Hunan TV Show Singer 2025 Draws Performers from Multiple Countries
One of the program's defining strengths lies in its ability to inspire international artists to engage with Chinese culture on a deep level. American singer Mickey Guyton seamlessly wove Chinese lyrics into her performance, expressing her affection for the country. Fellow American Grace Kinstler delivered two moving performances entirely in Chinese, reflecting both the emotional appeal of Mandarin pop and her sincere appreciation for the culture. And Japanese singer BENI was particularly touched by the heartfelt enthusiasm of Chinese audiences.
Offstage, other international performers—including American singers Charlie Puth and Jordan Smith, and Canadian singer Michael Bublé—immersed themselves in traditional Chinese culture. From practicing calligraphy and appreciating the ink paintings of master artist Qi Baishi to experiencing Dragon Boat Festival traditions, traditional Chinese medicine, historic academies' vibes and regional cuisine, they gained firsthand insight into the richness of China's cultural heritage.
Singer 2025 continues to connect the world through music, offering a stage for diverse voices to be heard and heartfelt stories to be shared. The show looks forward to welcoming more artists from around the globe to become part of a shared cultural dialogue.
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Vancouver Sun
20 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Here are Netflix's top B.C.-shot shows in the last five years
Netflix is marking B.C. Day by releasing a short video celebrating the American streamer's connection to Hollywood North . The short, one minute and 32-second video offers a montage of clips from popular Netflix offerings including Virgin River , The Recruit Season 2, Midnight Club, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Night Shift. 'British Columbia's incredible talent and breathtaking natural landscapes make it an exceptional destination for our productions,' says Robin Neinstein, director of production management for drama development series at Netflix in an email to Postmedia. 'We're excited to keep working with the local crews, businesses and creatives who help bring our shows and movies to life for Netflix members around the world.' Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Netflix productions are a key foundation to the B.C. film and TV production business which, according to 2022 figures from Creative B.C., amounted to about $4.4 billion in direct spending and employed 90,000 people, with 40,000 of those being full-time jobs. 'The jobs it creates for all of us, it's really important,' says Vancouver makeup department head Corey Roberts in the video that was released on Aug. 4. The reach of Netflix productions goes well beyond the sets and crews. Many local businesses benefit from a healthy TV and film production schedule. 'When we partnered with Avatar (Avatar: The Last Air Bender) it boosted our business considerably,' said Steven Enns from New Westminster's Hand and Sew Leather, Hardware, and Supply, which supplied all the leather supplies for the costuming needs on seasons one and two of the show. 'The movie and film industry aspect of supply is something I never thought I could get into being this size.' Netflix has had a strong relationship with Hollywood North for well over a decade and a half. It operates thousands of square feet of studio space and has an animation office here. Top-tier projects shot around Vancouver include The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, A Series of Unfortunate Events , Maid, Brazen, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Always Be My Maybe, Firefly Lane and The Adam Project to name just a few that were top-10 productions for the streamer. This Sept. 12 Netflix will be releasing its new Vancouver-shot romantic comedy The Wrong Paris, starring Miranda Cosgrove and Pierson Fodé. Right now, according to Creative B.C., Netflix's limited series The Altruists and Trinity: Season 1 are shooting in the Vancouver area. Fans can check out a list of the company's favourite B.C. shooting locations online at Netflix in Your Neighbourhood . • Avatar: The Last Airbender (S1) — spent 6 weeks in the Global Top 10 • Virgin River (S6) — spent 4 weeks in the Global Top 10 • The Night Agent (S1) — spent 16 weeks in the Global Top 10 • Untamed (S1) — spent its first 2 weeks out in the Global Top 10 (released on July 17) — it was No. 1 the week of July 21-27
21 hours ago
Obsessed with Labubus? Why you may want to rethink this unboxing trend
They're a little cute, a little scary — and very, very trendy. Labubu dolls are one of the latest must-have items being driven by social media posts of people unboxing them. The little elf-like toy monsters were created by Japanese artist Kasing Lung and they come in boxes, so people can't tell which one they're getting when they buy them. Videos of people unboxing Labubu dolls are popular on TikTok, with people screaming happily when they get a Labubu they want, or in tears when it's one they don't want. The Chinese toy maker behind Labubus, Pop Mart, is forecasting a 350 per cent profit jump for the first half of 2025 as global demand for the wildly popular Labubu characters surges. Allie Luk of Ajisen Ramen understands the power of Labubu. The Waterloo, Ont., restaurant is running a promotion where they're giving away a doll each month. The reaction's definitely been through the roof, Luk says of the Labubu doll giveaway. We've been getting thousands and thousands of comments and tags online. We have people tagging up to even like 20 or 30 friends and families for extra entries to win. It's an obvious win for the restaurant because people are also sharing photos and videos of their food, Luk says, which is creating a lot of buzz. While it was younger customers who understood the first giveaway, as they prepare for a second Labubu doll winner, Luk says they're seeing people of all ages taking part. Enlarge image (new window) This photo of a Labubu doll and a bowl of ramen from Ajisen Ramen in Waterloo, Ont., is part of an online campaign by the restaurant which a spokesperson says has been very popular. Photo: Allie Luk/Ajisen Ramen We saw this as like a really unique opportunity to be able to connect sort of with our all of our guests simultaneously across all the age groups. And it's really fun because we saw that we would be able to connect with our customers in the way that sort of goes beyond food and ramen, Luk said. Unboxing excitement similar to gambling: Expert Celebrities Rihanna, Dua Lipa and Kim Kardashian have been spotted with Labubus, sometimes as an accessory on their bags. WATCH | Labubu maker Pop Mart forecasting a 350% profit surge : But while Labubus are the current must-have toy, some are worried about the waste they're creating — especially when some TikTok videos show people destroying or throwing