TV host Li Yong, one of the most popular entertainment stars in the country, takes the headlines again. This time not for his flamboyant style, flashy attire, unique looks, his luxurious house or Porsche 911, but for his possible resignation from his longtime employer China Central Television (CCTV).

One of China's major web portal sohu.com reported on Tuesday afternoon that "according to a reliable source, Li Yong has formally resigned from CCTV", without specifying the reason of his leave.

The report stirred quick reactions with some saying "no" and others saying "yes".

The first response came from Li Yong's wife Ha Wen, also the producer of one of his shows "Super 6+1". She denied a sina.com reporter by simply replying "It is false news".

Another show "Lucky 52", which Li Yong has been hosting since 1998, published hours later a clarification on sina.com saying the report was a rumor, and that Li Yong was now preparing for tomorrow's show and everything was in perfect order.

But sohu.com stood stubbornly on its ground. An employee from the website told a newspaper reporter that the report was obtained from a reliable internal source from CCTV but she declined to reveal the source.

Renowned entertainment critic Tan Fei also confirmed the news on his blog. "I called two former CCTV big shots immediately after I heard the report. Both of them told me it's true," he wrote in his blog. He said that the concerned parties were waiting for a proper time to announce the resignation.

The newspaper Huashang Morning Post quoted a source as saying the report was not false, and the concerned parties all denied it because unexpected media coverage would upset their plan.

Rumor on Li Yong's resignation also spread earlier this year. Reports said Li Yong suffered from depression after the infamous "dark three minutes" during CCTV's spring festival gala when the six hosts including Li Yong failed to cooperate smoothly.

(CRI.cn September 19, 2007)