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From a heavy metal band in hijabs, a message of girl power Deccan Herald Article From & Read More ( From a heavy metal band in hijabs, a message of girl power - Deccan Herald )
After kicking off the 2024 WWE Draft on SmackDown this past Friday, the draft came to a close during Monday night's edition of Raw. There were a few surprises along the way, but maybe none bigger than Drew McIntyre tumbling all the way to the end of the third round.
With McIntyre's recent attitude shift and the fact that CM Punk was drafted ahead of him, this led to some big frustration for the Scottish Warrior.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
Some expected big names were taken in the early rounds, with Gunther (along with Ludwig Kaiser) as the first pick of the draft for Raw, followed by SmackDown locking down top prospect Jade Cargill. CM Punk was taken by Raw in the first pick of the second round, making him Monday's fifth overall pick. It wouldn't be until pick No. 11 until McIntyre had his name called.
A furious McIntyre ranted about the situation, claiming Punk broke his elbow when he attacked at WrestleMania. McIntyre said he tapes up his injuries and continues to show up, no matter what, unlike Punk, who then appeared in a luxury box, taunting McIntyre. McIntyre tried to track Punk down, eventually finding the luxury box only for Punk to come to the ring, forcing McIntyre to watch as Punk cut a promo on his plan to make McIntyre's life hell once Punk is cleared from the torn tricep suffered back at the Royal Rumble.
The WWE Draft is always complicated to watch as a fan. It can't operate fully on logic because that wouldn't serve the goal of setting up the Raw and SmackDown rosters for the next year, but when picks simply don't make sense, it gets distracting. That was certainly the case in 2024. At least the interactions between Punk and McIntyre remain razor sharp, with both men constantly making valid points about the other, leaving it to the viewer who is actually in the right. Grade: C
Take a look at the WWE Draft results below.
|
1 (FRI) |
Bianca Belair |
Jey Uso |
| Carmelo Hayes | Seth Rollins |
|
|
2 |
Randy Orton |
Bron Breakker |
| Nia Jax | Liv Morgan | |
|
3 |
LA Knight |
Ricochet |
| The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman) |
Sheamus |
|
| 4 |
AJ Styles |
Alpha Academy (Chad Gable, Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri) |
| Andrade |
Kiana James |
|
| 1 (MON) | Jade Cargill | Imperium (Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser) |
| Kevin Owens | Damage CTRL (Iyo Sky, Asuka, Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane) | |
| 2 | The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford, Angelo Dawkins & B-Fab) | CM Punk |
| Tiffany Stratton | Braun Strowman | |
| 3 | Legado Del Fantasma |
LWO |
| Shinsuke Nakamura | Drew McIntyre | |
| 4 | Naomi | The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio) |
| Chelsea Green & Piper Niven | Ilja Dragunov |
|
| 5 | Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) |
The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) |
| Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell |
Lyra Valkyria |
|
| 6 | #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) | The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Akam, Rezar) |
| Blair Davenport |
Bronson Reed |
Netflix has released a first look at Trigger Warning, a new action movie starring The Night Agent's Gabriel Basso and Fantastic Four's Jessica Alba.
The film follows Special Forces commando Parker (Alba) as she returns to her hometown upon hearing the news that her father has died.
She soon finds herself in conflict with a local violent gang, and draws on her training in order to deal with them, while also trying to unravel the conspiracy surrounding the truth about her father's death.
Related: Rebel Moon 2 sets unwanted record for Zack Snyder
Basso plays a local dealer named Mike, whose connections prove useful to Parker, while comedian Tone Ball plays fellow ally Spider, a hacker.
Scott Pilgrim actor Mark Webber and Chicago Fire's Jake Weary play Parker's ex-boyfriend Jesse and his brother Elvis, respectively, while The Goldbergs' Anthony Michael Hall plays their father, Senator Swann.
Speaking to Netflix's Tudum, Alba spoke about getting stuck into the violence, and how she wanted to emulate some of her on-screen action heroines.
Related: The Thursday Murder Club movie picked up by Netflix
"I haven't really done hand-to-hand combat and intense action in such a long time," she said. "I really wanted it to be a more intimate kind of fighting experience if I needed to take somebody out. I loved Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita. I also loved Ripley [in Alien], and I love Sarah Connor in Terminator."
She also channeled some of her own family tragedy into her performance, stating: "My grandfather passed away in the process of developing this movie. I drew from a lot of that personal experience when I was doing the movie just because it literally just happened, and I got to actually use a lot of my family's photos in the scenes in the bar."
