China Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer The war of words wages on between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, and this time it’s personal.

Ryan Gosling opened up about sharing the stage with Slash during his performance of “I’m Just Ken” at the 2024 Oscars earlier this year.

At the Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine, Italy, Mitsuhiro Mihara’s Takano Tofu clinched the Golden Mulberry prize, the top honor at the festival’s audience awards.

Afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here in a week where we have barely stopped. Plenty news and analysis below. Sign up here.

The stars of the new movie Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes stepped out for the L.A. premiere!

FromSoftware is gearing up to launch Elden Ring expansion Shadow Of The Erdtree, but the studio has also hinted that a sequel could be in the works.The Shadow Of The Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring was first announced back in February 2023, with the DLC due for release June 21.According to Bandai Namco, it is “FromSoftware’s largest expansion to date, where players must unravel the hidden mystery of the world from the acclaimed fantasy action RPG.” In a new interview with Chinese outlet Campfire Camp, FromSoftware head Hidetaka Miyazaki has confirmed that Shadow Of The Erdtree will be “the first and last” DLC for the game. “We have no plans to add more content to Elden Ring,” he said (via IGN).“Elden Ring emphasises exploration and adventure in a big world. In order to provide such an experience, a vast and huge setting is inevitably needed.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Takano Tofu” claimed double honors on the closing night of the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy. It won the Golden Mulberry audience award and the MyMovies Purple Mulberry award. Directed by Mihara Mitsuhiro, “Takano Tofu” is a melodrama about an elderly tofu-making craftsman, who is stuck in his ways but is also experimental and who is kindly, but whose stubbornness brings suffering on those around him.

The Visa Cash App RB F1 Team is bringing a couple of very colorful cars to the Miami Grand Prix this weekend!

TikTok is capping off this week of NewFronts in New York with an even larger extravaganza than its first-ever edition in 2023.

EXCLUSIVE: DreamWorks Animation/Universal’s Kung Fu Panda 4 crossed the $500M mark globally this past weekend, reaching the milestone on a staggered release pattern that has worked well for the partners in the past (think Puss in Boots: The Last Wish). Through Wednesday, it’s at $324M international box office and $509M worldwide.

Apple‘s fiscal Q2 numbers beat Wall Street estimates on the top and bottom line in a market that was waiting for them with some trepidation — mainly news of iPhone sales in China. The dip there was less than anticipated. The stock is up more than 7% in after-hours trading.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor From “Ally McBeal” to “Elementary” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” “Charlie’s Angels” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Presence,” Lucy Liu has created memorable characters, and the actor is also an accomplished artist. But, as Gold House readies to bestow her with the Legend award May 11 at the Gold Gala, she says, “It’s so moving.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou this week made his first-ever trip to the Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine, and appeared to fall in love with the theatrical and festival experience all over again. At a masterclass on Thursday morning, Zhang spoke of his filmmaking techniques and priorities, his enduring quest for the human touch and why not all films need to be masterpieces.

ITV have axed two of its comedy shows after just one series.The broadcaster has cut both Ruby Speaking and Count Abdulla which were both exclusively created for ITVX. Ruby Speaking followed newly-single Ruby (played by Jayde Adams) who worked at Hellocom call centre in Bristol.

Man City star Jack Grealish is known to love a Chinese takeaway. So much so, he reckons he orders the same thing to eat after every game.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed Shanghai and Los Angeles-based production, distribution and investment company Fundamental Films for representation.

A popular restaurant with locations in Glasgow and Edinburgh has been crowned the 'Best in Scotland' at a prestigious awards co-founded by Gok Wan.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor A new U.S. law could effectively ban TikTok nationwide as early as January 2025 — and half of Americans are OK with that, with many citing concerns about data privacy and Chinese propaganda. A majority of Americans (56%) have an unfavorable view of TikTok, and half support a nationwide U.S.

One year after it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, the New Zealand black comedy “Bad Behaviour,” starring Jennifer Connelly (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Snowpiercer”), is finally coming out in North America. The film is the directorial debut of actor-turned-filmmaker Alice Englert.

BBC Radio 2 star Sara Cox has shared her shock at the prices of food when she took her husband to a posh restaurant for his birthday. Sara, from Bolton, said she made her family eat "only starters" after clocking the price of main meals at the "spendy" Chinese restaurant in the capital.

Sheynnis Palacios, the reigning Miss Universe 2023, is causing a stir across Asia. Her most recent adventure? The captivating and culturally diverse Thailand.

