Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.
Aged 82, Hayao Miyazaki shows no sign of slowing down. A decade after his last major film, the acclaimed director brings to audiences ‘The Boy and the Heron,’ which many consider a distillation of themes and motifs that have defined his illustrious career.
The story unravels through the experiences of young Mahito. The poignant tale starts with the grim reality of wartime Tokyo bombings, segueing into a fantastical realm where Mahito confronts massive pink parakeets, crafting a narrative that seamlessly blends the gravitas of a painful history with the whimsy of imagination. Given the film's intricately enhanced artistry, it's no surprise that its production spanned seven years.
Though Japanese audiences were introduced to this gem on July 14 this year, global cinephiles can mark their calendars for the worldwide premiere in the winter of 2023. Catch a first look at the trailer for ‘The Boy and the Heron’ below:
Miyazaki's pattern of retiring and then returning to the director's chair has become an almost expected move in recent years. After announcing his "final" films with 2013's ‘The Wind Rises’ and then again with the 2018 animated short ‘Boro the Caterpillar,’ Miyazaki, in his typical fashion, decided that his storytelling journey wasn't quite complete yet.
Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.
It’s officially awards season for film and TV! Following the announcement of SAG nominees and the Golden Globe Awards winners, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has also unveiled the nominees for the EE BAFTA Film Awards.
Leading the nominees with 12 nods is the political thriller film “Conclave,” including Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Director for Edward Berger, Best Original Score, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Meanwhile, the musical crime-comedy film “Emilia Pérez” follows closely with 11 nominations, including Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Director for Jacques Audiard, and Best Editing.
In performance categories, Timothée Chalamet of “A Complete Unknown,” Ralph Fiennes of “Conclave,” Hugh Grant of “Heretic,” Colman Domingo of “Sing Sing,” Sebastian Stan of “The Apprentice,” and Adrien Brody of “The Brutalist” were nominated for Best Leading Actor, while Best Leading Actress nominees are Mikey Madison of “Anora,” Karla Sofía Gascón of “Emilia Pérez,” Marianne Jean-Baptiste of “Hard Truths,” Saoirse Ronan of “The Outrun,” Demi Moore of “The Substance,” and Cynthia Erivo of “Wicked.”
Here are some of the highlights of the EE BAFTA Film Awards nominations:
Best Film
“A Complete Unknown”
“Anora”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“The Brutalist”
British Short Film
“Marion”
“Milk”
“Rock, Paper, Scissors”
“Stomach Bug”
“The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing”
Animated Film
“Flow”
“Inside Out 2”
“The Wild Robot”
“Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
Supporting Actress
Isabella Rossellini for “Conclave”
Selena Gomez for “Emilia Pérez”
Zoe Saldaña for “Emilia Pérez”
Felicity Jones for “The Brutalist”
Jamie Lee Curtis for “The Last Showgirl”
Ariana Grande for “Wicked”
Supporting Actor
Edward Norton for “A Complete Unknown”
Kieran Culkin for “A Real Pain”
Yura Borisov for “Anora”
Clarence Maclin for “Sing Sing”
Jeremy Strong for “The Apprentice”
Guy Pearce for “The Brutalist”
The nominees were selected by BAFTA’s global voting membership, made up of over 8,100 creatives and film industry practitioners.
The EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony will be held at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London and will be broadcast on Feb. 16 on BBC One, iPlayer, and BritBox. For the full list of nominees, check out BAFTA’s website.
Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.
Get ready for cuteness overload! Netflix just dropped a special sneak peek of its upcoming series featuring two of the most beloved Sanrio
characters.
“My Melody & Kuromi” is set to take you on a delightful adventure to the whimsical Mariland as it brings the adorable Sanrio characters to life in a charming stop-motion animation series. This show is in celebration of My Melody’s 50th
anniversary and Kuromi's 20th anniversary. It's also the first stop-motion animation series produced by Toruku, a subsidiary of WIT Studio (“Attack on Titan” and “Spy Family”).