Trigger Warning will release on Netflix on June 21.
Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer and resident Welsh person at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016.
In his time he's covered a host of live events, interviewed celebrities big and small and crowbarred a countless amount of great/awful (delete as appropriate) puns into articles.
A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe's main interest is in video gaming. Although particularly a PlayStation gamer, he plays across Xbox, Nintendo and PC/Steam Deck, and likes to keep tabs on many games he's not got the time to play.
Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish (which you really should do).
How do you solve a problem like Ika Natassa?
As beloved her novels are, somehow the motion picture adaptations of those novels (so far) have been, to put it as politely as possible, ‘uneven’. Monty Tiwa and Robert Ronny’s cinematic take on Critical Eleven (2017), in retrospect, was too soapy for its own good. Rizal Mantovani’s interpretation of Antologi Rasa (2019), based on what many still praise as Ika Natassa’s best novel, ended up becoming one of the most forgettable Indonesian features of the 2010s. Benni Setiawan’s Twivortiare (2019), on the other hand, played things so safely that it failed to encourage a more profound conversation on the subject of divorce.
Of course, Ika Natassa is not to blame for this ‘uneven’-ness. In fact, in an impressively strange way, Ika Natassa could think of such ‘uneven’-ness as a compliment. One of the main reasons why her novels have enjoyed nationwide popularity — not to mention, a rare following even among the non-bibliophiles — is how the author managed to cajole her readers into a detailed world of imagination, charm and complexity mingled together in a seductively chic waltz. Having said that, the more captivating a novel is, the more difficult it will be to be adapted into a different medium. Turning that seductively chic waltz into a two-hour pic could easily feel like a summation as opposed to an adaptation. Ika Natassa is not alone in this odd predicament, though. The Indonesian film industry has grown pretty significantly over the past two decades, yet most filmmakers are still hesitant to raise their hand and adapt anything from Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s iconic bibliography.
And then, along came Teddy Soeriaatmadja (2011 Lovely Man, 2023 Hubungi Agen Gue!), who was announced as the director of the motion picture adaptation of Ika Natassa’s 2016 novel The Architecture of Love. Similar to the previous adaptations, the romantic drama features an emerging critical darling (Putri Marino) and a proven leading man (Nicholas Saputra). All in all, the casting felt electrifying if not blatantly formulaic. Unfortunately, if I could be more brutally honest here, I was initially worried that, even before I actually saw the film, I might have seen it already.
Thank God I was wrong.
As a source material for a film, the simplicity and the more relatively straightforward nature of The Architecture of Love allows the film director in question a wider option of which direction the latter is better off to. In the case of Teddy Soeriaatmadja, however, he decided to lean in towards a lighthearted direction. In theory, at least, this direction might appear to be the most ill-advised one considering how, this time, the drama and the turmoil were the elements that made Ika Natassa’s twosome, Raia Risjad and River Jusuf, very much beguiling in the eyes and the imagination of the readers.
But then, something strange, yet very much delightful happened. With Teddy Soeriaatmadja deliberately downplaying the dramatic elements to a nearly nuanced level, The Architecture of Love turns into a grounded and serene investigation of time and forgiveness. By not smothering his audiences with tragedy porn, Teddy Soeriaatmadja translated Raia Risjad and River Jusuf into what they were supposed to be in the first place: two human beings, made of flesh and blood, who are simply doing their best in life.
Another gold stroke that Teddy Soeriaatmadja painted to a surprisingly delightful result was how he deliberately avoided having New York City as a character within The Architecture of Love — a creative move that was contrary to how Ika Natassa portrayed the city in her novel. Teddy Soeriaatmadja’s decision might feel head-scratching at first, but, when all’s said and done, it was, indeed, for the better. As romantic as New York City is, in both fiction and real life, it should not steal the spotlight from the actual love story taking place in the story. Raia Risjad and River Jusuf strolling around and exploring the city is cute, but the cuteness stopped there. After all, New York City should not be the reason why the cinephiles should flock to the theatres to check out The Architecture of Love.
Ultimately, what makes The Architecture of Love the cutest Indonesian romance of the decade (so far) is the effortless chemistry between Putri Marino and Nicholas Saputra. In theory, a female writer mending her heartbreak overseas should have been the most annoying heroine ever. However, Putri Marino’s unpredictable acting choices in embodying her Raia Risjad stretch beyond a traditionally lovable heroine (please take notes, Carissa Perusset) and turn her into somebody that you could actually bump into someday — in the borough of New York City or a wedding ballroom in Jakarta. Raia Risjad is oftentimes seen smiling for a huge chunk of The Architecture of Love, but these are not Meg Ryan-knockoff smiles. Putri Marino proves her class by showcasing how, sometimes, a smile can be more heartbreaking than a teardrop.
