Singapore Showbiz Latest News and Updates

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.

Naman Ramachandran The burgeoning ‘acquimissions’ model of co-productions was one of the points of discussion at Singapore’s Asia TV Forum and Market. Conceptually, acquimissions blend the worlds of acquisitions and commissioning where independent producers and production studios engineer co-productions between themselves and platforms and commissioners across territories and windows.

Naman Ramachandran One of the most popular events at the 34th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) was a panorama event where six of the country’s leading indie film lights shared a panel to discuss opportunities and challenges. Opportunities are plentiful, with the festival world embracing Singaporean films and filmmakers warmly. Hong Kong-based Anthony Chen has had a stellar year with his directorial efforts “Drift” and “The Breaking Ice” which premiered at Sundance and Cannes, respectively.

Jaden Thompson Lola Dee, a popular singer in the 1950s who toured with Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante and Johnnie Ray, has died. She was 95. The pop singer, who was signed to Columbia and Mercury labels in the ’50s, died of natural causes in Hinsdale, Illinois at a nursing facility, as announced by her publicist and CD producer Alan Eichler.

Naman Ramachandran Singapore‘s Robot Playground Media (RPM) and Valencia-based co-producer TV ON Producciones (TOP) have commenced production on animated feature film “The Violinist,” it was revealed at the Asia TV Forum and Market. The film was unveiled at a presentation attended by the representatives of Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Spanish Embassy in Singapore.

Naman Ramachandran A documentary on revered filmmaker James Ivory is part of an eclectic slate from Min(d) Studio, New York, it was revealed on the sidelines of Singapore’s Asia TV Forum and Market. The boutique studio, the brainchild of Dev Benegal (New York City), Maya Patel (London and Hong Kong), Neeraj Jain (Los Angeles), came together during the pandemic with a shared vision to tell stories about people and cultures that are often unheard and unseen.

Skull & Bones has received yet another release date at The Game Awards 2023. It’s the game’s sixth planned launch following a series of delays.Skull & Bones is set to release on February 16 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Thailand’s broadcast and streaming group Mono Next and Korea’s Studio Genie have struck a deal to collaborate on content creation and distribution. Production of a Thai remake of a Korean series is on the cards, but has not been finalized. The memorandum was announced on stage at the Asia Television Forum in Singapore on Wednesday, with streaming unit Mono Streaming signing on behalf of the Thai group.

Naman Ramachandran Celebrity chef Asma Khan will host food documentary series “Tiffin Stories,” it was revealed at Singapore’s Asia TV Forum & Market. In the six-part “Tiffin Stories,” Asma Khan will be seen interacting with iconic Indians and the Indian diaspora, unearthing their nostalgia associated with food, while bringing to fore their life journeys. The series will be filmed in India and the U.K.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Singapore Film Commission and the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) have agreed to back training and development program Emerge, which supports writers, directors and producers to develop Chinese-language original films. The announcement was unveiled on Friday within the context of the Asia Television Forum (ATF) in Singapore.

Naman Ramachandran The popular Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) is back with an array of internationally renowned creators and characters. BBC Studios’ hit family animation “Bluey” is returning to the SGCC main stage and this time she will be joined by her sister Bingo in a new, refreshed “Bluey Live Experience,” which debuted last year.

Naman Ramachandran Singapore’s MediaCorp and Taiwanese production company Mission International have signed a memorandum of understanding for content development at the Asia TV Forum and Market (ATF). Mission International is led by producer Angie Chai, best known for hit teen idol drama “Meteor Garden” and forming successful boyband F4.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Korean-produced series “The Glory” won the best drama series award on Thursday at the Asian Academy Creative Awards Gala Final. Thai-produced TV movie “Hunger” was named best feature film. The awards are organized by the Asian Academy of Creative Arts (AACA) a.k.a Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA) and are held alongside the Asia Television Forum and Market (ATF) in Singapore. The AACA “was established to honor creative excellence and serve as a peer judged pinnacle of achievement in content creation, performance and media production.” By the conclusion of the gala ceremony, Singapore, Japan and India had each claimed seven prize wins.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China’s Linmon Media celebrated its tenth anniversary this week by unveiling 16 new shows for its 2024 production and release slate. The roster included seven Chinese period drama series, five contemporary shows and two more being made in Thailand. “We are not just a producer, we are a studio,” Zhou Yuan, co-founder and EVP of Linmon, told Variety on the sidelines of the company’s predominantly English-language presentation at the Asia Television Forum & Market in Singapore.

Hollywood dealmaking is becoming more reliant on the international market. That’s the word from production execs from Universal International Studios, Fremantle, Anonymous Content and Studiocanal talking on an Asia TV Forum & Market panel in Singapore today.