You can catch the new series this July and the streaming platform has already given us much to be excited about by revealing a special first look at the upcoming show. And yes, they’re so fluffy we could barely contain ourselves!
My Melody is known as a cheerful girl who cares deeply for her younger brother, Rhythm. The character officially debuted in 1975, and has since been loved by fans worldwide. Meanwhile, Kuromi came in a little later in 2005 and is My Melody’s self-proclaimed rival. She may seem like a troublemaker but is actually quite lovely. Kuromi proved to be a fan favorite among Sanrio fans, having ranked in the Top 3 in the 2024 Sanrio character ranking.
"Our animation with Kuromi-chan is starting this summer! ♡ I want to bring lots of excitement to all my friends.♪ Please look forward to it ♡," My Melody said in a message to their fans in the latest Netflix press release.
"A new anime with My Melody and me is starting! All you KUROMIES around the world, you’re gonna watch it, right? Don’t miss my cuteness ★," Kuromi cutely added.
The anime
is directed by Tomoki Misato who is known for his work on “Pui Pui Molcar” and his innovative approach to storytelling. "I’m thrilled that this project is finally announced in this important year marking the 50th anniversary of My Melody and the 20th anniversary of Kuromi!" he shared. "This momentous project motivated all of us to come together, take on various challenges, and push the envelope with stop-motion. I hope everyone will enjoy this exciting story set in our handcrafted Mariland, the thrilling action that pushes the limits of stop-motion, and, of course, the cute and dynamic characters."
On the other hand, award-winning playwright Shuko Nemoto penned the script for the series and added her unique touch to the story. The script was reportedly written during the pandemic and reflects a deep love for the world of My Melody and Kuromi.
"Having My Melody and Kuromi speak lines I wrote felt like a reward for me as a writer," she said. "Because of the pandemic, I couldn't meet with Director Misato or the producers in person. But we connected remotely each week, carefully building this together. The project is filled with love for the world of My Melody, beloved by people of all ages. I believe everyone, from adults to children, will have favorite scenes and lines."
Photo from Website/Netflix
You can save “My Melody & Kuromi” on your Netflix watchlist here. Also, follow Netflix on X (Formerly Twitter) and Instagram to stay updated on all the latest movie and series releases.
Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.
K-Pop
is known to transcend cultural boundaries, highlighting diversity through its music and fan culture. Among this global phenomenon of artists are talented performers who embody a unique blend of East and West — bringing a fresh perspective to the industry as they incorporate their multicultural backgrounds into their artistry.
This Korean American Day, we’re shining a spotlight on K-Pop idols who are half-American or born and raised in the United States. Let’s celebrate their journeys, unique influences, and the roles they played in shaping the global K-Pop phenomenon.
From magnetic idol members to brilliant soloists, here are nine popular K-Stars with American ties.
Eric Nam
Photo from Facebook/Eric Nam
Eric Nam is considered one of the most successful solo artists in South Korea and is widely known as a popular singer, songwriter, and TV host. He was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated from Boston College in 2011 with a degree in International Studies. However, after posting a cover on YouTube singing the male version of 2NE1’s “Lonely,” he was invited to compete in a South Korean talent search program, “Birth of a Great Star 2.” He impressively placed among the top five, which led him to sign with B2M Entertainment as a soloist.
Since debuting in 2013, he was named GQ Korea's Man of the Year in 2016, included on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia in 2017, and was also named as one of YouTube Music's Global Trending Artists on the Rise in 2019.
Woosung (The Rose)
Photo from Instagram/@iwoosung
The leader and frontman of the indie rock band, The Rose, was born in Los Angeles, California on Feb. 25, 1993. Kim Woosung debuted as a soloist in 2019 with the EP “WOLF” under the label Woolfpack, but his musical journey began way back in 2011 when he participated in the South Korean survival show, “K-Pop Star Season 1.” After being eliminated on the show, he took a short break from music and pursued teaching English in Korean schools until his engagement with the band.