It is surprising to see that Nicholas Saputra was willing to join in what is essentially an adorable romance between and for adults. Be that as it may, after 22 years in the film biz, his empathetically flawed River Jusuf is perhaps his most effortless performance yet. From the supporting cast department, the fact that Jerome Kurnia shares plenty of screen time with either Putri Marino or Nicholas Saputra without flinching or even losing his magnetism deserves separate applause.
Although the inclusion of Ardhito Pramono’s “Here We Go Again / Fanboi” is clichĂ© AF (New York City, jazz, kissing — yeah, yeah, we get it), having the youngins Pepita (“Falling For You”) and Raissa Anggiani (“Losing Us”) decorate the narrative of The Architecture of Love beautifully underline Teddy Soeriaatmadja’s subtle message within the film. Those two songs, written by teenagers about a very teenage experience, made for a surprisingly appropriate theme number to magnify the youthful sparks between the thirtysomethings Raia Risjad and River Jusuf. This result was contrary to when the more veteran Isyana Sarasvati contributed a song (“Sekali Lagi”) to Critical Eleven. In retrospect, “Sekali Lagi” was a beautiful song, but it did nothing to help provide deeper thoughts about the romance at play.
If there is a downside to the delightful The Architecture of Love, it would most likely be how the delights exuded by the film might rub off certain audiences in a wrong way. Audiences who have already grown accustomed to Putri Marino’s and Nicholas Saputra’s dramatic turns might consider The Architecture of Love too shallow for their respective talents whereas audiences who are not satisfied with Teddy Soeriaatmadja’s Hubungi Agen Gue! might prefer having the director churn out something in the vein of Lovely Man as opposed to a major-studio, metro-pop romance. For better or for worse, only time can tell whether our audiences would be open-minded enough to understand that no over-abundance of tears, yelling, or baby-making sex is ever necessary to deliver an adult-oriented love story.
Next up on the list of Ika Natassa’s novel adaptations is her 2022 novel Heartbreak Motel, for which the motion picture adaptation will be directed by Angga Dwimas Sasongko (13 Bom Di Jakarta) and starring a threesome of more big-banner talents: Laura Basuki, Chicco Jerikho, and Reza Rahadian. Will they be able to follow the sweet-as-honey path made by Teddy Soeriaatmadja or will Angga Dwimas Sasongko decide to spice things up instead? In a perfect world, it would be ideal for Angga Dwimas Sasongko to at least take a few notes from Teddy Soeriaatmadja’s The Architecture of Love. Contrary to a very foolish public assumption, adult romance can be way more adorable than a couple of high-schoolers.
Rest easy, Teddy Soeriaatmadja. You nailed it.
The Architecture of Love is scheduled to premiere in Indonesian theatres on the 30th of April. Photos courtesy of the official Instagram account of The Architecture of Love.
Article From & Read More ( 'The Architecture of Love' Film Review: Teddy Soeriaatmadja Channels 'Mature' Cuteness to Surprisingly Delightful Results - Indonesia Expat )Queen of Tears, tvN's highest-rated K-drama, is nearing its conclusion with just one episode remaining. The finale is scheduled to air on April 28, KST, sparking debates online about whether it will have a happy or open ending. The leading cast of the show, including Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won, recently celebrated the wrap-up party with the entire crew and cast. The event drew an incredible and enthusiastic fan turnout, leaving everyone stunned by the overwhelming support.
Also read: Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 259 delayed by one week: Release date, spoilers and leaks
Numerous photos and videos from the set have been shared online, showing the amazing Kim Soo Hyun interacting with his fans. At one point, he even screamed 'Hong Hae in', which made everyone laugh with his witty humour. Meanwhile, leading lady Kim Ji Won appeared visibly emotional and stunned by the massive crowd gathered outside the venue to show their support and encouragement. The crowd of fans and journalists was so huge that the sidewalks were completely blocked off. It was a truly sweet and heartwarming scene!
“Baek Hyunwoo's popularity is no joke; men and women are shouting his name, Kim Soohyun, Soohyunah #KimSoohyun never stops creating a syndrome.” A fan wrote on X (Twitter) next to the video which showed the Its Okay to Not be Okay star interacting with the crowd as he stepped outside his car.
