‘Fight for Freedom’ Picked up for North America – Global Bulletin

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Short-form video platform TikTok enjoyed a huge increase in viewership in the first six months of the year in Southeast Asia, contributing to a sudden halt to the overall growth of premium (SVOD) video, according to a new report. Data from AMPD and analysis from consultancy firm Media Partners Asia show that TikTok is increasingly a major driver of viewership growth on mobile and web platforms in the region, responsible for over 70% of growth in streaming minutes over the past two years.

YouTube video Tuesday that Mattel chose her to announce its “groundbreaking commitment to stop using plastic by 2030.”However, the Barbie manufacturer is not making this promise. A company spokesperson told The Post on Tuesday: “This is a hoax and has nothing to do with Mattel or any of its products.”The Post has contacted Hannah for comment. The eco-activist also announced a fictional line of MyCelia EcoWarrior Barbies, which included dolls inspired by fellow activists Greta Thunberg, Julia Butterfly Hill, Nemonte Nenquimo, Phoebe Plummer, and even Hannah herself.These fictional dolls would be produced using mushrooms and other organic materials, per a fake commercial.

Bebe Rexha’s personal life has made just as many headlines as her three-time Grammy-nominated music career.

"Dukes of Hazzard" star John Schneider hopes the new album he wrote to "honor" his late wife, Alicia Allain, will help others who are grieving their spouses. "What I've discovered is that there are — there's a huge demographic of people who've lost a spouse out there, and people are afraid to talk about it," the 63-year-old, who played Bo Duke on the 1979-1985 show, told the Daily Mail. "So we really have no support system.

Jason Aldean's "Try That In A Small Town" has topped the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The 46-year-old country star's tune, which released in May and debuted at No. 2 last month, soared to the No.

Jamie Foxx is crediting his sister Deidra Dixon with saving his life during his recent health scare. "Happy birthday to my beautiful for sister @frequency11 ‘D’… you are magical you are beautiful you are the courageous lionesses #leoseason And without you I would not be here," the 55-year-old wrote on Tuesday. "Had you not made the decisions that you made I would’ve lost my life….

Trinity Rodman is one of the biggest names in Women’s soccer, currently playing in the Women’s World Cup. The daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, and Michelle Moyer, has had the world captivated since she was selected as the second overall pick in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) at just 18. As her star power rises, there has also been a deep interest in her personal life off the field.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is wrecking all sorts of records. To celebrate, she’s making sure that everyone involved with the show’s making is happy and paid well for their contributions, granting million dollar bonuses to her entire crew. The reason Meghan Markle wrote Taylor Swift a personal letter: reportWatch the 10 Best Celebrity TikToks of the Week: Britney Spears, Shakira, Kylie Jenner, and moreRauw Alejandro lights up the stage in Monterrey: PhotosA post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)Swift has been granting $100,000 bonuses to the bus drivers charged with transporting her sound and stage equipment all over the country, reports TMZ.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is a sucker for Nick Jonas’ love — and isn’t afraid to get cozy with her husband in public.

Sad news for fans of The Chicks.

Kanye West‘s failed 2020 presidential campaign is coming under fire after committee attorneys and hired campaign treasury experts have uncovered what they say is serious “fraud and malfeasance” regarding campaign funds.

Seth MacFarlane is giving back in a major way.

Well, we guess that answers that!

The Daily Show is close to hiring Hasan Minhaj as its new host, according to new reports.

Treat Williams' fatal motorcycle accident has been charged. On Tuesday, the Vermont State Police revealed that Ryan Koss has been charged with grossly negligent operation with death resulting after the June 12 crash.According to the VSP, at the conclusion of its investigation, the Bennington County State's Attorney's Office requested that they issue the charge to Koss.Koss, 35, was driving the Honda Element SUV that turned into the path of Williams' motorcycle. VSP previously said that they believed Koss attempted to drive into a parking lot, stopping and signaling a left turn, before turning into the path of Williams' motorcycle.

Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips — on sale at Amazon. Crest whitening products are up to 36% off to help you achieve a brighter smile for less.Crest's 3D Whitestrips are the leading teeth whitening products. Crest says the strips can get your teeth up to 12 levels whiter in just 10 days of use.The classic 3D Whitestrips use a hydrogen peroxide gel to remove stains from teeth without harming the enamel, according to Crest.

Amazon's back-to-school sale include major AirPods deals to save on Apple’s entire lineup of popular audio gear. The impressive sound quality and portable design of AirPods makes it hard to leave the house without them. From the noise-cancelling AirPods Max to the second-generation AirPods Pro at their all-time low price, we've found all the best AirPods deals on Amazon that you won't want to miss.