Jamie Lang International Emmy-winning French animation producer-distributor Dandelooo has closed a deal with Korea’s Dream Factory Studio for the latter’s new CG preschool series “PongPong Dino.” Targeted at 2-4-year-olds, “PongPong Dino” is a new IP produced by Dream Factory and directed by animator Tacken Chae. In the show, the audience is invited to a world where playing with your food is an important part of each meal.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Italian period drama “My Place Is Here” is being released in Italy by Adler Ent. on May 9, and is being sold at Cannes by Beta Cinema. Variety speaks to the film’s directors, Daniela Porto and Cristiano Bortone, and debuts its trailer (below).

Murtada Elfadl “Daughter of Genghis” has been billed as a portrait of a nationalist gang leader at this year’s Hot Docs Film Festival. And while it follows Gerel Byamba, the leader of an entirely-female, ultra-nationalist Mongolian group called Gerel Khas, it is also a surprisingly poignant documentary portrait of a widow and her orphaned son trying to connect under grief.

The four key requirements for a long life have been revealed by scientists, regardless if you have bad genes.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Vietnamese French director and screenwriter Tran Anh Hung has been named as president of the jury for the upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival. The festival, which runs June 14 to 23, said that his works “blend the expressions of Eastern and Western cultures, with sensitivity, delicacy, and a romantic style.” His films include: 1992’s “Scent of the Green Papaya”; 1995’s “Cyclo,” starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai; 2009 English-language thriller “I Come With the Rain,” starring Josh Hartnett; and “The Taste of Things,” which earned him the best director prize at Cannes last year. The jury president role marks a return and a promotion for the director. He was previously on the Shanghai festival’s jury in 2011, when he also screened his “Norwegian Wood.” SM Cinema, the largest exhibitor in the Philippines, is to open giant screen Imax cinemas in three new venues.

Kenneth Huang was known for his particular taste in wine. Whether in his favorite corner of Cut, the Michelin-starred steakhouse at the Beverly Wilshire, or in the Peninsula Shanghai, Huang would summon a bottle of Opus One to the table. He would tell guests that he had a private reserve of the Napa Valley vineyard’s 2011 vintage, which retails for up to $2,000 a case. Someone who regularly dined with the financier says she drank so much Opus One that she got sick of the bourgeois Bordeaux. 

K-pop touring cycle is in full swing. Stars including SEVENTEEN, aespa and NCT Dream are touring the world with new tunes in tow – and hitting Asia very soon.While some of those artists are staging their own headline shows, others are on the line-ups of music festivals with both multi-genre and Hallyu-only line-ups.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,” a Hong Kong-produced action thriller, took the top spot at the mainland China box office over the latest weekend. But it was a quiet session and came ahead of a welter of new releases targeting the May Day public holiday. The film, which is among those that have a Wednesday (May 1) official release date, earned $5.5 million (RMB38.9 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. The nationwide weekend total was a slender $18.7 million.

ZEROBASEONE have announced the dates for their upcoming 2024 ‘The First Tour’ tour, featuring concerts in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and more.Today (April 29), ZEROBASEONE revealed the dates for their forthcoming 2024 ‘The First Tour’ tour, which will feature 14 concerts in seven different countries from September to December this year.The K-pop boyband will kick off their tour with a three-date show at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea from September 20 to 22. In the same month, the group will also hold a concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.In the following month, ZEROBASEONE will bring their 2024 ‘The First Tour’ tour to other cities and countries across Southeast Asia.

“Hunter Got High,” sharing a link to the full video on YouTube. “Hey Hunter! Roll another one of those congressional blunts, brotha,” the video starts, as Afroman and an actor portraying Hunter Biden pull up smoking in the back of a black SUV. “He was gonna get his laptop fixed, but Hunter got high,” Afroman sings.“He shoulda let Hillary bleach the whole hard drive.

It’s the sign of a perfect holiday when you come home rested and rejuvenated. But as OK! discovered, living la dolce vita on Italy’s Lake Garda can also make you feel years younger. For starters, the surrounding beauty will immediately make you exhale and forget your troubles.

Russian oil could flood into Scotland if the Grangemouth refinery closes, it has been claimed.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have a unique takeaway privilege that other members of the Royal Family don't. Like many Brits, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoy tucking into a delicious takeaway now and then, with Indian and Chinese dishes being their top picks for a relaxing night in.

Saturday Kitchen viewers have made their concerns about the latest episode of the show blatantly known.The 27 April instalment was hosted by Matt Tebbutt, and was dedicated to Ken Hom, the Chinese-American chef, author and presenter who was celebrating 40 years on British TV.To honour the 74 year old's successful career, today's Saturday Kitchen menu was themed, with the culinary lineup cooking up some of the most classic Chinese dishes. Plus, some of Ken's personal favourites. During one of the cooking segments, Chef Tong was tasked with whipping up a tasty peking duck.

When did Columbia become Kanye State? Bill Maher asked that question at the top of Friday’s Real Time on HBO, setting the tone for a show that focused on the national campus unrest and what’s behind it.