While fans cheering for the stars and their shows is not unusual, the genuine surprise and disbelief on Kim Ji Won's face reflects the immense love and impact that the Netflix series Queen of Tears has had on viewers both domestically and on the global front. Decked out in a smart white blazer, with gold buttons, and jeans that are more of a classic style, Ji Won spoke to the crowd and delivered a sweet moment that had everyone in tears of joy.
Shortly after the entry of Queen Group conglomerate's heiress, Kim Soo Hyun made an entrance looking dapper in a black all-over outfit. Sporting a black tunic paired with sleek trousers and white sneakers, he turned on the heat leaving fans screaming his name. Although his popularity in the Korean entertainment industry is well-known given he is the top-paid star, his role in this new show has undoubtedly enhanced his standing even further. Supporting cast members, including Park Sung Hoon, who portrays the antagonist Yoon Eun Sung also joined the celebration.
“Kim Ji Won was so surprised and cant believe the amount of fans who came to the wrap up party shes so cute.” Another fan wrote on X. “Kim jiwoon doing the TT pose during the Queen Of Tears wrap-up party venue.”
On April 23rd, tvN revealed that Queen of Tears' penultimate and last episodes (episodes 15 & 16) will be aired at 9:10 p.m., with the first episode (Hyun Woo & Hae In) 10 minutes earlier than usual. There were rumours about special episodes airing on May first week, however looks like that’s not the case.
Viewers will be able to watch Queen of Tears for 10 minutes more than usual. Some people think that this extra time could mean that more content will be added to the show than what was originally planned. The change in plan occurred after many fans expressed their disappointment with the show’s conclusion and demanded more screentime for the leads.
Get more updates from Bollywood, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.
HYBE is part of religious cult? Agency reacts to rumours
In the days following ADOR CEO's Min Hee-jin's press conference, rumors about HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk and the label's involvement in an organization believed to be a cult have taking the internet by storm. The organization in question, Dahn World, was founded by Lee Seung-heon. While Lee Seung-heun dubs himself as an 'author and educator who helps people use the full potential of the brain,' the founder of Dahn World is often referred to as a cult leader and a classic 'charismatic con man.'
Aside from BTS, fans found 'evidence' that links TXT, GFRIEND, NewJeans and LE SSERAFIM to the religious cult. As per reports, Dahn World promotes the idea that man and God are one, and followers worship Mago the goddess of the universe. Mago was the final title track of HYBE's now disbanded girl group GFRIEND, which was released under a 'modern witch' concept. Many believe that GFRIEND ending with a witch concept and LE SSERAFIM debuting a day after Walpurgis Night (April 30 to May 1) with a name referring to Old Testament angels is no coincidence. LE SSERAFIM's concept content has also come under question.
With such rumours spreading, many speculated that Min Hee-jin allegedly did not want to be associated with HYBE's cult connection. Netizens pointed out that the ADOR CEO had created a separate communications app, Phoning instead of Weverse, for NewJeans as Weverse shares a name with WeaversMind, an education company believed to have Dahn World connections. However, these are simply just rumours and speculation.
Carmelo Hayes has been drafted from NXT to the WWE main roster in the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft tonight (April 26).
The first round of night one of the 2024 WWE Draft is in the books as doing the honors of making the announcements, Triple H for Raw and Cody Rhodes for SmackDown.
Cody announced SmackDown’s first pick was Bianca Belair, keeping the EST on the blue brand.
Triple H announced that Raw drafted Main Event Jey Uso as its first pick, even inspiring a ‘Yeet!’ from the boss.
Rhodes announced SmackDown’s next pick and the headline of round one, former NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes.
The final pick of the first round, Raw selected Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins, ensuring that he would remain on the red brand.
After the pick, Carmelo Hayes made an entrance and introduced himself to the main roster audience.
Hayes immediately stepped up to Cody Rhodes, noting that he wants to shoot his shot here on SmackDown against the champion.
Rhodes accepted the challenge and the match is set for tonight on WWE SmackDown as Carmelo Hayes will make his official main roster debut against the current Undisputed WWE Champion.
Keep up with all the 2024 WWE Draft picks at this link.
WHAT! FIRST ROUND #WWEDRAFT PICK @Carmelo_WWE just challenged @CodyRhodes to a match… TONIGHT! đ„đ„đ„
Don't miss it later tonight! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/GjuPpqJF2O
— WWE (@WWE) April 27, 2024
Want a career in the professional wrestling industry but don’t know where to start? Enrolment is now open for the first-of-its-kind Wrestling Masterclass – click here for details!