That Chick Angel's popular single, «One Margarita,» has taken on a wild life all its own.That Chick Angel — whose real name is Angel Laketa Moore — recently opened up to ET's Deidre Behar about creating the now-viral song, which features Saucy Santana on the remix, and how the track first came to be.«It all started in late May,» she recalled. «I was on my podcast… and we were covering a viral video at the time… and it was with Sister Cindy, who has her own big internet following, who is a very vivacious bold minister that preaches on campuses about abstinence.»«In the video, she was just talking about the dangers of alcohol and how women just become out of their mind with sexual acts… and when I heard it, right before we started the show, in my head I was like 'Hmm, this feels more like the inspiration of a rap song,'» said Moore.

Gigi Hadid is speaking out about her sister's health. The 28-year-old model took to her Instagram Story on Tuesday to explain a throwback pic she shared with Bella Hadid last month.On July 26, Gigi shared a pic from the year prior that showed her and her younger sister backstage at a fashion show.

The 1975 have announced that their self-titled debut album will be reissued on vinyl for its 10th anniversary, as well as confirming the sale of accompanying merch bundles.The new formats will be available to purchase from September 1, alongside a range of new and classic merch.The band’s debut album will be available on various new limited edition formats, including a 4LP deluxe vinyl release containing ‘The 1975′ plus their early EPs ‘Facedown’, ‘Sex’, ‘Music For Cars’ and ‘IV’ EP, plus a solid white vinyl release in gatefold sleeve, a limited edition white cassette and 2CD set containing the original album and a live album of ‘The 1975’ played in full at Gorilla in Manchester, at a show earlier this year.Released on September 1, 2013, The 1975’s self-titled album featured songs including ‘Chocolate’, ‘Sex’, ‘Girls’ and ‘Robbers’ and topped the charts on its release.A post shared by The1975 (@the1975)The band will be performing the album in full when they headline Reading and Leeds later this month. They were drafted in to replace Lewis Capaldi, who announced that he would be taking a break from all live performances for the time being following his Glastonbury showcase to focus on his mental and physical health.The 1975 notably also headlined last year’s iconic twin-site festival alongside Arctic Monkeys, Megan Thee Stallion, Dave, Bring Me The Horizon and Halsey, having been drafted in to replace Rage Against The Machine.The band’s frontman Matty Healy recently joined American filmmaker Caveh Zahedi in his latest episode of Getting Stoned With…, in which the singer learns who the Mountain Goats are while high.“Have you read John Darnielle’s novels?” Zahedi asked.

Erykah Badu is dropping some severe shade in Beyoncé’s direction.

Ethan Hawke has been a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild for quite some time.

Oprah Winfrey is buzzing her way to the top of the Beyhive.