The Rose debuted in 2017 with the single “Sorry” which put them on the map in the mainstream music scene. Some of their most popular songs include “Back To Me,” “She’s In The Rain,” and “You’re Beautiful.”
Woosung’s English name is Sammy, and is known to be friends with other L.A.-based K-Pop idols such as KARD’s BM and DAY6’s Jae.
Stephanie Young Hwang was born in San Francisco, California on Aug. 1, 1989, and is widely known as a member of the K-Pop girl group, Girl’s Generation (SNSD). She was discovered by a South Korean agency when she was fifteen and subsequently moved to the country to pursue training. She debuted with the eight-member group in 2007 but rose to fame in 2009 with their single “Gee,” which remained on top on KBS's “Music Bank” for a record-breaking nine consecutive weeks and was Melon's most popular song of the 2000s.
Tiffany was the second member to pursue a solo career and dropped her EP “I Just Wanna Dance” in 2016.
Jessica Jung (Girls' Generation)
Photo from Instagram/@jessica.syj
Another Girls’ Generation member born in San Francsico (and reportedly in the same hospital as Tiffany Young!) is Jessica Jung. A singer, actress, author, and business woman, Jessica left the group in 2014 and signed with a new agency before the release of her first solo album, “With Love, J.”
Jessica also established a fashion brand called, Blanc & Eclare, and published her debut novel “Shine” in 2020 which debuted at number five on the New York Times Bestsellers list for Young Adult Hardcovers. The book is reportedly based on her experiences in the music industry. The K-Pop artist also participated in a series of films and television programs through the years, as well as theatre projects. She was cast as Elle Woods in the Korean version of “Legally Blonde: The Musical.”
Jessica is also the older sister of Krystal Jung, a member of the South Korean girl group, f(x).
SEVENTEEN’s Vernon was born in New York on Feb. 18, 1998, and moved to South Korea when he was five years old. The rapper and visual was street cast by PLEDIS Entertainment and debuted with SEVENTEEN in 2015 as part of the Hip Hop team.
The group is known to write and produce their own music, and Vernon actively participates in composition sessions and has over 68 songs registered under his name as of February 2021, making him the second most credited member of the group.
Joshua (SEVENTEEN)
Photo from X (Formerly Twitter)/pledis_17
Another fluent English speaker of SEVENTEEN is Joshua, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He was scouted by PLEDIS Entertainment in downtown LA’s Koreatown in 2013, which led him to move to Seoul to train as an idol.
While being a member of SEVENTEEN, Joshua also took part in several projects such as collaborating with fellow member DK and American artist, Pink Sweats, on a remix of his song “17,” and being cast in the 2023 reality show “Bro and Marble in Dubai.” The singer was also the first artist to be featured on Apple Music’s Home Session series.
Jessi
Photo from Facebook/jessihomusic
Another New York-born star is Jessi (Jessica Ho), who was born on Dec. 17, 1988. The rapper grew up in New Jersey before moving to South Korea when she was fifteen.
The fiery artist debuted in 2005 and was briefly part of the Hip Hop group, Uptown, in 2006. She went on a hiatus afterward before returning as part of the Hip Hop trio, Lucky J, and also as a soloist under YMC Entertainment. Following the band’s disbandment in 2016, Jessi became the first artist to sign with PSY’s record label, P Nation, in 2018. Some of the most well-known singles include the chart-topping "Nunu Nana" and "Don't Touch Me.”
Jessi is also a widely known TV personality in South Korea and has appeared in several shows including “Unpretty Rapstar,” “Running Man,” and “Sixth Sense.” She also hosts her own YouTube talk show, “Jessi's Showterview.”
