Hong Kong Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Evil Does Not Exist” and Korean blockbuster “12.12: The Day” dominated the nominations for the 17th edition of the Asian Film Awards. Both picked up six nominations, including those in the best film category. The nominations were announced on Friday afternoon in Hong Kong, ahead of a ceremony on March 10, that will return to the city’s West Kowloon Cultural District and the Qiyu Centre.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief KCON, the Korean pop music and culture convention operated by CJ ENM, will hold five editions in 2024, organizers said on Thursday. The first of the year will be Hong Kong, a new destination for the convention series, before moving on to KCON Japan in May 10-12 and KCON LA July 26-28. Other editions will be held in Saudi Arabia and Europe at unspecified dates in the second half of the year. The Hong Kong edition will be held at March 30-31 at the AsiaWorld Expo, a 10,000 seater venue adjacent to the airport.

Venue: Hong Kong, China, AsiaWorld-Expo Official Instagram: @kconhongkongDate: May 10 to 12, 2024 Venue: TBA Official Website: kconjapan.comDate: July 26 to 28 Venue: TBA Official Website: kconusa.comDate: TBA Venue: TBA Official Twitter: @kcon_europeDate: TBA Venue: TBA Official Twitter: @kconsaudiarabiaHello, KCONer! It's time for a big reveal

Dancing on Ice 2024 is set to kick off on Sunday, 14 January, with a new set of celebrities taking to the ice in a bid to be crowned the winner of the ITV show. Ahead of the show's launch, a new set of promo photos have been released showing each celebrity with their professional skating partner, but there's one pro skater who is noticeably absent from the shots. Tippy Packard, who joined the ITV show in 2022, had initially been partnered with Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards for the 2024 series.

, What To Watch. Today we are doing things a little differently; since it’s the start of the year, we’re writing about some of the most anticipated shows of 2024 and where to stream them: What to Watch: The 7 best movies of 20232024 Golden Globe Awards: Full list of nomineesThe beloved animated series is finally getting the live action treatment it deserves, or so says Netflix. The show, which was initially made with the creators of the animated show Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, takes one of the most beloved kids’ properties and has the tough job of adapting it to Netflix’s audience.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” climbed to the top of the mainland China box office in its second weekend on release. Previous winner, “Shining for One Thing” dimmed quickly and tumbled to fifth place. The first weekend of the new year and following a welter of Christmas-New Year releases, the latest weekend represented a reordering of holdover titles, rather than a session with an injection of significant fresh movies. “Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $22.4 million (RMB159 million) from Friday to Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

Joseph Lelyveld, who won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for his book, Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White, and was a former executive editor and foreign correspondent for The New York Times, died on Friday at his Manhattan home.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “I don’t find the definition of Chinese filmmakers by generation to be a useful tool,” said Marco Mueller, introducing dark satire “The Movie Emperor” as the opening film of the first edition of his Festival of Young Cinema (Asia-Europe) in Macau on Friday. “Much more interesting is the concept of exchange between new and old and between East and West.” “The new forces of Chinese cinema are present and participating.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hong Kong saw “A Guilty Conscience” become the highest-grossing film of all time at its local box office. But the wider cinema market in Hong Kong remained stuck far below pre-pandemic levels. Data from Hong Kong Box Office Limited, a joint venture between Motion Picture Industry Association (MPIA) and the Hong Kong Theatres Association, showed annual cinema revenue of HK$1.43 billion ($184 million) in 2023. That was a 25% improvement on 2022, when the industry was battered by on-off closures due to government COVID-control measures, and managed only HK$1.14 billion ($146 million).

A British Airways steward has sadly died after collapsing in front of passengers onboard a flight at London Heathrow on New Year's Eve.

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” continued its golden run at the U.K. and Ireland box office with £6.6 million ($8.4 million) over the Dec. 29 weekend.

In a recent review reflecting on his culinary adventures throughout the year, esteemed food critic Jay Rayner has praised a hidden gem in Salford.

