Christine Baumgartner was spotted out and about on Thursday amid headlines surrounding her and husband Kevin Costner’s divorce.
19.04.2023 - 11:05 / variety.com
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Jung Ho-seok, better known as J-Hope, Tuesday became the second member of K-pop sensation BTS to join the Korean military. Approaching his 30th birthday, J-Hope attended an army camp at Wongju, south of Seoul, and is expected to begin five weeks of basic training there. Local news agencies reported a small crowd of fans, seemingly outnumbered by assembled journalists, waited outside the camp to wish him well. Their number was reported to be diminished by bad weather. Earlier, J-Hope had posted on the Weverse fandom platform words of encouragement and a pair of photos revealing his newly-shorn hair. “I love you all. ARMY, I will return safely,” he wrote. ‘Army’ in that sense is a reference to BTS’s legion of fans, rather than the Korean military services.
All able-bodied men in Korea are required to fulfil some two years of compulsory military service and start before they turn 30. Exceptions exist in the case of athletes and some classical musicians, but these are controversial and have not been extended to K-pop stars. J-Hope had reportedly sought a postponement, but in February it was confirmed that his application had been withdrawn. The oldest BTS member Jin shifted into uniform in December last year, effectively beginning a hiatus for the seven-member group that could last until 2025. Even before that, several of the BTS band members had embarked on solo projects, J-Hope was among the first. He released a debut solo album, “Jack in the Box,” in 2022 which received an accompanying music documentary that detailed the album’s creation process and also showed J-Hope preparing for his Lollapalooza concert in August. Last month music label Big Hit Music released a new J-Hope music video
Christine Baumgartner was spotted out and about on Thursday amid headlines surrounding her and husband Kevin Costner’s divorce.
BTS’ Jungkook online.Earlier this year, it was reported that a former foreign ministry employee, whose identity has been withheld, had been indicted for attempting to sell a hat belonging to the BTS member for approximately KRW10million (£6,600) after he had left it at the government building.On Wednesday (May 3), The Korea Herald reported that the employee had been fined KRW1million (£660) by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office earlier that day on charges of attempting to sell the BTS singer’s lost hat online.A previous report by the media outlet states that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office also intended to return the hat to Jungkook, though the prosecution, idol and his label have yet to provide further updates.The former employee had allegedly uploaded a photo of the hat on an online second-hand market and claimed that Jungkook had left it at the foreign ministry building after visiting to apply for a new passport.In the post, they added that the hat had been reported as lost property for six months before they decided to claim ownership of it. The listing was met with backlash, leading the employee to delete the listing and turn themselves in to the police.Shortly after this, the prosecution stated that HYBE had confirmed to police that the hat did belong to Jungkook.
Kai of K-pop boyband EXO is set to enlist in the military next week.The news was shared by Kai’s label SM Entertainment on May 3, announcing that the K-pop idol will enlist in the South Korean military on May 11. In accordance with South Korean law, all able-bodied men over the age of 18 are required to serve in the military for up to two years.SM Entertainment said that Kai had been preparing new music with boyband EXO, but is set to enlist early “due to a recent change in regulations of the Military Manpower Administration”, per Soompi.
Kai is preparing for mandatory military enrollment.
Kate Middleton and Prince William have shared another new photo of their daughter Princess Charlotte to mark the young Royal's eighth birthday today (May 2).The Prince of Wales, 40, and Princess of Wales, 41, thanked their followers and fans for all the wonderful messages to honour their little girl's special day, and shared a special new snap following the official first one, as a reward. "Thank you for all the birthday wishes," the post read on Twitter and Instagram, alongside an image of Charlotte cuddling the family's adorable dog, Orla.The black cocker spaniel was adopted into the family after the sad death of their first pup Lupo in 2021, who had been given to them by Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton.
Gemma Atkinson wowed herself with her very own Emmerdale throwback featuring some of her former co-stars. The former soap star took to her Instagram Story on Tuesday (May 2) with the snap after she was reminded that it was on this day a number of years ago it was taken.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hybe Corp., the structure behind K-pop icons BTS, enjoyed strong financial performance during the first three months of the year. The results were achieved despite BTS’s effective hiatus and quarter of corporate skirmishing in the Korean music sector. The company Tuesday reported revenues of KRW411 billion in the three months to end of March and operating profit of KRW52.5 billion, increases of 42$ and 44%, respectively. Adjusted earnings before interest taxation, depreciation and amortization were up 12% at KRW71.9 billion. Hybe did not confirm financial media calculations that it would net an investment profit of some $87 million on the sale of shares in SM Entertainment, which it bid to control but lost to Kakao.
Emily Longeretta Brooks & Dunn, Chris Stapleton and Diplo closed out the 2023 Stagecoach Festival — and made the 106-degree heat well worth it. Early Sunday evening, Brooks & Dunn took the Mane Stage, returning to the desert for the first time in 13 years. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn played a 14-song, hour-long set, which included their biggest hits — “Brand New Man,” “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “Neon Moon,” “My Maria” and “Red Dirt Road,” to name a few. Early on, the pair hit a bit of a technical glitch while performing “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone,” with the music cutting out. The pros didn’t pause, continuing on until it was figured it out behind the scenes.
