‘Sorcery’ Heads Winners List at BiFan Fantasy Festival

When Ben McCrystal became one of the youngest players to ever score a competitive goal for St Johnstone, a very proud man was looking down from the stand at the Indodrill Stadium.

Carlin Glynn, the Tony-winning star of Broadway hit The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, died July 13 from complications of dementia and cancer. She was 83 and her death was confirmed by her daughter, actress Mary Stuart Masterson.

Starz’s P-Valley won a leading three awards including Best Drama, Best Ensemble and Best Acting (Male) for J. Alphonse Nicholson and Nicco Annan as the African American Film Critics Association revealed winners Wednesday of its fifth annual TV Honors.

McKinley Franklin editor “Abbott Elementary” and “P-Valley” are among the top winners of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA)’s fifth annual TV Honors, which recognizes exceptional achievements in broadcast television and streaming with an emphasis on entertainment representing the Black diaspora.  “Abbott Elementary” took home titles for best TV comedy and best TV writing (awarded to Quinta Brunson) alongside “P-Valley” for best TV drama. Niecy Nash-Betts and Jessica Williams were also awarded best TV acting (female) and breakout star, respectively. They join a slate of awardees including J. Alphonse Nicholson and Nicco Annan for best ensemble and best TV acting (male) and Mary Lou Belli, Debbie Allen, Tasha Smith, Henry Chan and Jordan E. Cooper from “The Ms. Pat Show” for best TV directing.

Lauren Sánchez has been traveling the world with her fiancée Jeff Bezos on sea and in the air, but she spent time on land this week in California. The Emmy Award-winning journalist looked toned and fit in Santa Monia in an all-white, future bride-approved look.The Black Ops Aviation founder, who recently rocked a bikini, was leaving the Italian eatery Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, where she enjoyed dinner with a friend.

The biggest names in sports and entertainment came together on Wednesday night to honor the year’s best, most influential and inspiring athletes at the 2023 ESPY Awards.

Some of the biggest names in sports are expected to take home a silver statue at this year’s ESPY Awards.  

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean star Park Eun-bin is confirmed to lead Netflix’s upcoming series “Castaway Diva,” set to premiere in late 2023. Park previously starred in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” the hit series that featured in Netflix’s non-English global top ten chart for 21 weeks and reached the top ten titles in 57 countries. In the new series, Park brings to life the character of Seo Mok-ha, an aspiring singer turned castaway who, after being stranded on a deserted island for 15 years, commences her journey to become a diva. Joining her are renowned actors Kim Hyo-jin, Chae Jong-hyeop, Cha Hak-yeon, and Kim Joo-hun. Kim Hyo-jin portrays a once-popular singer who is the idol of Seo and who seeks a new lease of life after encountering her fan from the island.

Four of the world’s most iconic supermodels will be seen like never before in an upcoming “event documentary” from Apple TV+.

Bravo has found its new host for Top Chef. Season 10 winner Kristen Kish will take the reins for the hit culinary competition show’s 21st season following the exit of longtime host Padma Lakshmi.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Apple TV+ is bringing Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington back to the screen in a new four-part documentary “The Super Models.” The documentary from Imagine Documentaries and One Story Up is directed by Academy Award-winner Roger Ross Williams and Larissa Bills. The series follows the legends of the catwalk as they reveal how they began their careers and ended up dominating the modeling world. Archival footage and interviews provide unprecedented access. As the logline for the series reads, “‘The Supermodels’ travels back to the 1980s, when four women from different corners of the world united in New York. Already forces in their own right, the gravitas they achieved by coming together transcended the industry itself. Their prestige was so extraordinary that it enabled the four to supersede the brands they showcased, making the names Naomi, Cindy, Linda and Christy as prominent as the designers who styled them. Today, the four supermodels remain on the frontlines of culture through activism, philanthropy and business prowess. As the fashion industry continues to redefine itself – and women’s roles within it – this is the ultimate story of power and how four women came together to claim it, paving the way for those to follow.”

The Venice Film Festival will open with the world premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers.

Rita Ora looked absolutely stunning in a see-through black mesh dress. The R.I.P. singer was attending Paris Fashion Week when she wore the piece, which is from designer Alaïa’s summer/fall collection.Taking to her Instagram Story, the star showed off the risqué lace dress and wrote: “On my way”.The dress was made entirely of lace and she went braless to the event, wearing only a pair of black knickers underneath the high-fashion number.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Oh Seok-geun, head of the Asian Contents and Film Market in Busan, has resigned. Oh’s exit follows the resignation earlier this week of Busan International Film Festival chairman Lee Yong-kwan and the earlier departure of festival director Huh Moonyoung. “I submitted my resignation to the BIFF. I decided this was the best choice I could make. I hope my decision will help solve the BIFF situation,” Oh told Variety. A spokesman for the festival confirmed that Oh had tendered his resignation and said that the organization will frame its response next week.

The campy romp Cocaine Bear and buzzy comedy series Only Murders in the Building nabbed four trophies apiece and Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Oppenheimer took three at the 23rd annual Golden Trailer Awards, which were handed out Thursday night in Los Angeles. See the full list of winners below.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Lee Yong-kwan, one of the original founders of the Busan International Film Festival, says he is stepping down as the event’s chairman – this time with immediate effect. He says the move is intended to defuse a morass of factional infighting and political interference surrounding Asian’s most prominent film festival. A festival spokesman told Variety that the board of directors “has decided to persuade the chairperson to return. So, the resignation has not been accepted yet.”

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics has named the winners of its 15th Dorian TV Awards with the final season of HBO’s Succession and ABC’s Abbott Elementary taking top drama and comedy honors, respectively. Succession star Sarah Snook also took the best drama performance trophy, while Max’s showbiz satire The Other Two was named Best LGBTQ TV Show.

It’s culture’s biggest night! Some of the biggest names in music, television, film and sports turned out for the 2023 BET Awards, ready to celebrate Black excellence.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Some 18 film industry guilds and trade associations are calling for urgent structural reform of the Busan International Film Festival. They point out that this year’s edition of the festival is looming less than 100 days away. The festival’s management has made a succession of management missteps in recent weeks, including one that resulted in an official apology. At the beginning of May, a decision to split the festival’s senior management in two by creating a new position for Cho Jongkook, was followed by consternation among guilds and the resignation of festival director Huh Moonyoung.