out Labubus they don't want. Jing Wan, a marketing and consumer studies professor at the University of Guelph, compared the excitement of unboxing a Labubu to gambling. You get that anticipation, hope, all wrapped up together when you're about to unbox and find out which exact model that you've pulled and you get to see whether it's maybe one of the models that you were looking for to complete your collection or maybe it's a rare version, she said. There are actually rare Labubu dolls out there as well that are worth quite a bit of money. And so if... you think you're getting one of those, you can be quite excited. This can lead to overconsumption, Wan said. People will buy Labubus just for the rush, but they may not even want the doll they get. Normally when we buy products, we're spending money on a specific thing that we want, Wan said. With blind boxes, you are voluntarily spending money on things that you probably don't actually want. And so you're now buying a lot of things just simply in the hopes of getting that one thing. LISTEN | U of Guelph professor says Labubu doll excitement can lead to overconsumption, environmental concerns (new window) 'Creating a lot of waste' Then, there's the environmental impact of these kinds of unboxing trends. That's creating a lot of waste, Wan said. These dolls are made out of plastics. There's also opaque packaging that typically goes around the dolls so that even when you open the paper box, you don't know what's inside it. You can't see it. That's part of the blind box rush, she added. That's a lot of plastic to be produced by these sorts of products where some people are actively disposing of them because they don't want them. CBC K-W reached out to Pop Mart for comment about concerns around Labubus waste but did not hear back. WATCH | Why are people so obsessed with Labubu? : Trends can be 'risky business' for toy stores Philip Sullivan is sales associate at Hobby and Toy Central, an independent toy store in Kitchener. He says they don't have any plans to sell Labubu dolls for a very specific reason: trends die quickly. He says he's seen the blind box or blind bag trend with various items over the past five years, including with Lego mini figures, Playmobile characters and Hot Wheels cars. Enlarge image (new window) Philip Sullivan has been working at Hobby and Toy Central for 20 years. Photo: Hobby and Toy Central There's always been what the industry calls chasers, where it's a one out of 500 chance of getting the one that has white wheels and collectors go crazy over that kind of thing, he said. On the blind bags alone … we're selling a $20 item, we want to make sure that it's something that has some staying power. He added it's risky business to try to get in on a trend. We've certainly been burned on the fads where if you're not in on the ground floor, you might be sitting on the stuff forever, Sullivan said. Sullivan remembers Webkinz from the early 2000s, little plush characters which also had a digital equivalent and video game you could play. The initial launch was very local and the toys were sold through independent toy stores. Over the course of probably a year... they blew up and that exclusivity disappeared. And all of a sudden you were finding them at all the flea markets, you were finding them a drug stores, he said. If you didn't get out [of selling them] then, then you would have been the last person on the street still trying to sell these things. WATCH | Want to know the real price of a Labubu? : Wan says it can be really easy to get up in the got-to-have-it trends of the day, but she has advice for people who can feel the excitement rising over a blind box reveal. A lot of this is probably driven by emotions, that sense of excitement, anticipation. So I think I would like people to maybe just pause for a moment before they buy and ask themselves, what are you doing? Why are you buying this? Do you really want this? she said. Let yourself think through that purchase and I also want people to maybe keep in mind as well that every trend has a shelf life. So Labubus won't be the hottest thing forever and with social media, every trend is going by faster and faster so there will be a next Labubu coming up pretty soon I'm sure. With files from Aastha Shetty
Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Book Review: Jason Mott's ‘People Like Us' explores the struggles of semi-fame and American identity
How does one follow up writing 'A Hell of a Book' that wins the National Book Award? If you're Jason Mott, you write a sort-of, not-really, by all legal terms fictionalized — according to the forward — autobiographical story about what life is like as a semi-famous writer. Or actually you write two viewpoints: one about a writer running away from his roots that seem to be choking the life out of him and the other about a writer running to help soothe the roots that made him. The first, a middle-aged man who wrote said award-winning novel, is constantly misrecognized because writers, even award winning ones, don't have status like film stars. Sometimes he goes along with it and he agrees with them, for good reason; there is safety in being someone else. The second is a man who can't seem to outrun what it means to be American or a stalker who threatened to kill him, both showing up, often when least expected. This makes man No. 2 run not only from death and America but to seek out purchasing a gun, because his fame isn't able to protect him. This novel, reminiscent of 'The Invisible Man' and the works of Colson Whitehead and Ta-Nehisi Coates, has an inquisitive stance on things like time travel, sea monsters, death of loved ones and guns, and what each can do to a man, especially those who seem to be the referential mouthpiece of what it means to be an American today. One man meanders through Minnesota, offering support to the masses through speaking engagements. The other lands what seems to be a dream job in 'Europeland.' Through old memories, the drudgery of book tours, the never ending 'what's next' endlessly questioning their creativity, both imagine what could be and what could have been. The flipping between the two men's viewpoints of the world and what it can offer is humorous one moment and tugs at the right heartstrings the next. This roller coaster ride filled with quips and wordplay personalizes some of the most tragic moments in America's recent history. The tragedy and pain through this never ending climb to make sense of all that has come before, and all that will come after, is 'like Sisyphus, a man who never misses leg day.' Filled with highlightable quotes and moments that make you stop and look around to see if anyone else is experiencing what you're reading, Mott's 'People Like Us' echoes the pain and mystery of where life leads, the choices it hands us and the hope and desire for change. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. ___ AP book reviews:
