Japanese Court Rules Gay-Marriage Ban Unconstitutional

Japanese Breakfast will not be playing Glastonbury Festival 2023 after all.Today (June 25), the singer took to social media to announce that she will not be able to perform at the festival over “travel delays”. “We hustled out of Luxembourg at 9 pm, woke for customs at 3 am, and again for a 6 am ferry, hired an additional driver to floor it to our 12:30 set and due to various travel delays out of our control we are just not able to make it in time.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler and Emily Mortimer are in talks to join the cast of “Paddington in Peru,” the third opus of the beloved bear’s adventures. Set to start filming on July, the third installment film will also star Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin. Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton will also be back as the voices of Paddington and Aunt Lucy, respectively. Filming locations will include the UK, Peru and Colombia. The movie will mark the feature film directorial debut of Dougal Wilson, and reteams Studiocanal with Heyday Films following their collaboration on the first two films of the Paddington franchise. Studiocanal is fully financing and will distribute in the UK, France, Germany, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand as well as through partners in China and Japan. Sony Pictures will distribute in the USA, Canada and other key international territories including Latin America.

Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler, and Emily Mortimer are all in talks to star in the long-awaited movie threequel Paddington In Peru. The quartet will join series favorites Ben Whishaw and Hugh Bonneville, who are set to return.

The Japanese House and The 1975‘s Matty Healy have covered Shania Twain’s ‘It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing’ – watch their rendition below.The stripped-back cover of Twain’s 2004 single taken from her ‘Up!’ album has been reimagined as a folk track on which The Japanese House (Amber Bain) and Healy pluck acoustic guitars gently. Bain sings the song while The 1975 singer supports on guitar.Additionally, the pair performed their new single ‘Sunshine Baby‘ at the same SiriusXM session.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Milan-based events creator Marco Balich has choreographed and produced a record-breaking 14 Olympic ceremonies, including for the 2006, 2014, 2016 and 2020 Olympics respectively held in Turin, Sochi, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.  More recently, Balich and his team created the spectacular ceremony for the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup for which he liaised directly with Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.  His Balich Wonder Studio has now partnered with global content giant Banijay, which has taken a 51% stake in the outfit he created in 2013.

Aisling Bea inspired Kodaline’s Mark Prendergast to go solo in new solo outing, Man Alive.Prendergast has now shared the debut single of his new solo project, ‘Be Someone’ that you can listen to below.According to a statement, his friend, actor Aisling Bea, proved to be “a pivotal influence for him to take Man Alive to the wider world.”A statement revealed that “he played her an early version of ‘Be Someone’ when they were in Los Angeles in 2021, and her belief in the project really pushed him to make it happen.” It also noted that she encouraged him to change the first provisional name he had for his solo project, ‘Blood Type’, telling him it was “shit and doesn’t match your music.” Eventually, he went with Man Alive.Speaking about his new single, Prendergast said: “‘Be Someone’ is about a long-distance relationship falling apart, and how when you’re with somebody, they make you feel like a certain type of person, but then when you end the relationship and you’re by yourself, you always become a completely different person.”A statement added that the break-up, followed by lockdown, inspired Prendergast to write, record and produce a catalogue of songs from his home studio.You can listen to the song here:Earlier this year, Kodaline announced a tour of Asia this autumn, where they will travel to Singapore, Philippines, Taipei, Bangkok and more.They will kick off the tour September 5 in Singapore and then play shows in Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Seoul.

Samba Pa Ti‘ or ‘Europa‘ — the ballads,” Santana, 75, told The Post from his home in Hawaii. “We made an impact on the world as far as facilitating a vibration that makes people feel spiritual and sexually aroused at the same time.” The dad of three — who may or may not have been listening to his favorite artists Marvin Gaye, John Coltrane, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Nina Simone and Tina Turner when his own children were conceived — said his sensual sound unites him with fans across continents.“Because people grew up listening to this music in their living rooms, people made love with them and so somehow we became like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, part of an institution,” he said.“I could go anywhere in the world, Ireland, Japan or Africa, and I’m not a tourist, I’m part of the family.”The native of Autlan, Mexico, whose father was a violinist, started as a street musician, and quickly realized his talent would one day become his profession.“My father would enter me into contests and I would always win,” he said.

Naman Ramachandran Cleopatra Entertainment has secured the North American and U.K. distribution rights for Japanese superhero film “Lion-Girl.” The film is written and directed by cult Japanese director Kurando Mitsutake (“Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf”) and based on characters created by prolific manga artist Go Nagai. The story revolves around survivors of a meteor shower who find themselves locked in a battle against each other and a group of creatures called Anoroc, monsters who hunt and kill humans to extract their life force. The cast includes Tori Griffith (“Wake Up,” “Princess of the Row”) as the titular Lion-Girl, Derek Mears, known for his roles in comic book adaptations such as The CW’s “Swamp Thing” series, Damian TooFeek Raven (“The Chadwick Journals”), David Sakurai (“Fantastic Beasts”), Shelby Lee Parks (“Good Trouble”), Matt Standley (“Fairyland”), and Joey Iwanaga (“Enter the Fat Dragon”).

Gardeners are being warned to be aware of a "troublesome" plant that can damage your home - and it's deceptively pretty.

The New York Court Of Appeals ruled yesterday that producer Dr Luke is sufficiently famous to be deemed a “limited public figure”. This is a classification which impacts on his ongoing defamation legal battle with Kesha, increasing the producer’s burden in court.

