Get to Know 'Life Is Wet' South Korean Rapper With These 10 Fun Facts (Exclusive)

Robert Daniels Less than a year ago, the legendary Melvin Van Peebles died. He left behind a legacy as a fiercely independent multi-hyphenate creator who altered the course of Black filmmaking and cinema at-large.During his influential life, Van Peebles tackled and excelled in every possible storytelling medium. He recorded seven studio albums and four soundtracks, wrote 13 books and one graphic novel, fashioned nine plays, directed eight feature films, four shorts and a music video.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe third decade of the millennium looks quite different for the Korean entertainment scene compared with just a few years earlier.In March 2020, “Parasite,” a Korean-made film noir made history by winning three Oscars, including best picture. The following year, Korean veteran Youn Yuh-jung took the Oscar for best supporting actress in “Minari,” while in 2022 “Squid Game” leading man Lee Jung-jae looks poised for Emmy accolades.K-pop has broken out to become a phenomenon that tops charts, fills global stadiums and airwaves, and the social media warriors of group BTS, who call themselves “ARMY” would even claim to have had a small influence at the last U.S.

Shirley Ju Everyone knows the names BTS and Blackpink, and that’s thanks to the proliferation of K-pop, which has grown far beyond its origins in South Korea to become a true global phenomenon.What is it about the pop-leaning genre that attracts so many fans of all stripes?  Catchy hooks, ear-wormy melodies, synchronized choreography and impeccable production value all lend to the formula. But as much training as some of these future idols do, the X-factor these artists possess is something that can’t be fabricated.The numbers don’t lie: BTS has racked up 1.5 billion views on YouTube for its 2020 hit “Dynamite,” while the band’s 2021 smash, “Butter,” smoothly glided its way to No.

Psy concert left the venue “severely damaged”.On August 15, KBS News reported that the floor of Jinnam Stadium in Yeosu City, Jeollanam-do had been left “severely damaged” after Psy’s August 6 show at the venue, which drew 28,000 concertgoers.According to the report, half of the stadium’s 600 square metres of elastic flooring had been “badly dented and torn off” following the concert. Jinnam Stadium is part of Yeosu City’s multi-purpose sports complex, which serves the city’s population and its visitors.Yeosu City has since demanded Psy’s concert organisers assist in restoring the venue, after its investigators determined the damage was caused by the use of a forklift to transport stage equipment.“In the event of damage to the facility, it is supposed to be restored to its original stage as a condition of [granting] the permit,” said Ahn Bo-hyeon, the city’s deputy director of its sports support division, told KBS News.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros just set Kenya Barris to write and direct Wizard of Oz, a reimaging of the fantasy classic, with his Khalabo Ink Society producing.

Anne Heche has been peacefully taken off life support and is set to donate her organs, the late actress' rep confirmed to ET. This comes after the 53-year-old was deemed brain dead on August 12, despite her heart still beating, which is the definition of death according to California law, Heche's rep told ET at the time. Heche was being held on life support in order to donate her organs. Now, the star has been taken off medical assistance Sunday evening and her organ recipients have been identified. «Today we lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend,» Heche's rep told ET in a statement on Friday.

Anne Heche’s ex-husband Coley Laffoon said their son Homer, 20, is "strong" and will be "OK" in an emotional message after her death on Friday.  "I loved her and I miss her and I’m always going to," Laffoon said in a video posted to Instagram. "Homer is OK. He’s grieving, of course.

Music’s wildest night! The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards are headed back to New Jersey, and the event promises to be full of memorable moments — and surprises.

Anne Heche is still in recovery following a Los Angeles car crash that left her severely burned.

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. who are shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re speaking with Korean super-agent Soyoung Lee, who represents some of the nation’s biggest stars and talked to us about her experiences of the Korean content boom.

Zack Sharf “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker went viral during the pandemic thanks to their surprise deepfake video, “Sassy Justice,” which has earned over 2 million views on YouTube since its October 2020 debut. The 14-minute short finds a deepfake Donald Trump, voiced by Peter Serafinowicz, reporting news out of Cheyenne, Wyoming under the eponymous moniker. The project was the first bit of content to come out of Deep Voodoo, Stone and Parker’s deepfake production studio.Stone and Parker said at the time that “Sassy Justice” came about because “we just wanted to make fun of [deepfakes] because it makes it less scary,” but it turns out the project had its roots in a full-length Donald Trump deepfake movie that Parker and Stone were working on and then scrapped because of the pandemic.

A staggering loss. Vin Scully, who was the voice of Dodgers baseball for 67 seasons, has died at age 94.

Keanu Reeves‘ kind gesture to an 80-year-old fan has resurfaced online after being shared in a Reddit post.On the website, one person explained how their grandmother had developed a crush on the Matrix and John Wick star, since he reminded her of her late husband.After suffering a stroke in her early 70s, the grandmother was rendered housebound for 10 years of her life, but found comfort in Reeves’ movies, watching everything from Bill And Ted to The Matrix.The Reddit user then went onto explain how their uncle bumped into the Reeves at a restaurant in Los Angeles, and how it led to a lengthy phone conversation between the actor and his elderly fan.“Not too long after The Matrix came out my uncle was in LA for business and was eating at a really swanky restaurant when Keanu came in with a woman,” they wrote.“When he finished his meal my uncle came up to their table and said, ‘I don’t usually do this, but I just wanted you to know that my 80-year-old mother loves you and has seen all of your movies. You remind her of my dad.’“He said Keanu asked if he had a cell phone on him and when he confirmed that he did, he said, ‘Give her a call, I want to talk to her.’“He spoke with my grandmother for several minutes and it absolutely made her year.

IZ*ONE member and soloist Choi Yena has released the music video for ‘Smartphone’, the title track of her sophomore mini-album of the same name.In the vibrant visual, Choi is a gamer who guides an avatar of herself through a playground filled with whimsical mascots, eventually stopping at a shooting game inspired by the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise.“Mix and match as you like / Airplane in my hands / No matter where you’re going or what you’re going to do, get connected / This star is too narrow to contain me,” Choi sings.Apart from the title track, ‘Smartphone’ includes four other songs – two of which credit Choi as lyrics co-writer. The idol is credited as one of the writers for B-sides ‘Make U Smile’ and ‘WithOrWithout’, as well as title track ‘Smartphone’.

Little Women, which will also come to Netflix.The new visual shows sisters In-ju (Yumi’s Cells Kim Go-eun), In-kyeong (100 Days My Prince’s Nam Ji-hyun) and In-hye (All Of Us Are Dead’s Park Ji-hu) acquiring a backpack filled with ₩70 billion. It’s heavily implied that the bag is full of stolen money, with scenes with In-ju rappelling down the side of a building with the backpack and In-hye nervously walking away from a group of policemen.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris jointly endorsed Rep. Karen Bass in her run for Los Angeles mayor today.