Korean Content Firms Rally Round Rakuten Viki’s K-Drama Day Event

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Webtoons, the vertical-scrolling iteration of digital comics that emerged some twenty years ago in Korea, along with the smartphone, are now a global medium. But they are only at the beginning of their global journey, says Charlie Park, CEO of Kakao Entertainment-owned Tapas. Park was speaking Tuesday at the Asia Television Forum in Singapore in a session moderated by industry consultant Jimmy Kim. Park explained that the webtoon segment was for several years a niche fan-driven activity with few opportunities for monetization.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Political drama thriller “12.12: The Day” dominated the South Korean box office for a second weekend with a $13 million haul. Its second weekend outing topped its first session, when it earned $11.2 million, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). And the film (aka “Seoul Spring”) increased its share of the weekend’s total cinema market to a crushing 81%. Separately, ComScore calculated that the film’s single country receipts made it the seventh highest grossing film in the world over the weekend. After two weekends on release, “12.12: The Day” has garnered $34.2 million, making it already the sixth ranking film in Korea this year and the third biggest Korean-produced picture.

Stacey Solomon took to Instagram on Saturday to share an adorable video of herself and her family buying a huge Christmas tree.The influencer and television personality, 34, is married to Joe Swash and shares Rex, three, Rose, one, and baby Belle, nine months with him. She also has sons Zachary, 14, and Leighton, 11, from previous relationships. In her new video, the whole family went to a Christmas tree farm together to pick out one for their home, Pickle Cottage.They all wrapped up for the day out and were seen walking through a massive array of Christmas trees.

Emmerdale star Charley Webb was supported by her co-stars as they got together for some beans on toast after her ex Matthew Wolfenden was spotted out with his ‘new girlfriend’. Charley, who was recently spotted running errands without her wedding ring, shared on Instagram that she met up with co-stars Zoe Henry and Charlotte Bellamy. Sharing a picture of some delicious-looking beans on toast, she penned: “Beans on toast every time & always with the loves of my life”.

Shawn Mendes is enjoying some gorgeous weather in Santa Monica, Calif.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Rights to the second season of Irish crime drama series “Hidden Assets” have been licensed by DCD Rights. Buyers include the BBC for the U.K., SBS and Stan for Australia, TV4 for Sweden and TV2 for Norway. The 12-part series is produced by Saffron Moon, Facet4Media & Potemkino for RTE, Super Channel & Acorn TV, and was written by Peter McKenna (Kin, Red Rock), Morna Regan, Mary Fox and Marthy Thornton.

OK! has put together a comprehensive guide to the shopping event with answers to common questions like when is Black Friday 2023? Black Friday weekend might be drawing to a close, but there’s still time to get your hands on some beauty bargains before the shopping event ends. Now is the perfect time to get your hands on some usually higher-priced items, and one of the best deals of the weekend is Perricone MD’s big beauty sale that sees you saving 50% on its shopper-loved skincare.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean drama “12.12: The Day” brought life back to South Korean cinemas with a powerful $11 million opening weekend. Directed by Kim Sung-soo and starring the reliable Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung, the film recounts a nine-hour period in 1979 in which a military coup was attempted. It is understood to be based on real events, but with a fictional telling. It earned $11.2 million between Friday and Sunday accounting for four out of every five tickets sold in the country.

OK! has put together a comprehensive guide to the shopping event with answers to common questions like when is Black Friday 2023. Introducing Vitamin C products into beauty skincare routines seems to be the trend that never goes away, and all for a good reason! It is one of those actives that are widely loved by both dermatologists and skincare enthusiasts because of its incredible set of abilities that go from fighting hyperpigmentation to protecting the skin barrier and fighting inflammation.

Shirley Ballas has said she had one of the 'best days of her life' as she ditched Strictly Come Dancing for another TV role. The BBC One dance contest's head judge, known as the 'Queen of Latin', has swapped the ballroom for the Tardis, it has been revealed.

97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is finally here, bringing holiday cheer, musical performances and giant floats of new and returning characters. This year’s parade will have 16 giant character balloons, 26 floats, 32 novelty and heritage inflatables, 12 marching bands, 700 clowns and eight performance groups (but no partridge in a pear tree). Over 3.5 million people in NYC and more than 50 million viewers at home typically watch the parade, and 5,000 volunteers usually help keep it running smoothly.

For many beauty buffs, Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Cream is the holy grail of products for achieving 'flawless' skin. But with a price tag of £130 for 100ml, for many, it's out of budget.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Leading Korean star Jung Woo-sung (“A Moment to Remember”) will star opposite Shin Hyun-been (“Hospital Playlist”) in “Tell Me That You Love Me,” an original series for Genie TV. The show is a remake of the hit Japanese series of the same name that first aired at Tokyo Broadcasting Systems linear channel in Japan some 28 years ago in 1995. The new show will upload to Genie’s own streaming service on Nov. 27 and the same day in Japan on Disney+.

Danity Kane have Cassie‘s back. They also worked with Diddy — and they have stories of their own…

William Earl Guy Fieri is expanding his empire with the announcement of a new festival in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. The Food Network star announced the launch of Flavortown Fest on Friday.

Shawn Mendes is stepping to support his foundation.

A woman who works for the NHS was delighted to find out she had been given Christmas Day off - but claims colleagues have made her feel like she doesn't deserve it as she has no children.

Dianne Buswell has shared an update on her dad's health, revealing he has undergone his first round of chemotherapy in Australia.The Strictly Come Dancing pro, 34, let her fans know her dad was in hospital due to health issues in early November, after she appeared rather emotional during an episode of Strictly. Dianne, who is currently competing on the BBC One show with Bobby Brazier, has now updated fans on her dad's condition, saying she is "so proud of him" but wishes she could be by his side to "support" him in person.

OK! has put together a comprehensive guide to the shopping event with answers to common questions like when is Black Friday 2023? Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to get your hands on some must-have beauty tools and electronics for a majorly discounted price, with items like the Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer, £254.99 here (was £299.99), and the Bluesky Gel Nail Polish Starter Kit, £47.99 here (was £59.99), already offering major savings. As well as being ideal for treating yourself to a long-awaited bit of beauty tech, Black Friday is perfect for getting a head start on your Christmas gifts, and you can now give (or receive) the gift of easy hair removal at home, because the Braun Silk-épil 9 9-855 Epilator for Women, £94.99 here (was £199.99), has just landed in the Very Black Friday sale, and it will save you £105.