The countdown to Christmas is on at Nonnatus House in December 1968 as Apollo 8 prepares for a moon mission. Sister Monica Joan (played by Judy Parfitt) is this could be her last yuletide and that she will not live to see man walk on the moon. Meanwhile, as Shelagh (Laura Main) and Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) navigate family life, they are unsettled when a parcel arrives from May’s mother in Hong Kong.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “If you really missed not seeing us on screen together, then ‘The Goldfinger’ is your opportunity to do so,” says Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau of his new crime movie where he is again paired with Tony Leung Chiu-wai (“In the Mood for Love”). The film releases at the end of the month in different parts of Asia and North America (from Dec. 30).

If you’re anything like me, you are still reeling, not over, and have not forgiven Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai for what he did with his Criterion Collection 4K boxset remasters of all his original films (he may be an auteur, one of the true grandmasters of cinema, but his aesthetic revision there is akin to a cinematic crime that rivals what George Lucas did with the “Star Wars” prequels, worse actually).

Both of the region’s MPs voted in favour of sending UK asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban pose for photos together at a special screening of Expats at the Palace Verona on Wednesday (December 20) in Sydney, Australia.

Single’s Inferno has finally returned with its highly-anticipated third season – here’s everything you need to know about the new cast.As with previous seasons of Single’s Inferno, the series sees a cast of attractive singles travelling to a remote island called “inferno” as they search for romantic connections.However, cast members are not allowed to share personal details like their ages and occupations with one another until they have successfully paired up with another contestant for a night’s stay in “paradise”.The first cast member to be introduced is Kim Gyu-ri, who is a 28-year-old model. According to posts on her Instagram account (@citruszl), Kim was also a participant in Miss Korea 2022.A post shared by 김규리 (@citruszl)The next cast member to be introduced is Choi Hye-seon, a 26-year-old college student at the prestigious Ewha Women’s University.

As BBC police procedural drama Vigil comes to its nail biting conclusion, fans will no doubt be sitting on the edge of their seats as they wait to discover exactly who was behind the hacked drones and what exactly they hoped to achieve by doing so. Since arriving on our screens two weeks ago, the exciting drama has captivated viewers at home for a second time, with the current season having followed hot on the heels of the show’s debut back in 2021, which was set on board a submarine.

Caroline Brew editor Amazon Prime Video has released the trailer for “Expats,” directed by Lulu Wang and starring Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue and Ji-young Yoo. The series will debut on Prime Video on Jan. 26, 2024, with new episodes launching weekly until the Feb.

“I just sometimes want to be alone. Where I’m not somebody’s wife, not somebody’s mother. Where I’m not defined by tragedy.” Those words from Nicole Kidman‘s Margaret open the first trailer for Expats, Prime Video’s six-part limited series directed by Lulu Wang, based on Janice Y.K. Lee’s bestselling novel The Expatriates.

EXCLUSIVE: Production has wrapped in Paris on Audrey Diwan‘s (Happening) anticipated erotic drama Emmanuelle, which stars Noémie Merlant (Portrait Of A Lady On Fire) in the title role.

SHINee member and soloist Taemin has released a music video for his song ‘The Rizzness’.The new video feature SHINee’s Taemin with a team of backup dancers as they perform in a cave-inspired set, with the scenes flitting between light and darkness. “You know I got the rizz / The rizzness / Swallows you up / My rizzness / Sit down and listen up, ooh / Sit down and listen up,” he sings in the chorus.The new clip came shortly after Taemin held the second day of his ‘Metamorph’ solo concert at the Inspire Arena in Seoul, South Korea over the weekend.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor International Film Festival Rotterdam has revealed that Belgian cinematographer Grimm Vandekerckhove will be the recipient of the fifth annual Robby Müller Award, which pays homage to the craft of artists working behind the lens in the spirit of the celebrated cinematographer. Vandekerckhove is “known for delicately capturing the inner lives of characters,” the festival said, such as a cleaning lady on a late-night journey in “Ghost Tropic” or the encounter of a foreign construction worker and a moss researcher in “Here,” both directed by Bas Devos.

The Federation Of Motion Film Producers of Hong Kong has issued a statement to confirm that Hong Kong’s official Oscars submission, A Light Never Goes Out, has been disqualified from the race. 