Article From & Read More ( Carmelo Hayes Called Up In First Round Of 2024 WWE Draft - https://ift.tt/SjexMik )
Min Hee-jin, famed superproducer and chief of ADOR, a powerhouse subsidiary of HYBE, speaks during a press conference in Seoul on April 25, 2024. The agency behind K-pop sensation BTS, HYBE, said on April 23, that it had launched an audit into its subsidiary label ADOR, which manages popular girl group NewJeans, a two-year-old K-pop phenomenon who have topped global charts. YONHAP / AFP
SEOUL, South Korea — The creative director behind the girl band NewJeans has found online fame after a tearful, profanity-laced news conference in which she slammed some of K-pop’s most powerful executives as “middle-aged jerks.”
HYBE, the South Korean agency behind K-pop sensation BTS, filed a legal complaint on Thursday, April 25, against Min Hee Jin, the head of its powerhouse subsidiary label ADOR, for breach of trust in business.
That followed an announcement three days earlier that it had launched an audit of ADOR and demanded that Min resign. HYBE’s share price fell close to 10 percent after the audit was announced and closed on Friday down 4.95 percent.
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Min, 44, hit back in a news conference on Thursday that drew empathy online from young working men and women who compared her story with their own experiences with unreasonable and jealous bosses who either took credit for their work or failed to acknowledge it fairly.
Others, however, said she had acted inappropriately and unprofessionally by occasionally lapsing into profanity.
She denied HYBE’s accusations and claimed it was trying to dismiss her unfairly after she accused another of its subsidiaries, BELIFT LAB, of imitating NewJeans with a girl group of its own called ILLIT.
Min, speaking off the cuff and often breaking down in tears, candidly shared her frustrations for more than two hours.
She referred to HYBE’s leaders, including chairman Bang Si-hyuk, the man behind BTS, as “gaejeossi,” which translates roughly to a “middle-aged or old male jerk.”
“I feel betrayed by HYBE… they used me until I was no longer of use to them,” she said.
‘Undermined’
The live-streamed event, during which even her lawyers appeared embarrassed, had millions of views and drew an explosive public response.
One parody YouTube video seen by 2.5 million viewers combined a clip of Min speaking passionately with hip-hop music. The t-shirt and baseball cap she was wearing sold out on several online platforms and many others said they had suffered similar experiences.
“Women who have truly worked (hard) and experienced being undermined by men, along with the dirty side of office politics, could never speak ill of Min Hee-jin,” a South Korean woman said on social media platform X.
But Lee Moon-won, a culture critic who watched the news conference, said Min sidestepped the real allegations against her.
“No figure as influential as Min in the entertainment industry has ever used curse words during an official press conference, people have really never seen anything like it, so this obviously has attracted enormous attention,” he told AFP.
‘Incompetence and vulgarity’
Min, who joined the industry in the early 2000s, is widely regarded as one of the most successful producers in K-pop, having worked with stars such as Girls’ Generation, EXO and SHINee.
NewJeans, a K-pop phenomenon that made its debut in 2022 and whose members are all under 20, is among HYBE’s most successful K-pop groups along with BTS.
As one of few successful women producers in the industry, Min has been recognized for her arresting visual imagery on numerous K-pop hits including Girls’ Generation’s “Gee” and EXO’s “Growl.”
NewJeans has topped global charts, including the Billboard 200, and broke the Guinness World Record last year for “Fastest K-pop act to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify.”
Min said HYBE chairman Bang never congratulated her on NewJeans’ debut and that the parent company had given promotional priority to another of its K-pop groups, Le Sserafim.
HYBE rejected Min’s accusations and urged her again to resign and stop discussing NewJeans.
Some experts criticized both Min and HYBE over a scandal that has gripped much of South Korea.
K-pop columnist Isak Choi said those involved showed “incompetence and vulgarity by not hesitating to publicly display infighting.”
Just because Min criticized HYBE’s leadership, “it doesn’t mean she is free from the rotten issues of this industry,” Choi wrote on X.
“She cannot become the underdog simply because she is fighting with the management, especially after having gained astronomical benefits from within it.”
EDITORS' PICK
BANGKOK -- Just like a Hollywood fantasy, the dream call came as a complete surprise to Irish actor Eoin O'Brien. On the phone was Deborah Snyder, co-producer of films such as "Man of Steel" (2013), "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016)" and "Army of the Dead" (2021).
