Meghan McCain Apologizes for Past "China Virus" Remarks

Rebecca Davis editor“Godzilla vs. Kong” was once again muscled out of the top China box office slot by local drama “Sister” thanks to a $13.2 million third weekend cume that was no match for the latter’s $21 million.Its China tally was a touch less than its $13.4 million second weekend sales in North America.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken danced around the notion of a 2022 China Winter Olympic boycott Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, calling such talk “premature.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChina’s e-commerce and entertainment industry giant Alibaba Group has been hit with a fine of RMB18.23 billion ($2.8 billion) for alleged monopoly activities.The record punishment was announced Saturday morning local time by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, which accused Alibaba of abusing its market dominance.The SAMR opened a formal investigation into the company on Dec. 24, 2020.

Rebecca Davis editorChina’s influential Douban review and culture online platform has wiped the 2021 Oscars from its site, the latest indication that this year’s Academy Awards have become a political flashpoint in the world’s largest film market.Douban is a trend-setting social networking site home to a vibrant message board community and a platform for user reviews for books, music and films.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChina is set to host the winter Olympics in February, but the extent of American involvement is on shaky ground. There’s plenty of precedent for Olympic-scale strife — in 1980 and 1984, the U.S.

Rebecca Davis editorZhang Yimou’s historical spy thriller “Cliff Walkers” will hit North American cinemas on April 30, day-and-date with its China release.“Cliff Walkers” was previously title “Impasse” in English. Its Chinese title translates to “On the Cliff.” It will be distributed abroad by CMC Pictures.The film marks Zhang’s first foray into the spy genre.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentPathe is relocating Guillaume Canet’s live-action movie “Asterix & Obelix” to France, instead of China where it was initially planned to shoot last year, and couldn’t do so due to the pandemic. Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has joined the cast in a cameo role.Now titled “Asterix & Obelix, the Middle Kingdom,” the movie is budgeted at 60 million Euros and marks the next installment of the blockbuster French comic book franchise.

Rebecca Davis editorUniversal’s “Fast & Furious 9” has passed Chinese censorship to receive official approval for release, the company announced on Wednesday. A specific China release date has not been set yet.“See you on the big screen!” Universal Pictures said on its official Weibo social media account, alongside a Chinese version of the poster.“F9” debuts the U.S.

Comedian and former Tonight Show host Jay Leno has apologized for jokes targeting Asians. Throughout his career, Leno has told jokes that perpetuate stereotypes about Asian communities consuming cat and dog meat, jokes which have been criticized for over a decade by activist group Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA).

Jay Leno has issued an apology for the numerous anti-Asian jokes he made over the course of his career.

renewed outcry following the shootings at an Atlanta spa, the former “Tonight Show” host expressed his regret over his racist comments during a Zoom call with Guy Aoki — leader of the activist group Media Action Network for Asian Americans. Leno’s offensive jokes prompted MANAA to undergo a nearly 15-year-long campaign to pressure NBC to cut ties with him.

The tragic events of last week have had a lot of folks talking about a form of racism that often goes unspoken in the US.

Antonio Ferme editor“The View” co-host Meghan McCain has apologized for dismissing former President Donald Trump’s racist nicknames for COVID-19.Back in March 2020, the conservative talk show host said she didn’t “have a problem with people calling it [COVID-19] whatever they want.”“I condemn the reprehensible violence and vitriol that has been targeted towards the Asian-American community,” McCain tweeted on Monday.

Meghan McCain is apologizing for her past comments about COVID-19.

Meghan McCain has apologized for some of her past comments.

Meghan McCain has apologized after John Oliver called her out for saying she had “no problem” with Donald Trump calling COVID-19 the “China virus”… and then tweeting “Stop Asian Hate” a year later. The View co-host wrote March 22 on Twitter, “I condemn the reprehensible violence and vitriol that has been targeted towards the Asian-American community. There is no doubt Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric fueled many of these attacks and I apologize for any past comments that aided that agenda.”

The View cohost Meghan McCain is apologizing for her previous dismissal of then-President Donald Trump’s anti-Asian nicknames for the coronavirus, calling Trump’s words “racist rhetoric.”

Rebecca Davis editorTop Chinese director Feng Xiaogang will step in front of the camera alongside Chinese-American actor-director Joan Chen in a local adaptation of the 2009 Hollywood tearjerker “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale,” which began shooting Thursday.It is currently set to premiere on New Year’s Eve.Feng is best known for his work as a director on films such as “Youth,” “I Am Not Madame Bovary” and “Cellphone,” but he has also frequently taken on acting roles, with his most recent starring role in