Credit: Newpaper
By Avis Wong
ONE man, many beautiful women and more than 1,300 racy photos.
And now, more than 200 previously unreleased obscene pictures, allegedly featuring actor-singer Edison Chen and several well-known female celebrities have surfaced online.
With the possibility of even more coming, including the possible release of a 32-minute sex video.
Yes, three new faces have emerged in the scandal, who appear to be model Rachel Ngan, 25, former beauty pageant contestant Mandy Chan, 31, and singer Candice Chan, 27.
From what was originally a private pictorial collection for his personal enjoyment, the leaked snaps have escalated into an international scandal for heart-throb Edison.
This is not the first time the 27-year-old actor-singer has been embroiled in a nude photo scandal.
In 2005, Hong Kong's Next Magazine reported that he had taken nude pictures of himself and posted them on social networking site Friendster.
Though the magazine ran the story, it could not be determined if the man in the nude picture was indeed Edison.
Last year, on the popular Taiwanese variety show MrCon And Ms Csi, host Dee Hsu asked Edison in a tongue-in-cheek manner if he would take naked pictures of himself and send them to women. He looked embarrassed and insisted: 'I won't do that, why should I want to do that?'
On the back of his current nude photo scandal allegedly involving actresses Gillian Chung, Cecilia Cheung and several other women, what Edison had said earlier on air seems to smack of hypocrisy.
So who is this chap who allegedly. kisses and snaps?
His old blog site reads: 'Google him if you don't know him. He is just a normal everyday guy like you, only his job is to entertain.'
Edison has more than entertained.
Mostly, he has shocked people with his off-screen and off-stage antics.
Many will remember the scuffle he had with two Filipino youngsters in Hong Kong in 2004. They had mocked him by doing a dance and then punched him. The Vancouver-born lad gave chase and turned the teenagers over to the police.
Edison is also not one to mince his words or hide his displeasure.
In 2002, he confessed in a radio interview in Taiwan that he lost his virginity at 13 and had his first one-night stand at 15. He also told a Taiwanese magazine in 2006 that his favourite sport was 'making love'.
Edison has a playboy reputation. But that appears to have only helped enhance his desirability. As Dee admitted in front of Edison on the MrCon And Ms Csi episode, he 'exudes a kind of wild charm that makes women want to have him'.
Indeed, Edison has been romantically linked with a string of well-known women, including Gillian, Cecilia, Maggie Q, Rain Lee, Stephy Tang, Miriam Yeung, 2R's Rosanne Wong, Jolin Tsai and Elva Hsiao.
In a 2006 interview, he claimed to like every kind of girl. 'It changes every day... So I'm a very bad person, always changing,' he said.
But then Vincy Yeung, niece of Emperor Entertainment Group founder Albert Yeung, came into his life four years ago - and seemed to have tamed him.
Edison told Dee on her show that he was sure Vincy was the one for him.
He said: 'She believes in me and she has her own opinions about things. I feel comfortable when I'm with her.'
He was so certain of the strength of their love that he took on Dee's NT$10,000 wager ($443) that they would break up before the end of this year.
With the current backlash from a public with apparently no sympathy for him - especially after learning that he had 1,300 nude pictures stored in his computer - Edison might have to prolong his break.
His new Cantonese album, $$$, slated to be released after Chinese New Year, will be held over for a month.
Mr Ngiam KH, managing director of Rock Records, which is distributing his album here, said everyone's focus is on the scandal at the moment.
He added: 'It's best for Edison to stay away because everyone will surely be asking him about the matter and knowing him, he will get angry.'
However, according to Apple Daily, Edison's schedule is still packed when he returns to Hong Kong later this month. Lined up are a Pepsi commercial, the launch of $$$ in the middle of next month and the release of his new movie Sniper.
Meanwhile, July heralds the premiere of the sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, in which he plays a mysterious undercover cop.
However, the scandal may affect his role in Stephen Fung's new movie Jump, as his scenes might get deleted, reported Apple Daily.
But industry insiders think that the matter will soon blow over for Edison and company.
Said Ms Faith Mak, vice-president of distribution (Asian films) at Shaw Organisation: 'Audience members are forgetful. It may be the topic of the week for now, but it will be something else the next.
'It helps that they are beautiful, talented, young people. If they present a better piece of work, they will get credit for it... and be able to move on.'
An entry from Edison's blog in December showed how unwittingly prophetic he was.
He wrote: 'Looking back on 2007, I can't complain much... I have learnt many lessons in 2007, hope I have more to learn in 2008.'
Will his cheeky grin save him this time?
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