Latest news with #Billboard-charting
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Is ‘KPop Demon Hunters 2' happening? Here's what we know about the sequel
Animated hit ' KPop Demon Hunters ' has taken the world by storm since its release on 20 June 2025. It has been viewed more than 56 million times and dominates the top 10 charts in 93 countries. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The film follows the trio, Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho), Meera (voiced by May Hong), and Zoey (voiced by Ji-young Yoo), who are members of the fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X. Secretly, they also fight demons while keeping up their glamorous pop idol image. The movie's exciting mix of K-pop energy, supernatural action, and heartfelt storytelling has earned it a 95 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Billboard-charting soundtrack, making it one of the biggest animated hits of the year. Sequel speculation: What's next for HUNTR/X? Although the makers haven't officially confirmed a sequel yet, co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans have shown strong interest in continuing the story. Kang told Variety, 'We've set up so much for potential backstory. There are a lot of questions left unanswered… This was Rumi's story, and we have backstories for Zoey and Mira that we couldn't explore in just 85 minutes.' The cast is just as eager to come back. Ji-young Yoo said she'd be 'honestly a little bummed' if a sequel didn't happen, while Arden Cho added she'd be 'heartbroken.' How the first film ended — Spoilers ahead The ending saw Rumi's half-demon identity exposed during a live performance, leading to a tense showdown with the demon king Gwi-Ma (voiced by Lee Byung-hun). In a powerful moment of redemption, Jinu (voiced by Ahn Hyo-seop), a demon who turned into their ally, sacrifices himself to save Rumi. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He transfers his soul into her, helping HUNTR/X restore the Honmoon barrier. The film closes with Rumi embracing who she is and the group coming back together, but Jinu's fate is still uncertain, leaving the door wide open for a sequel. Cultural impact and musical legacy The film's soundtrack debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, later climbing to No. 3, making it the highest-charting animated soundtrack since 'Encanto.' The breakout song 'Golden' is even being pushed for awards, and HUNTR/X has become a global pop culture phenomenon, rivaling real-life K-pop groups in streaming numbers.
See - Sada Elbalad
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
K-pop Star and Former NCT Member Taeil Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison for Sexual Assault
Yara Sameh Former NCT member Taeil, whose real name is Moon Tae-il, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison by a Seoul district court on Thursday for his role in the gang rape of an intoxicated Chinese tourist, The Korea Times reported. The 31-year-old singer was immediately taken into custody following the ruling, alongside two accomplices identified only as Lee and Hong, who received identical sentences. All three men were found guilty of rape. A district judge described the crime as 'extremely grave' but handed down just half the seven-year sentence requested by prosecutors, noting the defendants were first-time offenders, according to BBC News . The court also mandated each man complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programming. The assault occurred in June 2024 when Taeil and his accomplices met their victim at a bar in Seoul's Itaewon district. According to court proceedings, she became intoxicated after drinking with them before they brought her by taxi to Lee's home, where the three men sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious. Under South Korean law, the offense is classified as both 'aggravated' rape due to multiple perpetrators and 'quasi rape' because the victim was unconscious and could not resist. All three defendants pleaded guilty to the charges in June. Taeil began his career in 2016 with NCT U, the inaugural unit of SM Entertainment's NCT project, before joining the popular subunit NCT 127. NCT launched as a K-pop group in January 2016, gaining recognition for experimental music across multiple genres and achieving international success with Billboard-charting releases. His career ended abruptly when he departed NCT in August 2024 as allegations surfaced, with the specific criminal details remaining undisclosed to the public at that time. SM Entertainment subsequently terminated his contract. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Arts & Culture Hawass Foundation Launches 1st Course to Teach Ancient Egyptian Language
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kwanza Jones Introduces Inaugural Innovator Award Honoring Teyana Taylor at Historic Apollo Spring Benefit
