roll.
There were 14people present, including Bella and him.
Mr Yu said: 'The whole works for the two-second scene took about 20minutes to film.'
It turned out that a crew member had used his handphone to snap the photos and later uploaded them on his personal blog.
'The chap didn't mean any harm, he'd done the same with pictures of other celebs,' said MrYu.
Only, none was in the same state of undress.
He added: 'Someone chanced upon the photos and the next thing we knew, they were circulated all over the Internet.'
The crew member has since apologised and shut down his blog.
Bella said she consented to the shower scene because 'I felt it was fine as long as it was tastefully done'.
She added: 'I was initially upset but it was really just a genuine mistake.'
It was also not necessary to resort to such a stunt for publicity, insisted MrYu, who is in his 30s.
He said: 'We could've just shot better-quality photos and distributed them to the media.
'Those pictures were grainy and didn't do Bella justice.'
More importantly, MrYu revealed: 'In the first place, we are capitalising on the constant attention and controversies Bella has attracted because of her attributes.'
AEG has tagged Bella as Taipei's first sex goddess.
Barely a week after the shower pictures incident, Bella was back in the spotlight. This time, for her billboard advertisement that was put up on the KMall building opposite Taipei Railway Station last Friday.
She was wearing nothing. Her only accessories were a pair of heels and a long black string that wove around her body.
The image was reportedly so distracting that it caused an accident on the first day, and chaotic traffic jams.
By midnight on Tuesday, AEG decided to move the billboard inside the mall, following a parent's complaint to the authorities.
Bella described the reactions as 'overly exaggerated', considering that 'the photo was really nothing much'.
Mr Yu added: 'We picked the place because of the heavy traffic but, as the area (has many) tuition agencies, we can understand the parent's concern.'
But Bella's wish to be appreciated for real talent and not merely physical assets seems unlikely to be fulfilled.
Not when her 'sexy kitten' image is constantly being flashed, like her appearance at the bridal exhibition.
Or her admission that she 'usually goes bra-less' because 'I can't stand the heat and I perspire easily'.
And when her debut album hits the stores early next month, a 60-page coffee-table book of Bella in enticing poses will be given away free with each purchase.
When this was pointed out to her, Bella said: 'I guess it makes sense for the management to capitalise on all the hype.
'But I'm comfortable with that. I'm still young and have nothing to lose.'
Well, maybe she should ponder the direction she really wants to take.
