the New Years TV Post

This is the New Year's TV post, just an idea of Taiwanese late night TV---

Well, here it is, the TV post...

New Years Eve Gosia and I sat back and watched what Taiwanese late night TV had to offer, and here's the record.

The first show we landed on is a classic (in my mind) of Taiwanese TV...

Two middle aged men, in drag that beats the pants off Lady Bunny, one with an electric guitar -- backed up by a guy on a drum kit in the back and two guys to the side on traditional Chinese instruments -- chatting briefly with sporadic breaks into song. It's sort of like a KTV talk show...

And what's KTV? KTV is the national pastime here -- baseball's got nothing on it.

Karaoke TeleVision!

There are KTV bars, KTV Pubs, KTV Bowling Alleys...

one of the national parks we visited had a KTV setup in it's outdoor dining area. And people are really good at it, too.

People take it really seriously. Or sing to it seriously, anyway. Oh, I'm sure the KTV bars would resemble American Karaoke nights, but Karaoke is everywhere, and I've seen some elderly women and men singing to a TV set up on in roadside KTV hut with tears in her eyes. So I don't knock it...

Right before we left Taiwan last time some of my high school students took Gosia, the kids, and myself out for hot pot. After eating, we went over to one of the student's house. They all sit down around the TV and get out the Karaoke.

I... opted not to participate. My rendition of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme leaves something to be desired.

But really, it's not uncommon on a Saturday or Sunday, all day, to hear Karaoke being belted out for all the neighborhood to hear.

So, anyway, it's a KTV talk show...

Next on the channel was a talent show! Children doing acrobatics! The Taiwanese Yo-Yo Team!! Yo-Yo's are HUGE here now, thanks to a Japanese kids show called the Yo-Yo Power Force Team or something like that...

they fight evil with glowing, laser shooting yo-yos... really.

Over to a cooking show.

It's New Years so everyone is dressed up in traditional outfits, except the pirate tasting the noodles...

Over to more KTV, this time in an opera outfit...

And yes, we get lots of Americanese TV programs.

Pimp my ride, subtitled...

Some mice and a dragon, to remind you that yes, these are New Years programs...

Back to the zany talent contest, and who's on it but a bunch of Chinese speaking Měiguórén. That's Mandarin for American, but it's become a blanket term for foreigner.

It's what kids, teenagers or betel nut enthusiasts will say when they're surprised to see you walking down the street.

“Woah! Měiguórén!”

Too bad for the Canadians and French here...

Often, commercials and TV shows will throw in a Měiguórén for the heck of it, to jazz things up. Here are a pair of them on TV singing and telling jokes.

If the English teaching dries up due to the impending American Depression, at least I should be able to juggle on TV! Or tell jokes? Anything but singing...

Coming to the end of our evening...

Another talent show!

A salsa dancing competition hosted by....

an emperor in blackface...

::sigh::

Back to the more culturally sensitive talent show, a middle aged woman swinging a massive necklace of beads around her neck.

Her prize was picked by a fortune picking bird. The bird hops out of it's cage and picks a card out of a line of cards, and such is your fortune!

And last, we ended on CNN...

and is that the South Street Seaport in the background?

It all comes back around.

So, yeah, TV's pretty far out here.

And if you thought that was nuts, you should see the daytime soaps...