This year, SUPERCHARGED® CEO Kwanza Jones returns as an Apollo Board Member and Premier Sponsor through her and her husband's Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative to present The Apollo's first-ever Innovator Award! NEW YORK, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At a landmark moment in The Apollo Theater's nearly century-long history, Kwanza Jones, nine-time Billboard-charting music artist, impact investor, and philanthropist, took the stage at the 2025 Apollo Spring Benefit to introduce the first-ever Innovator Award and its honoree, fellow multi-hyphenate Teyana Taylor. This year's Benefit wasn't just a celebration, it was a turning point. As the final Spring Benefit to be held in the current Apollo Theater before its first full-scale renovation in nearly a century, the evening marked the start of a bold new chapter. Jones helped ground that moment through her on-stage remarks, championing The Apollo's role as a space for transformation and spotlighting the power of mindset, voice, and community. She called The Apollo "a place where culture is created, always imitated, never duplicated," and underscored its role as a space for self-expression and bold imagination. Her words laid the foundation for a new tradition, positioning the Innovator Award as both a celebration of fearless artistry and a call to action for collective impact. The Innovator Award, introduced this year by The Apollo, honors artists who break boundaries and shape culture across disciplines. Teyana Taylor, a Harlem native, was recognized for her fearless creative evolution as a performer, director, and artistic visionary who embodies the trailblazing spirit of The Apollo. Jones, whose work also spans the intersections of art, impact, and innovation, brought meaningful resonance to the moment by introducing the Innovator Award and honoring Taylor's multifaceted contributions. Jones stepped out in a show-stopping ensemble styled by Jones herself, wearing a striking Alexander McQueen dress paired with accessories by Stephen Jones and her Kwanza Jones monogram pins. Her bold style echoed the evening's theme of fearless creativity and cultural expression. Following her introduction, Jones returned to the stage alongside fashion icon Dapper Dan, a Harlem native, and actress and comedian Sherri Shepherd to present the Innovator Award to Teyana Taylor, honoring her fearless artistic evolution and cultural impact. As a Board Member and Premier Sponsor through the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative, Jones has played a key role in shaping The Apollo's strategy and long-term vision, particularly as the institution prepares for a major transformation and looks ahead to its 100th anniversary in 2034. This decade-forward mindset reflects what Jones calls "Dreaming in Decades," a philosophy grounded in long-term planning, strategic action, and sustained commitment. It mirrors The Apollo's own approach as it prepares for renovation and expansion, ensuring the institution continues to thrive as a hub for culture, creativity, and community for generations to come. Through her work across culture, capital, and community, Jones continues to embody The Apollo's mission and extend its legacy, not only through sponsorship and service, but through her voice, her vision, and her values. In addition to the Innovator Award, the evening also celebrated the legendary Clive Davis, who received the Legacy Award and was inducted into The Apollo's iconic Walk of Fame. The honor recognized Davis' decades-long impact on the music industry and his role in shaping the careers of groundbreaking artists. His recognition underscored The Apollo's deep history and its ongoing commitment to honoring those who have shaped the cultural landscape. As the curtain closes on one chapter and a new one begins, the 2025 Apollo Spring Benefit stands as a testament to the power of leadership, collaboration, and culture to spark transformation. About Kwanza JonesKwanza Jones is on a mission to boost a billion lives through culture, community, and capital. She is a sought-after speaker, accomplished artist, impact investor, and philanthropist. With a multifaceted background spanning music, media, production, law, and business, Jones is an energetic and visionary leader. She is CEO and founder of SUPERCHARGED® by Kwanza Jones, a motivational media company. Jones has served on numerous boards, including The Apollo Theater, Bennett College, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer, and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Through the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative, with José E. Feliciano, her partner in life and in business, they have personally committed over $200 million to education, entrepreneurship, equity, and empowerment organizations. To learn more, visit and connect with her on Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | X | Kwanza Jones Boost Friends™ Community. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE SUPERCHARGED Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Another Dumb Blonde' At 25: Hoku's Breakout ‘Snow Day' Hit Captured The Last Gasp Of Millennial Innocence
Nostalgia exists for every generation, of course, but given the fact that they were raised on a steadily increasing diet of internet access, millennials have found unique ways of communally expressing their almost indescribable longing for the past. A constant online juxtaposition between what is and what once was creates a wistful, and oftentimes jaded, dissonance for individuals who grew up in that sweet spot between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Songs, film, television, toys, food, and even the quality of sunshine seemed more…vibrant. Yeah, it could be that we were all more present, more in-the-moment prior to the rise of social media and omnipresent screens, which negatively warped our perception of reality. And sure, it could also be a byproduct of rose-tinted glasses; our penchant to dampen the chaos of an eternally harsh world by forcing it through the naive simplicity of childhood, when the grown-ups would make all the tough decisions for awhile. But maybe, just maybe, there was something truly unique about that brief period in time. The musical artist known as Hoku (born Hoku Clements) was already a young adult when she got her big break at the turn of the millennium, and remembers it vividly. "I do look back on that time and it feels just like golden, innocent, bathed in teal and pink and summer and sunlight,' the Hawaii native tells me over Zoom as we discuss her self-titled debut album, celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this week. Released under the Geffen Records banner, Hoku prominently featured the singer's breakout pop single, 'Another Dumb Blonde,' written by successful Rock Mafia co-founders/producers Antonina Armato and Tim James, the former of whom signed Clements to a production deal. 'I had been recording all these [demo] The Billboard-charting song was recorded and promoted as the marquee track for 2000's Snow Day, a Nickelodeon-produced coming-of-age comedy starring Chevy Chase, Jean Smart, and Chris Elliott. 'I remember we got hooked up with Nickelodeon and that movie pretty early on,' Hoku remembers. 'That really kicked things off, because then I did The Big Help with them, and that was my first big performance at the Palladium in LA. I noticed that once Nickelodeon was involved, once we were hitched onto that pony, things did go from there. It gave us a nice vehicle to rock it out with.' The American Graffiti-esque Snow Day, in which a group of kids discover love and freedom over the course of a wintry day off from school, was emblematic of the films Nickelodeon tended to make at the time. Like Max Keeble's Big Move and Big Fat Liar in the years that followed, the movie celebrated the wonderful and rebellious possibilities of childhood. Despite being played by big name actors, the adult characters had no power in these worlds and were often the main source of conflict — not to mention the eventual butt of the joke. 'It is kind of a bygone era now that you mention it,' muses Hoku. 'I haven't really thought of it before, but they're not really making programming the same way … And it was sad to hear about some of the scandals that came out Nickelodeon later because … everyone [I worked with in those days] While it technically has nothing to do with snow, 'Another Dumb Blonde' — which plays twice throughout the movie (once in the story proper and then again during the end credits) — the song embodies the invigorating agency and crushing disappointments of youth. The super-catchy lyrics told from the perspective of a young woman finding the confidence to dump her cheating boyfriend recalls the impassioned pleas of Dolores O'Riordan in The Cranberries' 'Linger." More than just a simple break-up song, it's a fiery and touching tribute to the rollercoaster ride that is the adolescent experience. It doesn't matter whether you're trying to stop a snowplow driver from clearing the roads in order to get an extra day off from school, or working up the confidence to tell someone how you feel about them. 'Another Dumb Blonde' somehow recalls those formative experiences, beautifully capturing the highs and lows of growing up. 'Ultimately, it's a really empowering song, which never goes out of fashion,' the artist agrees. 'I think it did really resonate with people at the time. It had this sassy thing that lent to my image and that carefree kind of summer feeling. That's timeless and something everyone goes through. The feeling of, 'I'm not being appreciated, you're dismissing me, you're minimizing my value.' So as long as that is a thing, I feel like 'Another Dumb Blonde' will have relevance." A little over a year later, Hoku saw the release of a second hit single, 'Perfect Day,' which played as the main theme for Legally Blonde. As fans have pointed out many times over the years, Snow Day should have swapped its main song with the Reese Witherspoon classic. 'It's so funny because I literally said that to my label when this was all happening back in the day,' Hoku reveals. 