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Bill Hader revealed on a recent episode of the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast that he stopped signing merchandise for fans after a late night encounter with a “Star Wars” fan left a bad taste in his mouth. The fan tried to use his kid to get Hader to sign a BB-8 toy with the intention of selling it online. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams hired Hader and fellow comedian Ben Schwartz as voice consultants for BB-8, which has led many “Star Wars” fans to request an autograph from Hader over the years. “I do not sign them,” Hader said about autographing merchandise for fans. “Autograph people don’t like me. I won’t sign things.”
Michael J. Fox has opened up about living with Parkinson’s disease, saying in a new interview that it’s becoming “harder” to live with the condition.Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 when he was 29 years old. He went on to found the Michael J.
Prime Video‘s brand new series, Citadel, cost a pretty penny to make!
Cathy Hope (Gabrielle Dowling) has been struggling with her health for months in heartbreaking Emmerdale scenes. The youngster has been suffering from mood swings and painful, heavy periods that pills initially prescribed to her didn’t cure, with her putting herself in danger with her own reckless behaviour to cope. It is now suspected she is suffering from Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, and the possible diagnosis has hit the troubled teen hard.
Emmerdale fans think they have worked out who will be returning to the Dales after a big tease from the ITV soap's boss. Jane Hudson, Emmerdale's executive producer, told press earlier this month that a "familiar face" would be making a comeback.
PJ Harvey has announced her upcoming 10th album, ‘I Inside The Old Year Dying’ with the release of the lead single, ‘A Child’s Question, August’. Check out the track below.Shared today (April 26), the new single follows a series of teasers shared by Harvey on social media, and follows on from her last full-length LP with 2016’s ‘The Hope Six Demolition Project’.According to the double Mercury Prize-winning artist, ‘I Inside The Old Year Dying’, was written over a period of three weeks, although stemmed from ideas dating back to 2017 when she felt she had lost her connection with music.Seeking to revive her connection with songwriting, the inspiration for the new tracks was uncovered following advice from film-maker Steve McQueen, who told her to ignore the ‘process of writing an album’, and instead rediscover why she first fell in love with “words, images and music”.The album will see the singer-songwriter return to her roots – inspired by the likes of Nina Simone and Bob Dylan – and provide fans with “a resting space, a solace, a comfort, a balm” which is created to feel “timely for the times we’re in.”Today also sees Harvey share the first single from the LP, ‘A Child’s Question, August’.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Jordan Fisher savors those 7 p.m. showtimes. It’s not that there’s a huge difference on the nights that Broadway’s revival of “Sweeney Todd” starts at 8 p.m. But the extra hour of freedom after curtain call at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre means he gets more time to spend with his family. “I’ll get to bed an hour early and get up with my son so we can hang and have a little bit more time to chill in the morning,” Fisher says over espresso at a swanky bar in Manhattan’s theater district. He got married during the pandemic, and the couple welcomed their first child in last June. “A lot of my mornings are dictated by how late I go to bed. With a schedule like this, we go to work hours after people clocked out of their offices. My body has to get used to it.”
Suga has spoken about the importance of his bond with BTS and how he feels most comfortable around his bandmates.On April 24, BTS’ Suga unveiled episode nine of his online talk show Suchwita. While the rapper usually acts as the series’ host, Suga took on the role of the guest in the new episode to promote his new solo record ‘D-Day’, with BTS leader RM hosting the episode.During their chat, the pair discussed the close bond between the group’s members.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Global streaming giant Netflix has publicly committed to spending $2.5 billion (approx. KRW3.34 trillion) on South Korean film and TV production over the next four years. The total is double the amount it has spent in Korea since 2016, the company said. The promise was made by Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, at a meeting in Washington DC with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. “We were able to make this decision because we have great confidence that the Korean creative industry will continue to tell great stories. We were also inspired by the President’s love and strong support for the Korean entertainment industry and fueling the Korean wave. I’d like to personally thank the President for his kind response letter,” Sarandos said in a statement.
EXCLUSIVE: Zoë Chao has signed with Entertainment 360 for representation. She most recently appeared in Netflix’s Your Place Or Mine opposite Reese Witherspoon. She will next be seen in Hulu’s Nightbitch opposite Amy Adams and can currently be seen in the Party Down reboot for Starz. In March, SXSW premiered the independent film If You Were The Last, starring Chao and Anthony Mackie.
Emmerdale? We thought you might and therefore we’ve compiled a picture gallery, featuring all the spoilers for next week you could possibly need. But what’s in store for the villagers next week? It’s a tough one for the teens, that’s for sure. Marshall Hamston (Max Fletcher) joins Cathy Hope (Gabrielle Dowling), who is drinking her problems away, with the teens hoping that the booze will numb their pain.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The battle for corporate dominance of K-Pop has become a drama that never stops giving. After the acrimonious takeover battle between BTS-backer Hybe Corp. and tech giant Kakao for control of SM Entertainment, Korea’s financial regulators are probing the deal-making that eventually led to Kakao’s victory. Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service raided the offices of SM Entertainment on Tuesday, according to the Yonhap news agency. Investigators were looking for evidence of stock price manipulation between February and March when the two camps were skirmishing.