Naman Ramachandran One of the most popular events at the 34th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) was a panorama event where six of the country’s leading indie film lights shared a panel to discuss opportunities and challenges. Opportunities are plentiful, with the festival world embracing Singaporean films and filmmakers warmly. Hong Kong-based Anthony Chen has had a stellar year with his directorial efforts “Drift” and “The Breaking Ice” which premiered at Sundance and Cannes, respectively.

Pharrell Williams has unveiled his new single ‘Airplane Tickets’, featuring contributions from Swae Lee and Rauw Alejandro. Watch the song’s video below. The song received its public debut at Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton Men’s Pre-Fall 2024 Runway Show in Hong Kong on November 30.A new video for the song has now been released, directed by Maxime Quoilin and filmed on location in Hong Kong, including around the area’s Avenue of Stars.

Pharrell Williams has teamed up with Swae Lee and Rauw Alejandro on his new song "Airplane Tickets." Check it out below. In February of this year Pharrell was named Louis Vuitton Men’s Creative Director.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China’s Linmon Media celebrated its tenth anniversary this week by unveiling 16 new shows for its 2024 production and release slate. The roster included seven Chinese period drama series, five contemporary shows and two more being made in Thailand. “We are not just a producer, we are a studio,” Zhou Yuan, co-founder and EVP of Linmon, told Variety on the sidelines of the company’s predominantly English-language presentation at the Asia Television Forum & Market in Singapore.

Silent Night UK release. This has been on my mind for a little while as the latest film from Hong Kong action supermodel John Woo has been out in the US since last weekend but there has been little to no hint about when the movie will hit British territory.

Creamfields has unveiled a new 30,000 capacity indoor main stage called APEX for its 2024 edition.The festival, which will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend from August 22-25 next year at its usual site in Daresbury, Cheshire, is already sold out.The festival claims that APEX will be the largest indoor festival superstructure in the world, and promises it will be paired with “jaw dropping production”. The stage will also allow the festival to extend until 4am on Saturday night for the first time.The lineup for the dance festival’s 2024 incarnation has yet to be announced, although the organisers have confirmed that the arena hosts will include Teletech and techno promoters XXL.At the 2023 edition of Creamfields, the weekend was headlined by Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Fatboy Slim, Swedish House Mafia, Tiësto and Four Tet.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Wang Jianlin, the Chinese billionaire who previously sought to buy a controlling position in Hollywood, is preparing to complete his imminent exit from the film industry. The troubled conglomerate is facing debt repayment pressure.Wanda Film, which remains China’s largest cinema operator, Wednesday said in a regulatory filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange that Wang and his Wanda Investment vehicle expect to sell their remaining stake 51% in the company to China Ruyi Holdings. Ruyi, which operates across film, TV and online games, counts games, social media and streaming giant Tencent among its largest shareholders.

Naman Ramachandran Canadian conglomerate, Blue Ant Media has scored sales of some 550 hours of programming to Asia Pacific broadcasters, it was revealed at Singapore’s Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF). Content was sourced from across Blue Ant’s portfolio companies.

Naman Ramachandran Shows featuring Stephen Fry are popular in Asia as sales from Abacus Media Rights and Passion Distribution demonstrate. Abacus has sold more than 70 hours of scripted and unscripted programming broadcasters across Asia, it was revealed at Singapore’s Asia TV Forum and Market.

Bolis Pupul has announced his debut LP ‘Letter To Yu’ and has shared its lead single ‘Completely Half’. Check out the video below.‘Letter To Yu’ has been described as a love letter to his mother, who died in a traffic accident in 2008. Pupul was born to a Belgian father and a Chinese mother.

Amber Liu, a member of K-pop girl group f(x), has announced new dates for her upcoming 2024 ‘No More Sad Songs’ world tour.Today (December 5), Amber Liu revealed the new Asia, Australia and New Zealand legs of her upcoming 2024 tour. It’ll feature four shows in Asia – in Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore – alongside two Aussie concerts and one New Zealand performance in February and March.In addition, the f(x) singer also announced that indie pop singer-songwriter Marielle Kraft will join her on the North American leg of the tour, which features eight shows across January 2024.