A martial arts expert mostly known for his fight scenes, O'Brien had performed in small parts in dozens of movies. But this was different, potentially his big break. "She said she'd seen me in 'The Last Full Measure,' and really liked me," he said. The 2019 film featured a host of stars including William Hurt, Samuel Jackson, Christopher Plummer and Peter Fonda.
Article From & Read More ( Thai film exposes alleged Hollywood 'Con Queen' - Nikkei Asia )
According to one exclusive media outlet report on April 26 KST, ALICE (formerly ELRIS) member Kim So Hee (24) will be marrying a non-celebrity businessman 15-years older than her this year.
The two plan to register their marriage next month after dating for one year. A small ceremony will also be held with close friends and acquaintances some time soon.
With her marriage, Kim So Hee intends on retiring from the entertainment industry, the media outlet reported. Her exclusive contract with IOK Company, the label currently managing ALICE, will come to an end next month. Kim So Hee has chosen not to renew her contract, and will instead retire from entertainment.
A representative of IOK Company confirmed, "It's true that Kim So Hee is planning to marry her boyfriend. She has decided to retire from the entertainment industry, and so her exclusive contract will expire next month."
Meanwhile, Kim So Hee debuted as a member of ELRIS in 2017. The group was rebranded as ALICE in April of 2022 under new management, going on to release albums such as 'Dance On' and 'Show Down'.
Apple TV+'s three-part series about "how one person fooled an entire industry" premieres May 8
The story of the infamous “Hollywood Con Queen” — a long-running scam where an impersonator lured film industry hopefuls to Indonesia with the promise of career breakthroughs — will be the focus of an upcoming Apple TV+ series, and Rolling Stone has your first look at the trailer.
The preview for three-part Hollywood Con Queen lays out the premise of the stranger-than-fiction story that sparked dozens of articles, books, and podcasts: The titular “Con Queen,” impersonating powerful female producers phone calls, convinces a string of low-level actors, photographers, and other film industry workers to venture to Indonesia with their own finances.
Alas, the big break never comes, and the victims of the scam were often lured into something more sinister. “She wanted to get inside the minds and dreams of people and twist them and destroy them,” one victim says in the trailer. “Their sole purpose was psychological devastation.”
Apple TV+ said in its synopsis of the series, “A mysterious figure dubbed the ‘Con Queen’ impersonates the industry’s most powerful women, luring unsuspecting victims to Indonesia with the promise of a life-changing career opportunity. The ‘Con Queen’s marks exhaust their personal finances in pursuit of a big break, while being exploited in a perverse psychological game spanning the globe. The scam eventually draws the attention of veteran investigative journalist Scott Johnson of The Hollywood Reporter, and dedicated private investigator Nicole Kotsianas, who set out to find the truth, only to discover a story more strange than they could have imagined.”
Con Queen, arriving on the streaming service on May 8, comes from Emmy-winning filmmaker Chris Smith and Library Films, the team behind the viral docuseries Tiger King and Fyre, as well as 100 Foot Wave and Operation Varsity Blues.
As a student at the University of California, San Diego, Ollie Zhang oversaw the campus’ annual music festival and dozens of concerts throughout the year. Post-graduation, he co-founded the dance music brand Space Yacht in 2015. But he aspired to have a bigger, different kind of impact on the music business. “This idea of finding a place within the music industry for Asian artists to thrive always felt like a faraway concept to me,” he says. “A lot of the folks that I worked with and came up with in the music industry were Asian Americans. We all had this far-off dream that this is something that could be possible one day.”
So when Zhang (now 33) met Sean Miyashiro (now 42) in 2015, he says it was “serendipity” because Miyashiro was developing the very idea Zhang had imagined: carving out space for Asian and Asian American artistry to flourish. At the time, Miyashiro was helping VICE launch its dance music site, THUMP, but he soon realized, “If we created something to celebrate [our creative community], it would be better than anything else that exists.”
Together, he and Zhang grew their shared vision into the company that became 88rising, the first and only hub for Asian artists in the music industry. 88rising launched with a small roster of clients Miyashiro was independently managing at the time, including choreographer-singer Brian Puspos, rappers Keith Ape and Dumbfoundead and dance artist josh pan. Zhang was at first, he believes, creative manager, then became chief of staff and is now head of artist development. (He also manages two of 88rising’s key signings, singer-songwriter NIKI and elusive indie-alternative star Joji.) And while the company initially focused on hip-hop, Miyashiro immediately made clear that it was never intended to be for any one type of creative — or even be any one thing at all.
