Singapore Showbiz Latest News and Updates

A flight to Manchester Airport was forced to abort its landing and divert to the East Midlands amid strong winds on Wednesday (January 24).

Sony Group Corporation has initiated a Singapore arbitration case against Indian TV giant Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), alleging breaches of their failed merger agreement, Variety has confirmed. The $10 billion merger, which would have seen the two entities merge their TV and streaming businesses in India, was terminated on Monday by Sony after a two-year process. Sony is seeking a $90 million termination fee from ZEEL.

Giggs, Chase & Status, Rico Nasty, Skream, Benga and more.Yesterday (January 23), the electronic music promoters and livestream platform announced the second edition of its world tour, which will make stops in 25 cities across the globe, including Amsterdam, Bogota, New Delhi, Lagos, London, Mumbai, New York, São Paolo, Seoul, Shanghai and Toronto. A full list of the confirmed dates on the world tour can be found below and on Boiler Room’s official website.A post shared by Boiler Room (@boilerroomtv)Alongside the world tour’s dates, Boiler Room has also announced the first wave of acts who will play for the events.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The CinemAsia Film Festival in Amsterdam has unveiled titles from seven different Asian countries for its competition section. The festival will play at the Studio/K, Rialto De Pijp and Rialto VU venues March 5-10, 2024. The event will close with the out-of-competition screening of “Gaga,” a drama about indigenous communities in Taiwan, directed by Laha Mebow. “Gaga” documents the challenges faced by a commune after the death of a respected tribal elder who, while alive, had held things together.

Super Rich in Korea, hosted by GOT7‘s BamBam.Today (January 23), Netflix unveiled details for its upcoming reality TV show, titled Super Rich in Korea. According to a press release by the streaming service, the series will follow “the ultra-luxurious lives of the world’s wealthiest in the heart of Korea”.Super Rich in Korea will feature personalities such as South Korean figure Yoo Hee-ra, Singaporean entrepreneur David Yong and Arab social media celebrity Noor Naim, among others.Netflix says the show will “unveil a realm where luxury cars and haute couture are everyday sights, and exclusive parties are the norm.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief First-time mainland Chinese director Lin Jianjie (aka JJ Lin) makes a splash this weekend with the premiere of his “Brief History of a Family.” Asking questions about family in the era since the end of China’s ‘One Child Policy,’ while also borrowing genre tropes such as the idea of the intruder and blood, it is a polished and ultra-modern fable that sees a teenage schoolboy ingratiate himself into another boy’s family.Variety spoke to biologist-turned-filmmaker Lin on the eve of his Sundance debut.How did you get from zero to making your first feature?[After graduating in biology] I did two short films at film school. I went to Tisch Asia, which had a campus in Singapore. We also had an exchange program with Tisch in New York.

A Scots couple have slammed British Airways after their luggage was lost twice on a festive trip to Australia - both on the way there and the way back.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor It’s game on for Amazon MGM Studios‘ TV division! MGM Alternative, a division of Amazon MGM Studios, announced a pact with the Global Esports Federation to create a range of content built around the GEF’s Global Esports Games, esports pro athletes and “the gaming lifestyle.” MGM Alternative’s productions include such reality shows as “The Voice,” “Shark Tank” and “Survivor.” The Singapore-based GEF, founded in December 2019, says it “promotes the credibility, legitimacy and prestige of esports globally.” The organization and MGM Alternative will work together to develop new linear and streaming content, as well as live events within GEF’s esports conventions and events. “With the global interest in esports at an all-time high, we’re eager to share the stories and excitement surrounding the Global Esports Games, their athletes and the gaming lifestyle,” Barry Poznick, GM of MGM Alternative, said in a statement.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Mongrel,” a Taiwan-set drama film that has done the round of project markets, will appear at the International Film Festival Rotterdam as a work in progress. In addition to the screening of 15 minutes of footage, Taiwan-based Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang has confirmed the film’s cast as being headed by Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad (“Eternity,” “Manta Ray”) alongside Taiwanese female actor Lu Yi-ching (“The River”, “Stray Dogs”) and rapper Hong Yu-hong (“Bad Education”, “Miss Shampoo”) from Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One. Other key cast include Atchara Suwan (“By the Time It Gets Dark”), and Guo Shu-wei in his debut role.

Sum 41 has announced the details for their final tour.The iconic pop-punk band have previously shared they would split after the release of their final album, ‘Heaven :x: Hell’, and their worldwide tour.Now, Sum 41 have finally revealed their final tour called ‘The Tour of the Setting Sum’. The quintet previously unveiled their Asia dates two days ago, and have now specified their European and American dates.Monterrey will kick off the first leg of their North America tour, where Sum 41 will be joined by support act The Interrupters.

Prime Video is to change its content strategy in Southeast Asia from a model based on original productions to one focused instead on licensing. As a result it has cut some jobs in the region. The move follows last week’s announcement of a restructuring and several hundred job cuts in North America at Prime Video and the Amazon-owned MGM. “Today we have made the decision to discontinue some programs and initiatives, and rebalance our international organization to focus on the countries and regions driving the most growth for our service.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Prime Video Southeast Asia is cutting its originals team in Singapore and moving to a “leaner operating model,” as part of the globe wave of redundancies announced earlier this week.

BTS rapper Suga is the face of Valentino’s latest menswear campaign for its 2024 S/S collection, Valentino The Narratives.In a new campaign clip released by the Italian luxury fashion house, Suga shares a glimpse of his life as a star as he is ushered into a venue surrounded by fans and press while wearing a white Valentino suit.“The energy, individuality and story of stardom,” reads the accompanying caption. The campaign was directed by creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli and shot by photographer Theo Wenner.A post shared by Valentino (@maisonvalentino)Per Harper’s Bazaar Singapore, Valentino’s new The Narratives campaign features moments from the idol’s life, from the music studio to the streets of Seoul, as well as his public appearances among the press and fans.The musician was introduced as one of Valentino’s brand ambassadors called DI.VAs – standing for “Different Values” – almost a year ago.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief French cinema icon Catherine Deneuve has begun filming in Japan of “Spirit World,” a fantasy-drama film directed by Singapore’s Eric Khoo. Deneuve portrays a singer who dies suddenly while on tour in Japan. But her spirit lives on and she embarks on a journey to find humanity in the after-world.

Manchester has been named among the best places to visit in 2024 by The New York Times in its annual guide. The US publication has listed 52 places to travel to in the coming year, with the likes of Paris, Singapore and Florida also making the cut.

SoundCloud is reportedly going up for sale, and is predicted to fetch upwards of £1billion.News that the owners of the company – which is one of the world’s largest music streaming services – are preparing to sell comes via a new report from Sky News.According to the update, Raine Group and Temasek Holdings, the Singaporean state investment fund, have begun interviewing investment banks, related to a prospective auction of the brand.As of today (January 8), more than 40million artists are active on the platform, and a total of 320million songs have been released on the service since it launched over 15 years ago. First emerging back in 2007, the service has acted as a home for many artists – allowing them to publish their work online and direct listeners to their respective pages.The reports of the company going to auction follows a string of redundancies made in recent years.Back in August 2022, it was announced that SoundCloud would be making cuts to its workforce, and laying off approximately 20 per cent of its workforce globally.The reasons were attributed to changes in the economic and financial landscape, and followed another mass lay-off of staff seen in 2017, when a near-40 per cent cut was made.“During this difficult time, we are focused on providing the support and resources to those transitioning while reinforcing our commitment to executing our mission to lead what’s next in music,” the company wrote in a statement in 2022.As highlighted in today’s report, when Raine and Temasek invested in 2017, the business was reportedly on the brink of collapse.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese director Huo Meng, Taiwanese actor Lee Hong-chi and Macau-based Maxim Bessmertny are among a dozen emerging East Asian talent who will present feature film projects and works in progress at the Festival of Young Cinema (Asia-Europe). The inaugural edition of the festival, running Jan.

Dumfries lecturer Wallace Currie has made a New Year’s resolution to complete a fundraising charity walk...in 2025.

Kansas City Chiefs superfan Taylor Swift is resuming her international ‘Eras Tour’ that will send her and special guests Sabrina Carpenter, Paramore and Gracie Abrams all over the world in 2024.This time around, she’ll be hitting Asia, Europe, the U.S. and Canada.And while prices remain characteristically high, a select few concerts have seats going for under $500 before fees on Vivid Seats.Want to find out how much tickets cost for the show nearest — or farthest — from you?We’ve got you covered.Our team found all the best prices on U.S., Canada and international Taylor Swift 2024 ‘Eras Tour’ concerts below.All you have to do is scroll.See you at a show and make sure to save us a friendship bracelet.All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.A complete calendar including all upcoming tour dates, venues and the best ticket prices for all concerts can be found below.(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout.)Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.

