Taiwan TV host cut from mainland awards program

Meng Fei and Kevin Tsai: too hot for TV

The 2010 Internet Hotspot Show, an awards program aired on Jiangsu TV featuring topics provided by Baidu’s top search rankings, brought together some of last year’s most popular memes, entertainment programs, and celebrities.

Recorded on January 7 and broadcast last night, the program used well-known personalities to present awards to the grass-roots entertainers. Kevin Tsai (蔡康永), the popular author and host of Taiwan’s “Here Comes Kangxi,” was invited to appear alongside New Weekly editor Feng Xincheng to present the award for most popular creative work.

However, he was almost completely removed from the broadcast version (begins at roughly 11:15). In his presenter’s segment, all of Tsai’s banter has been edited out. His scripted lines are heard in voice-over while the camera keeps a tight close-up on Feng’s face, and when the winners come on-stage, he can be glimpsed for a fraction of a second before the camera operator blocks him with Feng’s head.

Mangogo reports rumors that the edits were ordered by the censors:

Kevin Tsai was originally set to present, but the station was suddenly notified that Tsai was not to appear on-screen. As a result, while we can hear Tsai’s voice in the program, we can’t see him. Today, an industry insider revealed that following SARFT‘s order restricting the schedules of competition shows, a number of stations received another SARFT order yesterday stipulating that no two Taiwan TV hosts can present on a single TV program. It also said that Jacky Wu, Kevin Tsai, Dee Hsu, and Huang An from hosting shows on the mainland. This order was previously mentioned in 2007; now it seems that the issue is being revisited.

Also cut from the one-hour TV broadcast was a ten-minute segment that spoofed the controversial dating show If You Are the One (非诚勿扰). Meng Fei took a turn as a contestant as Tsai hosted.