Today, 88rising is a label, management firm and global brand — with Miyashiro, who alongside Zhang spoke to Billboard during weekend one of Coachella at a private residence in Indio, Calif., teasing that yet another new division is on the way. The company’s wide-ranging label roster includes NIKI, Joji and rappers Rich Brian and Jackson Wang. Meanwhile, the 88rising brand has grown into a behemoth. In 2018, it held its inaugural Head in the Clouds festival at Los Angeles State Historic Park, and the event has since expanded to New York; Jakarta, Indonesia; Manila, the Philippines; and Guangzhou, China. In 2020, 88rising launched North America’s first 24/7 radio channel dedicated to Asian artists, on SiriusXM; in 2021, the company curated the soundtrack to the Marvel blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings; in 2022, it became the first label to score its own billing on Coachella’s lineup (returning in 2024); and, last year, it struck a global distribution deal with Sony’s The Orchard.
“Sean creating 88rising from just an idea in his head to what it has become today is incredible,” Wang says. “The thing I immediately knew about Sean is his vibe was so real from day one. He cares about art deeply before anything else, which is so rare in this music game or entertainment industry. I knew I could trust him, and he immediately began guiding me into decisions not only about my music, but how I see myself as an artist and human being.”
But regardless of exactly what 88rising does, Zhang attests that the why has never, and will never, change. “The mission statement remains the same to this day: uplifting Asian youth culture around the world,” he says. “Everything that we’ve done is a manifestation of that same intent. Obviously, the stakes have gotten higher, but where we’re at now is not even what we could have necessarily dreamed of.”
Tell us about operating as a label and as a brand.
Sean Miyashiro: It never was intended to be a label. I didn’t know anything about what it was to distribute a record or whatever. And I probably still don’t, frankly speaking. Like, I still don’t know how royalties break down and all this stuff. The intention of 88rising was to be a celebratory platform, and just by nature of what we were putting out, which was really based on the distinct taste of the people that were working here, that became the brand. That became the beating heartbeat of what 88rising was. And then all these artists started hitting us up, just being like, “We like this energy. Let’s do something.” Being a label was a happy accident… And we have a great opportunity to continually do more, so we have to take responsibility in that opportunity because nobody has really come after us.
How does operating as a global brand entice artists, beyond only offering label services?
Ollie Zhang: There’s that little percentage of value that comes with [being] a brand, and I think that’s the intention. We do our best to make it incredibly clear that being here for an artist is advantageous and that you will be supported. Seeing [Japanese girl group] Atarashii Gakko!, for instance, use every single Head in the Clouds festival over the last couple of years, moving them slowly up and up the lineup and introducing them to different markets around the world — that is something that people definitely notice. And especially for an act like [them], the experience of being at that show instantly converts you into a fan. So how do we create as many opportunities for people to experience that as possible? That’s the advantage of being the platform that we are.
Miyashiro: When we’re in Asia, it’s crazy. I went to Indonesia with my family, and I was in one of those things that scale a mountain, and the operator is like, “You’re Sean.” When we go to Japan, when we go to China, it’s the same type of feeling — people know what we’re trying to do. And it’s by way of trying to be as consistent as possible. We have to push ourselves to stay ahead of this. I have anxiety; I never ever feel that we’re sitting pretty. It’s the complete opposite.
Many of 88rising’s wins are industrywide firsts, like the label’s now-annual Coachella billing. Why is the company able to pull off such feats?
Zhang: I think that’s a big credit to Sean and daring to believe that that’s possible. And obviously, a credit to the team that’s here and has been here over the last eight years to help execute that. And we couldn’t have done that as well without earning the trust and belief of artists that we look after, artists within the community, artists across the world. And it has all been iterative, right? It’s not necessarily a straight path, but it has always been moving in that direction.
Miyashiro: I love being able to [work with Japanese group] Number_i and new things because K-pop is already fully [established globally], times a thousand, and that’s amazing. [It’s] incredible what the whole industry there has built. But I want to showcase somebody from Cambodia or Vietnam. We love being first; it’s fun. Who wants to be second?
The 88rising Coachella set always features a variety of talent across countries and genres, including Japanese acts like Number_i this year. Considering that the label launched as a predominately hip-hop platform, what is now drawing a wider range of artists to the company?
Miyashiro: Fundamentally, we’re not business-driven or very good at business. Business is something that we have to learn by nature of, like, being able to make payroll. We’re inherently artist- and creative-driven. That’s what fuels everything. But the thing is, we’re so lucky to have built a relationship and a friendship and a bond with [our roster]. That’s what it really is. And that’s why nobody leaves, to be honest. We say this all the time: It needs to be so painfully obvious to the artist that [being on 88rising] is a benefit to them.