Travis Kelce is revisiting The Eras Tour — and this time he’s bringing some company along!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Really, a company that creates augmented reality content for theatrical release movies has hired veteran media executive Peter Gaida as its chief commercial officer in Asia Pacific. The appointment is part of a wider expansion into Asia by the AR company. Founded by media entrepreneur James Andrew Felts in 2017, Really creates “highly functional, large-scale AR content” that it delivers weekly.

Jessica Jung has opened up about her state of mind when she left K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation in 2014.On December 20, Jessica Jung made an appearance on the Singaporean podcast series The Daily Ketchup Podcast, which coincided with her recent ‘Diamond Dreams’ concert in the city state.During her time on the podcast, one of the hosts asked the singer what “went through your head” during the time when she left K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation. “I try to put the past behind me, and I always try to look at the brighter things, brighter side,” she responded.“Of course, that time was one of the darkest times of my life, darkest periods of my life.

As BBC police procedural drama Vigil comes to its nail biting conclusion, fans will no doubt be sitting on the edge of their seats as they wait to discover exactly who was behind the hacked drones and what exactly they hoped to achieve by doing so. Since arriving on our screens two weeks ago, the exciting drama has captivated viewers at home for a second time, with the current season having followed hot on the heels of the show’s debut back in 2021, which was set on board a submarine.

NBCUniversal has recently purchased land in Bedford in the U.K. where it may build new a theme park.

SHINee member and soloist Taemin has released a music video for his song ‘The Rizzness’.The new video feature SHINee’s Taemin with a team of backup dancers as they perform in a cave-inspired set, with the scenes flitting between light and darkness. “You know I got the rizz / The rizzness / Swallows you up / My rizzness / Sit down and listen up, ooh / Sit down and listen up,” he sings in the chorus.The new clip came shortly after Taemin held the second day of his ‘Metamorph’ solo concert at the Inspire Arena in Seoul, South Korea over the weekend.

Tomorrow X Together, STAYC and more have been added to the line-up of ‘Music Bank in Antwerp’.Over the weekend, popular South Korean music chart show Music Bank announced the line-up of artists that will appear at its upcoming ‘Music Bank in Antwerp’ event.The concert will feature performances by K-pop groups Tomorrow X Together, STAYC, ONEUS, RIIZE and ZEROBASEONE, along with one more as-yet-unannounced act.‘Music Bank in Antwerp’ will take place on April 20, 2024 at the Sportpaleis, located in Antwerp, Belgium. Tickets to the event will go on sale this Wednesday (December 20) via the official Sportpaleis website.A post shared by VERYSHOW (@veryshow_prod)The upcoming ‘Music Bank in Antwerp’ concert will be the first Interational Music Bank show of 2024.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Oscar winners Dustin Hoffman and Helen Hunt are attached to star in Peter Greenaway‘s drama “Lucca Mortis,” which has started filming in the Tuscan city of Lucca. The new film by the 81-year-old iconoclastic British filmmaker and artist — known for arthouse hits such as “The Draughtsman’s Contract,” “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” and “The Pillow Book” — is the tale of a New York writer (Hoffman), who in in 2001, following the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, takes a sabbatical to visit Lucca in search of his distant Italian origins.

Naman Ramachandran Pham Thien An’s “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” which previously won the Golden Camera at Cannes, has won the Asian Feature Film Competition at the 34th Singapore International Film Festival. Yoon Eun-Kyung won best director for “The Tenants,” which also won the FIPRESCI award. “Dreaming & Dying,” by Singaporean director Nelson Yeo earned a special mention.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australian streamer Stan has acquired rights to both seasons, totaling 20 episodes, of the Malaysian adaptation of Scandinavian crime series “The Bridge.” The agreement, brokered by Lyle Bettson-Barker, SVP Australia and New Zealand from Banijay Rights, represents the first time that Stan has acquired a Malaysian drama series. The Asian version of “The Bridge” was initially commissioned by Viu and HBO Asia in 2018, after Double Vision, part of the Vision New Media group, introduced Viu to the format. It broadcast to across 23 territories in the combined footprints of Viu and HBO Asia and was also shown on Viu in South Africa.The title has garnered more than 20 regional awards and nominations across its two seasons, making it the most awarded drama in Malaysian history. Season one faithfully follows the original show, and sees a dead body found on the border between Malaysia and Singapore, necessitating an investigator from each country to work together to solve the crime.

Naman Ramachandran The Singapore Film Commission (SFC) celebrated its 25th anniversary during the 34th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) with a lavish party attended by the great and the good of the industry. Though the local box office for Singaporean films has yet to regain its pre-pandemic heights, they are doing well internationally with 2023 alone seeing selections at all the top festivals, including Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Busan and San Sebastian.