The backlash could prove devastating to the careers of the overexposed stars. TV viewers filed a slew of complaints with the broadcasting authority after singer Gillian Chung, one-half of the Twins singing group, made her first public appearance since the scandal broke on a local program over the weekend. Chen, who has holed up in Boston, is facing the prospects of losing his endorsement contract with Samsung Electronics. Chen also represents Pepsi (nyse: PEP - news - people ), Levi's, Jacobs & Co. and EPS.
The stars' loss of dignity has been a big gain for entrepreneurial Chinese. Illegal downloads of the pictures are being sold on the streets in mainland China for prices ranging from 10 yuan ($1.40) to 30 yuan ($4.20).
A lingerie producer on the island of Hainan has rung up roaring sales of knockoffs of the lacy underthings worn by Maggie Q in the pictures, according to the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis newspaper.
The scandal has also been gold for Hong Kong newspapers and magazines, which have printed examples of the pictures with the naughty parts obscured, sending their circulation soaring.
For Chen himself, the price he pays for the episode might be far more than lost sponsorship deals.
Hong Kong criminal groups, which are deeply involved in the local entertainment industry, are said to be upset by the damage done to the singers they have cultivated. On Wednesday, the Apple Daily newspaper reported that an underworld figure is offering a reward of half a million Hong Kong dollars to anyone who hacks off one of Chen's hands.
It may be safer for him to appear nude on the Internet rather than return to Hong Kong fully clothed.
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