Johnny (NCT)
Photo from Instagram/@johnnyjsuh
Born in Chicago, Illinois on Feb. 9, 1995, NCT’s Johnny began his K-Pop journey with SM Entertainment when he participated in its Global Audition in Chicago in 2007. The lead dancer initially trained with the K-Pop group, EXO, until they began preparing for their debut. He was part of the fourth batch of trainees introduced in SM Rookies in 2013, a pre-debut training program by the entertainment agency. Well-known idols today have also participated in this program including Red Velvet’s Seulgi, Irene, and Wendy; members of NCT; and Aespa’s NINGNING.
Johnny officially made his debut in NCT in 2016 and became part of its second sub-unit NCT 127 in 2017.
The GOT7 member was born and raised in Los Angeles, California on Sept. 4, 1993. He was also reported to have spent a number of years living in Paraguay and Brazil.
Mark Tuan was scouted by JYP Entertainment and initially had no desire to pursue a music career but was encouraged by his friends and family. He passed the audition and went into training, and while learning to sing, dance, and rap, he was eventually inspired to pursue the idol life.
Prior to his debut in 2014, Mark made a cameo in “Dream High 2” and also appeared in Mnet’s survival program, “WIN: Who is Next.” GOT7 has launched a number of hits including “If You Do,” “You Calling My Name,” and “A.” The septet has left the agency in 2021 and has been pursuing solo projects but they recently announced a comeback
for Jan. 20, 2025.
Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.
One of the most prestigious award-giving bodies for film and television, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, has announced the nominees for its 31st edition, honoring the most outstanding actors, ensembles, and individuals in the field for the past year.
Due to a devastating fire that affected Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, the nominations were announced through a press release on Jan. 8, contrary to the past editions’ in-person announcement.
Leading the pack among the nominees are the film adaptation of the musical “Wicked” and the historical drama TV series “Shōgun,” with five nods each.
“Wicked” earned nominations with Cynthia Erivo for her lead role as Elphaba, Ariana Grande for her supporting role as Glinda, and Jonathan Bailey for his supporting role as Fiyero. The film also received nominations for the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture categories.
Here are the highlights for the Motion Picture nominations:
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody for "The Brutalist"
Timothée Chalamet for "A Complete Unknown"
Daniel Craig for "Queer"
Colman Domingo for "Sing Sing"
Ralph Fiennes for “Conclave"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Pamela Anderson for "The Last Showgirl"
Cynthia Erivo for "Wicked"
Karla Sofía Gascón for “Emilia Pérez”
Mikey Madison for “Anora”
Demi Moore for “The Substance”
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Meanwhile, “Shōgun” dominates theTV Program bracket with nominations for Tadanobu Asano, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Anna Sawai for Outstanding Performance by a Male and Female Actor in a Drama Series. The series likewise earned nominations for the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and the Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series category.
Below are highlights for the TV program category:
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
“Bridgerton”
“The Day of the Jackal”
“The Diplomat”
“Shōgun”
“Slow Horses”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“Hacks”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Shrinking”
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
The 31st Annual SAG Awards will be held at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles and will stream live globally on Netflix on Feb. 23, at 8 PM ET or 5 PM PT. To see the full list of nominees, click here.
The Screen Actors Guild is also accepting donations for those affected by the fire. To donate, visit the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s website.
Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.
The wait will soon be over! Following its successful debut in 2023, HBO’s Emmy award-winning original series “The Last of Us” is back with its second season, set to release this April via HBO and streaming platform Max.
The announcement came with a thrilling trailer, featuring returning cast members Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The series’ second installment will be set five years after the events of the first season, as Joel and Ellie come into conflict with each other and battle a more chaotic world than the last.
Other returning cast members include Gabriel Luna as Tommy and Rutina Wesley as Maria, while actors Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez, and Jeffrey Wright are set to join the bill. Veteran actress Catherine O'Hara also joins as a guest star.
