STAYC celebrate Valentine’s Day in music video for new single ‘Teddy Bear’

Because a list is never done and because we were inspired to dig that bit further, we have a few more updates on potential Cannes contenders this year.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) has increased its stake in Japanese film and TV studio Toei Company, from 5% to 6.03%, according to a report by the Reuters financial news agency. The move comes shortly after Toei published a ten-year plan for international expansion. Toei includes film and TV production operations, the T-Joy cinema chain and Toei Animation. Last month, it said that it had beaten its film revenue record, thanks to the success of titles including “The First Slam Dunk,” “The Legend of Butterfly” and “One Piece Film Red.” The stake increase also follows PIF’s February announcement that it had increased its stake in Japanese games and console maker Nintendo to 8.26% and that (along with the Singapore state fund GIC) was a buyer of a $966 million bond issue from Korean entertainment-tech firm Kakao Corp.

enjoy actual exotic dancing, check out the 2015 sequel “Magic Mike XXL” starring Channing Tatum and fellow eye/guy candy Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash, Joe Manganiello and Adam Rodriguez. The movie makes its way to Netflix on March. 1.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Michelle Yeoh was already an actor star overseas by 1997 thanks to popular Hong Kong movies like “Police Story 3: Super Cop” and “Supercop 2,” but it wasn’t until the James Bond tentpole “Tomorrow Never Dies” opened that year that Yeoh had her Hollywood breakthrough. The actor played Wai Lin, a Chinese spy who is highly skilled in marital arts and bucks every “damsel in distress” and “Bond girl” stereotype. “The first movie I did after I came to America was ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ with Pierce Brosnan,” Yeoh recently told People magazine. “James Bond at that point had only been known as macho, and the girls were just the ones with cutesy names.”

James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, said she rejected roles subsequently thrown her way for “almost two years” until 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.“At that point, people in the industry couldn’t really tell the difference between whether I was Chinese or Japanese or Korean or if I even spoke English,” Yeoh told People. “They would talk very loudly and very slow.”She added: “I didn’t work for almost two years, until Crouching Tiger, simply because I could not agree with the stereotypical roles that were put forward to me.”Yeoh is nominated for Best Actress at this year’s Oscars for Everything Everywhere All At Once, against Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Andrea Riseborough and Michelle Williams.Last month, Yeoh became the first Asian actor to win Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Leading Role at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards.“Every one of you know, the journey, the rollercoaster ride, the ups and downs,” Yeoh said in her acceptance speech.

BTS’ J-Hope is about to release his dream collaboration with his childhood idol.

Diego Calva and Jacob Elordi are set to play lovers in a new film and it seems there are some “pretty hot scenes” coming up, as revealed by the Mexican actor himself. The pair will be starring in Daniel Minahan’s adaptation of ‘On Swift Horses,’ and Diego recently talked to Variety about his experience working with the ‘Euphoria’ star.“It was so cool to work with him. He’s obsessed with photography, he’s obsessed with old plays,” Diego said about Jacob.

Netflix and The Pokémon Company announced on Monday that the two are teaming up for a new stop-motion animated series called “Pokémon Concierge,” revealing a short teaser for the new show.Expanding the Pokémon world, the story follows Haru, a concierge at the ‘Pokémon Resort,’ and her interactions with Pokémon and their owners who visit as guests. You can see her hanging with Psyduck in the first teaser video above.The ambitious project is a collaboration between Netflix, The Pokémon Company and dwarf studios, which is handling production.“Netflix is looking forward to delighting fans in Japan and around the world with ‘Pokémon Concierge,’ an entirely new visual and storytelling experience featuring ground-breaking stop-motion animation set in the Pokémon world in close collaboration with The Pokémon Company,” Minyoung Kim, Vice President of Netflix Content in Asia, said in a statement.

AB6IX has dropped his debut mini-album ‘oWn’ alongside the title track ‘Top Tier’.On February 27, the 23-year-old idol dropped his first solo mini-album ‘oWn’, alongside a fierce music video for ‘Top Tier’. In the new visual, Park plays an arcade game seemingly inspired by the Street Fighter franchise, where he wins every fight.

J-Hope, a member of K-pop supergroup BTS, has cancelled his request to delay enlistment in Korea’s mandatory military service, according to the group’s agency Big Hit Music. 

BTS‘ J-hope is set to release a new solo single, with ‘on the street’ coming later this week.The news was confirmed by Big Hit in a note published to fans on Weverse. The post also revealed that the single is set to drop on Friday (March 3) at 2pm Korean time.“J-hope wrote the track wrote the track to share his candid feelings towards his fans,” the post read.

