Jung Chae-yul, Korean Actor, Dies at 26

Michael Palin's wife Helen has sadly passed away after suffering with chronic pain and kidney failure.

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.

Barry Humphries, known for his onstage and TV drag persona Edna Everage and for his character Sir Les Patterson, has died. He was 89. The BBC reported that Humphries had been in hospital in Sydney, Australia and had been suffering from complications following surgery in March. “A great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind, he was both gifted and a gift,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said following the news of Humphries’ death. For his one-person show “Dame Edna: The Royal Tour,” which had a run on Broadway, Humphries received a Special Tony Award for a live theatrical presentation in 2000, and in 2014 “Barry Humphries’ Farewell Tour — Eat, Pray, Laugh!” was nominated for an Olivier Award.

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.

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.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, together at last.

Veteran British actor Murray Melvin who’s best known for his role in “The Phantom of the Opera,” “A Taste of Honey” and the “Doctor Who” spin-off “Torchwood,” died April 14 at St Thomas’ hospital in London. He was 90.London-based creative director Kerry Kyriacos Michael made the announcement on Twitter and said Melvin died after taking a bad fall in December “from which he never fully recovered.” “He was one of my closest friends and will be missed by so many of us who had the privilege to know him,” Michael wrote.He had a fall in December, from which he never fully recovered.

Actor Murray Melvin, whose extensive work in film and on stage was highly respected by his peers, has died from complications from a fall suffered in December. He was 90 and died on April 14, according to Kerry Kyriacos Michael MBE, creative director at Theatro Technis.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Is it time for South Korea’s TV drama series to move over and make way for Korean unscripted entertainment — namely game shows and reality shows? While 2003 drama series “Jewel in the Palace,” or the more recent “Crash Landing on You,” “Memories of the Alhambra,” “Mr. Queen,” “Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce)” and “Descendants of the Sun” have for years successfully tugged at emotional heartstrings across Asia, the unscripted category has equally long been a staple of Korean domestic TV. Korean variety shows have been a catch-all with multi-generational appeal. Talent contests have worked well in the home market, but often were too quirky — too much dialogue, or distracting titles flashing across the screen — which meant that they were best exported as formats rather than finished shows.

MK News, as translated by Koreaboo. “Her funeral will be held privately in accordance to the wishes of her family, who must be in greater sadness than anyone else.

Jung Chae-yul, the South Korean actor who pivoted from modeling in 2016 to take part in reality series Devil’s Runway before finding greater success in the South Korean comedy Zombie Detective, was found dead at her home Tuesday. She was 26.

Jung Chae Yull has sadly passed away.

MK News, as translated by Koreaboo.“Her funeral will be held privately in accordance to the wishes of her family, who must be in greater sadness than anyone else,” the statement continued. “We hope you pray for the deceased so Chaeyul, who was also sincere in her acting, may rest in peace.”“Our Chae-Yul was very hardworking.

South Korean model and actress Jung Chae-yul has died, it's been confirmed. Her management announced her untimely death on Tuesday, however, her cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

Instagram.“It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Sam Lerner wrote.“His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special.

Michael Lerner, known for his work in movies including Elf and Clueless and TV shows including passed away over the weekend at the age of 81.

Girls’ Generation member Jessica Jung has performed a cover of Ariana Grande’s ‘God Is A Woman’.Over the weekend, Chinese streaming site Youku released the first episode for its new season of Great Dance Crew, a dance reality competition series that pits several top dance crews in China against one another in a series of challenges.As one of the leaders on the series, Jung teamed up with famed dancer AC for her first performance of the season. The singer opened with a cover of Ariana Grande’s 2018 single ‘God Is A Woman’, accompanied with sensual choreography.“You, you love it how I move you / You love it how I touch you / My one, when all is said and done / You’ll believe God is a woman,” she sings.

“The Goldbergs,” announced his death in an Instagram post shared Sunday afternoon.“We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Sam wrote.

Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Lerner died Saturday. He was 81. His nephew, Sam Lerner, who starred on "The Goldbergs," announced his death in an Instagram post shared Sunday afternoon.

Michael Lerner, an actor who appeared in television shows like Clueless and Glee and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Barton Frink, has died. He was 81 years old.