Based on the 2013 video game franchise by developer Naughty Dog, “The Last of Us” is a post-apocalyptic series that revolves around the events 20 years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which transforms anyone infected into zombie-like creatures.
The series’ second season is expected to follow the plot of the video game's sequel, “The Last of Us Part II,” which was released in 2020.
While waiting for the second season release, watch “The Last of Us” via Max. You can subscribe on Max via their website, or on Apple Store and Google Play.
Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.
The “Fine” singer is once again coming back for her second Asian arena tour.
Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon is embarking on her “The Tense” Asia tour this year, kicking off with a three-day concert at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea from Mar. 7 to 9, 2025. The tour will be in support of Taeyeon’s most recent EPs, “To. X” in 2023 and “Letter to Myself” in 2024.
Taeyeon and SM Entertainment announced the upcoming concert dates and countries on their social media pages. Taeyeon’s “The Tense” arena tour will begin at the KSPO Domein Seoul, South Korea from Mar. 7 to 9, then she will head on to the Taipei Domein Taipei on Mar. 16. She will visit the Mall of Asia Arenain Manila on Mar. 29, the Indonesia Arenain Jakarta on Apr. 12, The Venetian Arena in Macau on Apr. 26, the Singaporean Indoor Stadiumin Singapore on May 3 to 4, the Impact Arenain Bangkok on May 31 to Jun. 1, and will conclude her tour in the AsiaWorld-Arenain Hong Kong on Jun. 7.
Ticket prices have not yet been announced as of writing. Fans can check their local concert organizer's pages for more information and updates.
The “Tense Tour” announcement comes one year and seven months after Taeyeon’s first arena tour, “The Odd of Love.” After performing in Seoul, South Korea, Taeyeon visited Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore in her last tour, where tickets for all dates and venues were sold out.
Recently, Taeyeon collaborated with British musician Sam Smith and released a Korean duet version of their track, “I’m Not the Only One” as part of the reissue project of their debut album, “In the Lonely Hour 10 Year Anniversary Edition.”
Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.
The 82nd
Golden Globe Awards has officially wrapped up, making history and setting the bar high for this year’s awards season.
Hosted by Nikki Glaser who crushed her opening monologue with some funny and witty remarks about this year’s nominees, the first award show of the season welcomed some of the biggest stars in Hollywood from Kate Winslet and Tilda Swinton to Eddie Redmayne and Colin Farrel.
The epic historical drama, “The Brutalist” claimed some of the night’s biggest awards including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director for Brady Corbet, and Best Actor for Adrien Brody.
The most nominated film of the night “Emilia Pérez” (with 10 noms) took home four awards: Best Non-English Language Picture and Musical or Comedy, Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, and “El Mal” for Best Original Song.
Adrien Brody | Photo from Facebook/Golden GlobesFernanda Torres | Photo from Facebook/Golden Globes
In the TV show category, “The Bear” didn’t fare so well despite being the most nominated with five nods, but won Best Actor in a TV Series – Comedy or MusicalforJeremy Allen White. This is his third Golden Globe having won in the same category for the same show for the past two years.
“Shogun” won all its nominations, making it the biggest winner in the TV Drama category. Trophies were handed out to Hiroyuki Sanada
for Best Actor, Anna Sawai for Best Actress, and Tadanobu Asano for Best Supporting Actor.
Another notable win is Demi Moore, who took home her first-ever Golden Globe last night for her role in the body horror film, “The Substance.”
“I really wasn’t expecting that. I’m just in shock right now,” the actress said when she took the stage to accept the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. “I’ve been doing this a long time, like over 45 years, and this is the first time I’ve ever won anything as an actor and I’m just so humbled and so grateful.”
“Challengers” took home the Best Original Score and the hit musical
adaptation “Wicked” was honored with the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award. Additionally, Fernanda Torres won Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her performance in “I’m Still Here” and Sebastian Stan was Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his role in “A Different Man.”
Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.
