Gala is sync and tired of non-performers

The upcoming CCTV Spring Festival Gala should be a classic - and for all the wrong reasons. After four rehearsals, and just a week from D-Day, the problems keep mounting. According to Sohu, many performers are unable to adapt to the strict no lip-synching policy and directors have been forced to axe three acts.

Losing singers who can't hold a tune may be a blessing but Zhao Benshan is the real deal. Orphaned at 6, his blind uncle taught him to play various traditional instruments. He climbed the celebrity ladder the hard way and ended up at CCTV in 1987, where he earned an annual spot on the top-rated Spring Festival show performing "farmer skits".

Unfortunately, the Golden Horse-nominated actor and Liaoning soccer club director was unable to turn up for rehearsals this week because of a cold and there are rumors he has a lung infection. Although Zhao's agent has denied this, his absence on the big night would be a mortal blow.

But the show must go on, as Jay Chou discovered when shooting his latest MV, Dragon Knight. It featured pyrotechnics that misfired and ended up scorching his pants, according to Vodone. "The Chairman" was just bruised and, dignity intact, celebrated his 30th birthday on Sunday with fans in Taipei at a cinema that screened the video.

Former Hong Kong star Edison Chan, meanwhile, is trying his darndest to get his career back on track after it was derailed by a photo scandal. His Hollywood auditions haven't gone well, so he has been focusing on his Hong Kong fashion label, appropriately named Clot. In an attempt to cash in on Obamamania he has released a T-shirt with the new president on the face of a $5,000 bill.

Less forgiving is the Chinese public, which tore into Gong Li after photographs from a magazine shoot were released in Beijing earlier this week. Vodone quoted its online audience as saying the movie star was a "Singaporean trying to look Japanese" and for good measure added her face was sharp and ugly. Gong recently became a Singaporean citizen and there's clearly nothing to compare with the anger of a population scorned.

On a more sentimental note, a couple in Gaoyou, Jiangsu province, has put a price on loneliness. Ju Ronghua's 15-year-old daughter mysteriously disappeared three years ago and the grieving father advertised on the Internet for a replacement daughter to spend the spring break with him and his wife, saying he would pay 5,000 yuan. His appeal drew 300,000 hits and nearly 300 replies, according to a Sohu report.

Compiled by Jules Quartly