Carole Horst Animation producer and distributor GKIDS has acquired all North American rights to the music-driven anime feature “Blue Giant.” The film, an adaptation of the manga of the same name, is directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa (“Mob Psycho100,” “Death Parade,” “Detective Conan: The Black Iron Submarine”). Number 8, the editor of the original “Blue Giant” manga written by Shinichi Ishizuka, penned the script. In “Blue Giant,” former high school basketball player Dai Miyamoto discovers a love for jazz, and determines to learn the saxophone. He hits the jazz clubs of Tokyo in his quest to be the best sax player in the world. Dai launches a trio with cocky but talented pianist Yukinori, with Dai’s friend Shunji on the drums. But he soon learns that life as a professional musician is harder than it looks from the outside.

Ben Croll Specialty distributor Gkids has picked up North American rights to directors Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita’s upcoming animated feature “Ghost Cat Anzu,” while Paris-based Charades has boarded the project for international sales.  Spearheaded by Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation, and adapted from a manga by Takashi Imashiro, the family title tracks the tempestuous friendship shared between 11-year Karin, a strong-minded girl sent to live with her monk granddad in the Japanese countryside, and Anzu, the even-more unpredictable phantom feline who acts as her guardian. The project will screen as a work-in-progress presentation at this year’s Annecy Animation Festival, and is slated for release in 2024.

Thania Garcia The very first line of Amaarae’s “Fountain Baby” clearly tells its listeners the best possible setting for the record to be heard: “In the club,” with her breathy intonations pummeling against a wall of war drums. It doesn’t let up from there: For the rest of this Ghanaian-American singer’s sophomore album, similar affirmations ring about female sexuality and shattered gender norms, continuing the themes from her 2020 debut, “The Angel You Don’t Know,” which introduced her to many fans via her first Billboard chart entry, via Kali Uchi’s remix of the album’s “Sad Girlz Luv Money.” The album is all over the map, with a colorful sonic palette of R&B, Afropop, guitar pop and even Japanese folk. In “Sex, Violence, Suicide,” echoing, acoustic strings and Amaarae’s pitched-up vocals sing a lullaby about infatuation, but the kind that’s “Too much / Baby, you’re no good.” Like her debut, “Fountain Baby” also includes a tribute to punk ritualism that serves as the “part two” of “Sex, Violence, Suicide.” Silence for a few seconds, followed by a sigh, and then Amaarae sings: “Don’t care ‘bout what I’m asking you / Just fucking tell me yes! / Tell me I’m the one, tell me I’m the best,” with an instrumental assist from English pop rock band Dream Wife.

Naman Ramachandran Toronto-based content development and production company Cream Productions has promoted three key executives. Taking on the role of general manager is Patrick Cameron, who previously served as the company’s senior VP of production. Cameron brings over 20 years of experience in the filmmaking industry, with close to a decade at Cream Productions. Projects he has worked on include “All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs,” “Stuff The British Stole,” “Beautiful Scars,” “History of the Sitcom” and “Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan.” In his new capacity, Cameron will primarily focus on corporate strategy, personnel management and system operations.

K.J. Yossman Hargobind Tahilramani, the alleged mastermind behind the “Hollywood Con Queen” scam, can be extradited to face charges in California, a U.K. judge ruled on Tuesday morning. Tahilramani appeared in court via videolink to hear the judgment, holding his face in his hands. The decision means Tahilramani, who has been languishing in a U.K. prison since his arrest in 2020, can be sent to the U.S. where he is set to face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. His extradition must be formally ordered by the U.K.’s Secretary of State.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Netflix is to launch a new Japanese reality show “Is She the Wolf?” which was developed with broadcaster Abema and adapted from the original show “Who Is the Wolf” which previously ran for 13 seasons. The show follows five men and five women on a quest for love through dates and a group project. However, some female participants are “lying wolves” who cannot fall in love. They must navigate the entire season without being discovered or accepting any declarations of love. It includes a diverse group of participants aged 22 to 32, including actors, artists, models, and athletes. “Is She the Wolf?” streams exclusively on Netflix in Japan beginning June 11, with new episodes streaming each Sunday. Outside Japan, all episodes will be released on Netflix in September 2023.

Netflix is headed to Japan for its next spin on the dating reality genre.

Joe Trohman, founding member and guitarist of Fall Out Boy, has reunited with his bandmates after a months-long hiatus to concentrate on his mental health.

Talk about legs — or, more appropriately, wings: Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick is still playing in Japanese cinemas a full year on from its debut. Continuing on from a stratospheric and super-leggy run, the sequel, on its 365th day of release, became Tom Cruise’s biggest film ever in the market. In doing so, it overtook 2003’s The Last Samurai with JPY 13.71B ($101.5M) — and Maverick is still flying on local screens. It had become Paramount’s No. 1 movie of all time in Japan in August and also marks the same milestone for Skydance.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China’s NetEase Games has established PinCool, a Tokyo-based game studio focused on developing titles for game consoles. That is a significant diversification, considering that PC and mobile are the major formats for games play in China. And the company says the company it will also be involved in planning and producing a range of additional forms of entertainment. The new company is headed by representative director and president Ichimura Ryutaro, a 20-year veteran of the games industry and long-time producer of the “Dragon Quest” games franchise. Beyond serving as lead producer for games such as “Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King” and “Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies,” Ichimura also led other areas of the Dragon Quest IP franchise including live events and exhibitions.