Old tensions are flaring up across the Cross Straits again, but these tensions are of the pop star variety. Recently diva Jolin Tsai had an unpleasant run in at a CCTV show in Beijing, causing fans to polarize and old issues of Taiwanese stars' behavior on the mainland to be brought into the spotlight once again.

The tension began after Tsai arrived late for both the CCTV rehearsal and show, making many feel she has no respect for her mainland fans and that a lecture was in order. Over the next few days, another part of the story unfolded though: Apparently, the show's director unscrupulously took ¥10,000 from each of a handful of fans and then told Tsai to sing a few songs with them, a performance that was not in her contract. On fan websites for Tsai, many believe she was being used as a pawn for another's financial gains and was treated unjustly.

Although this scandal was denied by both CCTV reps and Tsai's publicist, the incident ignited the fire of cultural clashes between mainland fans and Taiwanese artists. More and more artists from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore are exploring the mainland market as their local markets shrink, but many of them come to the mainland with an arrogant and condescending attitude.

Not so long ago, another Taiwanese star, Rainie Yang, had a press conference in Beijing openly apologizing to her mainland fans about comments she made four years ago. During a TV show, Yang, then a naïve starlet, said that she did not know China fought with the Japanese for “only eight years” during WWII, and when she was told there were 400,000 Chinese killed in the Nanjing massacre, she replied, “Oh, just that many?”

“I did not study a lot before entering show biz. But in the future, I would like to read and learn more about history ... I sincerely want to have a deeper understanding of [Chinese] history,” Yang said at the recent press conference in an effort to make amends with her mainland fans. (So far the apology has not helped. Yang was just given the cold shoulder by the host of a CCTV variety show and most believe Yang's apology was just a ploy to boost the record sales of her newest album.)

While I agree that some of these stars need an attitude check, it is worth also considering that mainland fans expect too much of their idols. After all, Yang is just a poorly educated 23-year-old girl and Tsai is just doing what divas do best: attending to her own wants with little regard for those around her (this can be boiled down to a diva problem, not a cultural problem).

In the end though, these performers are in the public eye and they must learn to be modest and punctual, not to mention brushing up on a little Chinese history, if they wish to win over the mainland.

The Me, Me, Mes

Like Jolin Tsai, Lindsay Lohan is notoriously unable to be on time. She was famously blasted by the producers of "Georgia Rule" and if you look at box office records for the new flick, Lohan may be blamed for single-handedly sinking the film.