NeNe Leakes is speaking her piece about her fractured relationship with Andy Cohen and the rest of the Bravo executive boardroom.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Screen Producers Australia, an Australian guild, moved quickly on Friday to explain that wholly local film and TV productions, even if they involve Screen Actors Guild members, can continue to roll despite the SAG-AFTRA strike notice and order, which has been in place since midnight Pacific time. The English-speaking country has an oversize production and post-production sector, with much of it set up to service inbound foreign productions, sometimes known as “runaway productions.” Strike orders “will apply to some scripted TV and feature films produced in Australia. SPA anticipates that a limited number of scripted ‘offshore’ (i.e. non-Australian) productions will be affected by the strike, with cast and crew stood down while the strike continues,” the SPA notice says.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Specialty distributor, Trinity CineAsia is releasing China’s summer blockbuster “Lost in the Stars” in the U.K and Ireland on some 30 screens from Friday. “I was fortunate to watch the film when it opened in China and once I saw it I just knew we had to have it,” said Cedric Behrel “‘Lost In The Stars’ is a very clever, uncanny thrill of a ride that harks back to classic Hitchcock and any noteworthy thriller since – the master himself had in fact once optioned the rights to the same story. We organized the fastest turnaround premiere known to man and we’ve been delighted by the reactions to the early previews. It epitomizes the best of what new Chinese cinema can bring to audiences.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Wanda Investment, a subsidiary of the privately-owned Chinese property giant Dalian Wanda, has sold an 8.3% stake in Wanda Film Holding for RMB2.2 billion ($306 million). Wanda Film, which is listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange, operates China’s largest circuit of multiplexes and retains a stake in Hollywood producer Legendary Entertainment (“Dune”). The buyer is Lu Lili, the wife of Shen Jun, the controller of East Money Information, a financial data platform, Wanda Film said in a regulatory filing this week. The share sale appears to be a move to raise finance for Dalian Wanda and Wang Jianlin, the politically-connected former army officer who built one of China’s largest property empires and from 2012 mounted a seven-year campaign to own a large chunk of Hollywood.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sakamoto Ryuichi, the Japanese film composer and music supervisor who died in March, has been posthumously named as the recipient of the Jecheon Film Music Award at the 19th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (Aug. 10-15). Sakamoto won Academy Awards and Golden Globes for his score for “The Last Emperor” and has other credits including “The Sheltering Sky,” “Railroad Man,” “The Revenant,” “Call Me By Your Name” and “The Fortress.”Abrai Joji from Commons the music label established jointly with Sakamoto, and Yutaka Toyama from Promax, which had produced Sakamoto’s concerts since 1986, will visit the festival. Additionally, a tribute concert will be held on Aug. 12 at the Jecheon Stadium.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean star Park Eun-bin is confirmed to lead Netflix’s upcoming series “Castaway Diva,” set to premiere in late 2023. Park previously starred in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” the hit series that featured in Netflix’s non-English global top ten chart for 21 weeks and reached the top ten titles in 57 countries. In the new series, Park brings to life the character of Seo Mok-ha, an aspiring singer turned castaway who, after being stranded on a deserted island for 15 years, commences her journey to become a diva. Joining her are renowned actors Kim Hyo-jin, Chae Jong-hyeop, Cha Hak-yeon, and Kim Joo-hun. Kim Hyo-jin portrays a once-popular singer who is the idol of Seo and who seeks a new lease of life after encountering her fan from the island.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The upcoming Asian-American feature film “Chopin,” starring Eddie Liu (“Kung Fu,” Never Have I Ever, “Silicon Valley”) and Violett Beane (“God Friended Me,” “The Flash”), officially wrapped a 25-day shoot on June 4. Announced last year, the film is now in post-production and scheduled for an early 2024 premiere. The film is the feature directorial debut of Vincent Lin, a successful commercials director and co-founder of Valiant Pictures. The film, written by Lin, also stars Golden Horse Film Award winner Leon Dai (“Your Name Engraved Herein,” “Cannot Live Without You”) and Taiwanese legend Wu Min (“The Queen!”).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Melbourne International Film Festival has unveiled the full lineup for its 2023 edition, with “Shayda,” by Australian-Iranian director Noora Niasari, set as the opening title. The festival will run as a live event August 3-20, at venues around the city and its suburbs, and online Aug 18 – 27. The hybrid format was developed during the COVID pandemic and MIFF found it useful as a tool to reach further away audiences and wider demographics than a strictly in-theater edition. The ‘Bright Horizons’ competition section open to films by first- or second-time feature directors contains an 11-title mix of new and recently-debuted works.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Smash hit Japanese animation feature “The First Slam Dunk” is set to be the first film theatrically released by newly-launched Australian distribution and New Zealand licensing firm Sugoi Co. The company is headed by Tim Anderson, founder and former CEO of Madman Entertainment, the Australian indie with a strong leaning for Japanese content, and Sylvester “Sly” Ip. The pair made an announcement on Twitter and conducted a soft launch at the recent Anime Expo in Los Angeles. “The First Slam Dunk. Coming soon to cinemas across Australia. Follow us for full release and ticket info,” said Sugoi Co on Twitter.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Disney+ has set an Aug. 9 upload date for Korean series “Moving” from webtoon pioneer Kang Full. The previously announced title forms part of a 20-component slate of films and series from East Asia that will release on the Disney-backed streaming platform in the second half of 2023 and through 2024.Also from Korea is “The Worst of Evil,” a detective series in which a rural policemen is brought to the big city to bring down a DJ dealing in a potent new drug. It stars Ji Changwook, “Squid Game” actor Wi Hajun and Lim Semi. Highlights from Japan include “Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc,” the latest instalments of a popular anime franchise, and the previously announced “Dragons of Wonderhatch,” a hybrid story set in both the “real world” and an anime land where dragons and humans coexist. The multi-dimensional story stars Nakajima Sena, Okudaira Daiken and Mackenyu.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Netflix has acquired Nippon TV’s upcoming already completed rom-com drama “Turn to me Mukai-kun.” The series explores the story of a man who has lost touch with the intricacies of a relationship, a universal theme for anyone unlucky in love, or in search of that special someone. The series will stream on Netflix Japan starting Wednesday, immediately after Nippon TV’s Wednesday primetime air slot, with global streaming of the series to follow on all Netflix outlets. Hulu Japan, which is owned by Nippon TV, will also stream the series immediately after the Japan terrestrial and cable broadcast.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Pixar animation film “Elemental” expanded further at the South Korean box office in its fourth weekend of release, giving the film its third weekend triumph in four weeks of release. “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” took third place from preview screening ahead of its official release on Wednesday. “Elemental” earned $6.11 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the box office tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That represented a 14% increase on its previous weekend performance and was the best of its four weekends so far. It also increased its market share to 49%, also its strongest market position, despite only adding a handful of additional screens.