Zhang: It’s [about] aiding the artists on their own journey to find out what they want to communicate to the world or what kind of artists or musicians they want to be. NIKI is a great example of that. In the pandemic, she really started feeling like the kind of artist she wanted to be was going back to the singer-songwriter lane where she was making music in her bedroom in Jakarta. That’s why when she brought that original idea for [her second studio album] Nicole, it was a no-brainer in terms of wanting to embrace that and bring her creative partners that make sense.
What up-and-comers are you putting muscle behind this year?
Zhang: A big part of the 88rising set [at Coachella] was an eye toward great Japanese talent with Number_i, Atarashii Gakko! and Yoasobi. I don’t know if it was intentional, but that’s what we’ve rallied around in this specific moment.
Miyashiro: A lot of people have been like, “Oh, dude, there’s a lot of Japanese artists,” but it wasn’t a planned thing. It’s always by nature of who we might be talking to about something as small as making a song. And then it’s like, “Yo, come on over.” These are invaluable opportunities for artists. Just in culture, [the fact that] Number_i played Coachella is like, “What, where did that come from?” Because it’s like, how else would they get here? We love being able to deliver these things with ease … It’s like, “Yo, Paul [Tollett, president of Coachella promoter Goldenvoice], give us some real estate here. We’ll figure it out.” Literally, I was like, “Just make sure that we’re on the flyer.” I had no idea what we were going to do, but it’s organic. It’s like putting together a block party.
How do you see 88rising’s Coachella billing evolving?
Miyashiro: We’re going to do it again next year. We’re going to start earlier, and I have an idea … We’ve been doing a celebration, [offering] a glimpse of all these artists going back-to-back-to-back. I think that, in the future, we want to do something a bit more orchestrated and seamless with a theme. Kind of like a musical. Tell a light story in 75 minutes. We’re actually starting that process.
What else are you working on?
Miyashiro: Right now, there are so many aspiring artists, young people, deciding to make music. And with all the infrastructure that we built and the know-how, we have the opportunity to help a lot of them. We are going to create something called FAM, Future of Asian Music. It’s a distribution ecosystem for independent Asian artists.
There’s a lot of distribution mechanisms that somebody can use, but we’re going to be [creating] a really nice ecosystem of curation and recommendation through artists of influence. [There will be] a lot of live stuff within this, and it’s all around the ethos of DIY, independent, next-generation Asian music from all over Asia. We’re doing a ton of content around this from live programming, like our version of COLORS [the German music platform known for simple live recordings from up-and-comers around the world]. It’s like [a] from-your-bedroom-to-stardom-type of thing. We want to be a part of that conversation and journey every step of the way. This is a fire starter … and pretty soon, there’s hopefully a thousand artists distributed through us. I think that we will reach that.
Zhang: It’s fully realizing the original intent of 88rising. And more important for an artist nowadays is not the sheer process of getting your music on a platform, it’s how do you create content to put you in context with all the other artists that are uploading music every day? FAM is a vehicle to express that.
What subgenres do you think are shaping the future of Asian music?
Zhang: I think that Isoknock — [comprising dance/electronic artists] ISOxo and Knock2 — are leading the charge on a major resurgence in electronic dance music here and around the world. They are just pure rock stars. And I think that they are actively revitalizing a scene that has been dormant. Both Sean and I come from the dance world, grew up in electronic music — so has a lot of our staff — so that’s something where once we saw how special it was, just from the ground floor, we wanted to jump on it. For them to be two Asian American kids from San Diego and for dance music being a big part of Asian American culture over the last couple of decades, that really means something that they’re at the forefront.
How do you view the impact of 88rising so far?
Miyashiro: It’s funny because when we started, some haters were like, “Oh, dude, you think you’re the only person that can do this?” I hear people in investment meetings saying, “We’re going to be the next 88rising for African music,” and that’s dope. I love hearing that. But in the Asian space, it hasn’t happened yet. I’m sure it will in some way, shape or form. And we love that. That was the point. If we cease to exist tomorrow, we can look back and have some peace and be like, “We really did something here.”
This story will appear in the April 27, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Article From & Read More ( How 88rising Took a Music Industry Hub for Asian Artists From ‘Far-Off Dream’ to Singular Reality - Billboard )May 16 2024, 8:00 pm | BY Kim Shaw | No Comments 11 countries and regions in Asia Pacific have collected 22 Gold Pencils, 19 Silver, 38...
