原声播报80：吴亦凡丢数十代言，品牌与流量明星合作风险激增

Rape Detention Could Put Pop Star Kris Wu on Hook for Millions Over Ruined Endorsement Deals
吴亦凡丢数十代言，品牌与流量明星合作风险激增


【文中生词】
scandalous 可耻的；令人反感的
pass out 晕倒；失去意识
reignite 再点燃；重新激起
clause 条款
make it to air 播出


【词汇延展】
wrongdoing 违法犯罪；不道德行为
on suspicion of 涉嫌
detain 拘留
arrest 逮捕
hold 监禁
interrogate 审问


【单词详解】
endorsement 
n. 背书；支持
An act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something

endorse v. 许可，赞同
endorsable adj. 可背书的，可担保的

词组
endorsement deal 代言协议
conditional endorsement 附条件背书

例句
Celebrity endorsement has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. 
名人代言近些年来变得越来越盛行。

The election victory is a clear endorsement of their policies.
竞选成功显然是对他们政策的支持。


stipulate 
v. （在协议中）约定，讲明（条件等）
Demand or specify (a requirement), typically as part of a bargain or agreement

stipulation n. 契约；规定
stipulator n. 订契约的人

词组
stipulate for 规定
standing stipulations 现行规定

例句
We tested your products by using the method stipulated in the contract.
我们是用合同上规定的方法检测的你们的产品。

An employer can only stipulate one probation period with a same worker. 
用人单位与同一雇员只能约定一个试用期。


First, let’s talk about a story which has been setting Chinese social media platforms alight. I’m of course talking about the scandalous allegations surrounding the popstar, Kris Wu.
 
Alright, for those of us who have not been following the story, can you walk us through what’s been going on, Josh?

Sure. Last month, an 18-year-old woman by the name of Du Meizhu made some pretty shocking allegations against Wu. On China’s twitter-like platform, Weibo, Du accused the singer of inviting her along with others to a party at his home. Wu then allegedly insisted the girl consume alcohol and then had sex with Du after she had passed out. 

Police in Beijing said that the party took place on December 5, and that three days later, the celebrity sent Du the equivalent of roughly 5,000 US dollars for her to apparently use for online shopping. 

I should add Wu has consistently denied these allegations.

OK Josh, and there are some confusing parts of the story – like all the stuff with the blackmail. 

Yeah, that’s right. Not long after Du made her accusation, Wu’s mother claimed that her son was being blackmailed. Police said that some of the social media posts by Du had actually been written together with a man who was suspected of aiming to extract money from the 30-year-old celebrity.

Nonetheless, Du’s online posts did draw widespread support, with several other women also coming forward to accuse Wu of inappropriate behavior.

Now, I should add that this is a lot more than just a little bit of celebrity gossip. After all, this story has reignited the debate in China on the so-called MeToo movement. So, it’s really something worth paying attention to.

So, what’s the latest on the story?

Well, the singer has now been detained in the Chinese capital on suspicion of rape. Police in Beijing released a statement late Saturday that they had taken a Canadian national surnamed Wu into custody after investigating online claims that the 30-year-old had “repeatedly tricked young women into sexual relations.” 

Wu is now looking at not only a potentially lengthy prison sentence, but also potentially massive compensation claims by many brands for broken sponsorship deals. As some of our listeners may know, prior to his detention, brands including Chinese streaming site Tencent Video as well as Bulgari and Louis Vuitton said they had already terminated brand ambassadorship or spokesperson contracts with Wu.

Let’s just go back to the point on how Wu may have to compensate brands for having ruined sponsorship deals. What exactly does that mean?

Well, one lawyer told Caixin that the singer might end up having to pay back some or all of his endorsement payments if those deals contained clauses that required the disgraced star to maintain a good reputation.  

Now, how much exactly Wu could have to pay isn’t clear. Industry insiders have told Caixin that such endorsement deals usually start at around 10 million yuan or just about $1.6 million. Some top stars can even receive up to double the amount.

And I should add that the negative news about Wu has also affected his other media work. The upcoming TV drama, “The Golden Hairpin” which featured him as a lead actor, is likely to struggle to make it to air now. Indeed, many Chinese films and TV productions featuring actors who were involved in scandals have fallen afoul of the country’s strict content rules. As another lawyer told us, production companies have started adding clauses to contracts which stipulate that they can demand compensation from celebrities or their representatives if the release of films or TV shows is affected by negative news about the performers.