'And they were like, 'Oh no, no. It's fine. No one will even notice.' Literally, almost every single person who interviews me or talks to me about this asks about that. I wasn't in charge of any of that stuff back then, but I would have flipped them, for sure.'" The carefree millennial illusion was shattered just two months after Legally Blonde in the wake of the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Center. For many who had come of age in the quietly prosperous '90s, that terrible day marked the death of childhood innocence. There was no coming back. 'It's sad to think of that,' says Hoku, who was actually in New York at the time for the Disney Channel in Concert tour. 'Things really did change. There's just this layer of disillusionment and cynicism that couldn't help but settle across everything. Pop culture is, in a lot of ways, a reflection of where we are as a society. Not perfectly, but it's an art-form. It's art reflecting back the world as artists see it. So you can't help but have some of that cynicism make its way into it … It was definitely a big before and after moment for everything, including pop culture.' With the passage of time, however, 'Another Dumb Blonde" (along with its contemporaries) has become a comfortingly nostalgic time capsule with the power to transport the listener back to a simpler time. A time when kids were the masters of their own destiny with the entire world laid out before them. 'It was a short period of my life and there were a lot of ups and downs at that time. But it's these conversations, just hearing from people who connected with and have these beautiful memories attached to my music, [that I love]," finishes Hoku. 'I've moved on with my life. I have a whole family and a whole life beyond that now … but it's really moving and touching for me. It's been a blessing to see how it's unfurled as time has moved on.' Hoku Courtesy of Matthew Morgan
Bahrain News Gazette
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Bahrain News Gazette
New Evidence Emerges in Marc Mysterio's Shadowban Lawsuit Against Amazon, Calls on ‘Anti-Hero'
NEW YORK, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Marc Mysterio, a Billboard-charting artist and undefeated professional boxer—IBA Boxing has issued a letter sanctioning Marc Mysterio vs. Jake Paul for their vacant 220 lbs title—has introduced new evidence in his lawsuit against Amazon Music (Case No. 1:25-cv-01705, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York), alleging the platform used an 'IF/THEN' filter to cripple his music's viability. The Irish-Canadian artist, who logged 80 million streams from September 2023 to August 2024 as a voluntary Amazon Exclusive Artist, claims Amazon's filter replaced artist-level metadata with a '-' white-out symbol—rendering songs artist-less—preventing fan alerts and stations' streams. Court filings include a letter of preservation requesting 17 items, such as Amazon's logs identifying when the alleged filter was activated, who authorized it, user error reports, and the implementing programmer's user-ID. Mysterio music appeared on Taylor Swift's station—generating 3.7 million streams in 2024 before bottoming out in September—asserts the shadowban handcuffed his reach. Marc Mysterio Streams & Listeners on Amazon Music's Taylor Swift Station; Overall Streams & Listeners Marc Mysterio Streams & Listeners on Amazon Music's Taylor Swift Station; Overall Streams & Listeners on Amazon Music from September 1, 2023-August 31, 2024'Amazon profits from creators whilst blacklisting artists through shadow-banning,' said Mysterio. Mysterio has urged Taylor Swift to remove her catalog from Amazon due to the shadowban, given Swift's legacy of advocating for artists' rights—from her Spotify boycott to supporting Kesha—her voice would be a game-changer. The two also share a mutual friend, All Elite Wrestling's Jeff Jarrett. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift 'I've posted video evidence on —a 3-Part Series—I'm calling on Taylor to stand with me in unity against shadow-banning. When she pulls her catalog from Amazon, it solidifies her as The Anti-Hero. Jeff has my contact details—let's talk,' Mysterio states. Swift's partner, Travis Kelce, was also co-featured in a Billboard article with Mysterio for new chart entries. Mysterio's lawsuit—seeking millions in lost and unpaid royalties— follows recent Billboard-Hit 'The Dancefloor' and collaborations with Flo Rida, David Guetta, Crash Test Dummies, Samantha Fox, Netflix's 'Trailer Park Boys', and Avicii (according to Billboard). Marc Mysterio Marc Mysterio Press Photo A three-part video series detailing the alleged shadow-banning is available on YouTube at For More Information: Key Facts You Need To Know: View Marc Mysterio Amazon Streaming/Listener Stats View Letter of Preservation of Evidence View Marc Mysterio/Travis Kelce Billboard Article @marc_mysterio on X – Career Bio View IBA Boxing Chairman's Letter Marc Mysterio & Bubbles on Trailer Park Boys (TikTok) View Marc Mysterio Press-Photo Press Contact: Ralph Bennett [email protected] Legal Contact: Michael H. Joseph, Esq. [email protected] Photos accompanying this announcement are available at A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at A video accompanying this announcement is available at GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1001080375
