Caribbean cool deserts Zhang in prim, proper Japan

In contrast to the good grace that Zhang Ziyi (pictured below) showed when caught in flagrante delicto on a Caribbean beach with boyfriend Vivi Nevo, the Chinese actress threw a wobbly after a Japanese magazine caught her having dinner with a tycoon from the Land of the Rising Sun.

While one set of photos showed her without clothes, being mauled; the other set, taken while publicizing the film Forever Enthralled, has a gentleman holding an umbrella for the star and chatting amiably with her over dinner. However, since the gentleman in question is not Zhang's billion-dollar fiance, she has some explaining to do.

It's doubly embarrassing because 36-year-old Koji Aoyama is known as the "Prince" or "Japan's most wanted bachelor". The chairman of KRH Group is said to be worth over $1 billion and has a world famous collection of sports cars. He's also a sucker for meeting female celebrities like Paris Hilton. Similar to the car collector, it would appear Zhang thinks it's wise to carry a spare.

Schadenfreude is such a rare emotion and not only because it's German and difficult to spell. Basically, it means enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others. Watching videos celebrating the French getting punk'd in Shanghai is an excellent example.

The European nation's electronic duo Daft Punk occasionally puts on underground events, similar to old-school raves, in that the venue is only announced on the day. "Tres hip" as they say in France. This got a couple thinking they would set up a website announcing they were Daft Punk and sell 2,000 odd tickets at 500 yuan a pop - a cool million yuan ($146,000). One website claims 3,800 tickets were bought.

Needless to say, come the big day last month, there was no party and the culprits had fled with their ill-gotten gains. Disappointed dance fans petitioned the police and the French Consulate General in Shanghai to track down the perpetrators, who were identified by Shanghai Daily as French and Swiss nationals.

To rub salt in the already raw wounds of those "poissons de Fevrier" who took the bait there is a video on YouTube that shows a pair in visored motorbike helmets (the Daft Punk look), who talk in French, cavort behind turntables and confirm the party is on. At the same time, they take calls from their travel agent and bank manager, before presumably leaving on a jet plane.

While Cecilia Cheung and Gillian Chung have been trying to resurrect their careers by doing interviews and launching a new brand of jeans, the man behind their photo scandal has received a death threat, in the shape of a golden bullet.

It was sent to Edison Chen (pictured above) in a letter from the United States to Hong Kong's Cable TV, warning the celebrity to stop doing promotional events. Chen recently made public appearances in Singapore, after a year of self-imposed exile in Canada.