Bringing the laughs! Jim Gaffigan is known for his humorous characters and stand-up comedy sets, and he’s just as hilarious in real life.

, creator Mike White's Emmy-winning social satire, is officially returning with season 3. Like the first two, the new installment will take place at another one of the luxury hotel's exotic locations, where a new group of guests and employees will find their lives clashing in unexpected ways. Although HBO has not officially revealed any new or returning cast members, including Jennifer Coolidge, or where the new episodes will take place, White has shared some of his ideas while members of the sprawling ensemble have weighed in with ET about whether they would return. As anticipation builds for another installment, here's everything we know about the cast and the location of season 3. The biggest question is whether or not Coolidge will return as Tanya McQuiod, the grief-stricken guest who found solace in Greg Hunt (Jon Gries) in season 1 before the two's romance started to fall apart in season 2.

BTS leader RM has dropped a video for the song ‘Closer’ that features scenes from Park Chan-wook’s acclaimed mystery-romance film Decision To Leave. The music video was officially released yesterday (February 21) via BTS’ BANGTANTV YouTube channel and a clip from the video was also simultaneously shared on RM’s personal Instagram page. “I added some lo-fi arrangement to go with the video! It’s an honour to be part of a movie I love,” the K-pop idol’s caption read.The ‘Closer’ video features snippets lifted from Decision To Leave, starring Tang Wei as Song Seo-rae and Park Hae-il as Detective Jang Hae-jun.

Daft Punk video creator and manga artist Leiji Matsumoto has died, aged 85.Matsumoto, who worked on the videos for 2000 hit ‘One More Time’, ‘Digital Love’ and ‘Aerodynamic’, passed away last week (February 13) due to acute heart failure.He also worked with duo on their film Interstella 5555: The 5story of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.In a statement, his daughter Makiko Matsumoto wrote: “Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto departed for the sea of stars at a hospital in Tokyo on February 13, 2023 at the age of 85.“The farewell ceremony has already been held with close relatives. I think it was a happy life.”Matsumoto (real name Akira Matsumoto) was also heavily involved in the manga and anime art and film worlds and was best known for his work in creating TV series Space Battleship Yamato and 1979 film Galaxy Express 999.Writer Zack Davisson, who had previously worked with Matsumoto, paid tribute to the late artist.He wrote: “Leiji Matsumo’s work was the foundation of what we know as ‘anime/manga fandom,’ in both the US and Japan.

“Most people hosting a travel show want to do it. They have a sense of adventure.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Growth of premium video services in Southeast Asia accelerated in the second half of 2022, to reach 48.4 million paid subscriptions, according to a new report. But the same analysis sees growth slowing and costs accelerating. The latest report from Media Partners Asia, “SEA Online Video Consumer Insights & Analytics” shows 48.4 million paid online video subscriptions at the end of 2022 in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The full year saw 11.8 million net new customers, with 7.3 million of that total coming in the second half, including 4.6 million in the fourth quarter. Indonesia accounted for half of the increase.

TWICE have shared snippets of a new single ‘Set Me Free’, due out next month.Earlier today (February 20), the girl group took to Twitter and TikTok to reveal their next single ‘Set Me Free’ from their forthcoming mini-album ‘Ready To Be’.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Berlinale Special section of the Berlin Film Festival is a showcase for movies that are intelligent, but less arty than those in the main competition or festival sidebars. And in showcasing mainstream non-English-language films the section is also a springboard for performers who may be big news at home, but who are little-known outside their core markets. Japan’s Nakajima Yuto fits that description perfectly. He has a dual career as a singer with boy band Hey! Say! Jump! and more than a decade as an actor. His acting credits including the Mike Ross role in the Japanese remake of hit U.S. series “Suits.” In his position as a music idol appealing to a volatile, younger demographic, means that selecting acting roles is — normally — something requiring careful consideration.

Charna Flam John Wick won’t stop until he’s finally regained his freedom. Keanu Reeves reprises his role in the franchise’s fourth feature, which dropped another trailer during “Wick Week” on Thursday. Wick’s latest adventure follows the retired assassin as he travels from New York to Paris to Japan to Berlin to fight against the world’s most powerful players in the criminal underworld. As he faces off with new enemies, Wick reunites with some allies and uncovers that old friends have turned into foes. Director Chad Stahelski has teased that the latest installment is the franchise’s longest film to date, and revealed “Chapter 4” will explore the mythology behind the Continental Hotel — the refugee location for the assassins and focal point for the “John Wick” franchise.