Hayao Miyazaki scoops second Oscar with The Boy And The Heron

Celebrated Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki won his second Oscar on Sunday (Mar 11) with The Boy And The Heron the Studio Ghibli co-founder’s first film in a decade, and potentially his last.

It bested top rival Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Disney’s Elemental, Netflix’s Nimona and the dialogue-free Robot Dreams. Miyazaki was not present in Los Angeles to accept the award.

The film, about a boy who moves to the countryside during World War II, won best animated feature, the same award scooped in 2003 by Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

Like other Ghibli titles, The Boy And The Heron is a visual feast in which mysterious creatures and strange characters cavort through a fantastical world.

After his mother dies in the haunting fire-bombing of Tokyo during World War II, the boy, Mahito, struggles to accept his new life with his father and pregnant stepmother, who goes missing.

Everything changes when Mahito meets a talking heron and embarks on a journey to an alternate universe shared by the living and the dead.

The film’s rural setting was “created mostly from my memory”, Miyazaki said in a Japanese pamphlet for The Boy And The Heron, whose original title translates as How Do You Live?.

Miyazaki, 83, also lived in a big country house during the war.

And while he did not set out to make an autobiography, the film’s father character “is very much like my own father”, he said.

The animator co-founded production house Studio Ghibli in 1985, building a cult following with his highly imaginative depictions of nature and machines.

Ghibli characters, like cuddly forest spirit Totoro and princess warrior Nausicaa, are now beloved by children and adults worldwide.

Spirited Away is about a girl who gets lost in a mystical world where her parents, who she tries to save, are turned into pigs.

FINAL FILM? 

In 2013, Miyazaki said he would no longer make feature-length films, because he could not maintain the hectic intensity of his perfectionist work ethic.

However, in an about-turn four years later, his production company said he was coming out of retirement to make what would be “his final film, considering his age”.

That was The Boy And The Heron, which was released in Japan last July without trailers or other advertising, meaning cinema audiences had little idea of what to expect.

The movie was nonetheless a box office success in Japan and reached number one in North America, where it was promoted as usual.

A star-studded cast voiced the English dub, featuring Robert Pattinson as the heron alongside Willem Dafoe, Florence Pugh, Christian Bale and Mark Hamill.

In a documentary aired by Japanese public broadcaster NHK in December, Miyazaki was visibly affected by the 2018 death of his Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata.

The animation master said he had based the character of the granduncle in The Boy And The Heron on Takahata, with whom he shared a “love-hate relationship”.

“The truth about life isn’t shiny, or righteous. It contains everything, including the grotesque,” Miyazaki said.

“It’s time to create a work by pulling up things hidden deep within myself.”

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Who masterfully transformed Bradley Cooper into Leonard Bernstein in Maestro?

The Kyoto local later watched Bernstein in a video on Chinese television. Hiro said,” I was actually inspired by what he was talking about.” Eventually, I want to work on a movie about Leonard Bernstein, I thought, you know.

Then, in 2020, he received a call from Cooper, who wrote, co-wrote, and co-starred in Maestro, which examines Bernstein’s relationship with actress Felicia Montealegre ( Carey Mulligan ).

Hiro remarked,” It’s really a love project.” ” Bradley and I adore Leonard Bernstein a lot.”

Over OF RETENTION

Hiro learned how to alter a face’s outlines through trial and error in Japan at the beginning of his career. He immigrated to the United States in the 1990s, and he eventually rose to the position of being one of Hollywood’s most sought-after beauty designers.

Hiro has collaborated on dozens of A-list movies, including Eddie Murphy’s Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and How The Grinch Stole Christmas, which morphed Jim Carrey into the adored Dr. Seuss personality.

However, after receiving two Oscar nominations, including for Norbit, once starring Murphy, and Click with Adam Sandler, Hiro walked ahead, “retiring” in 2012 and vowing to devote the next phase of his career to artwork.

But, Tinseltown soon attracted him up. For Darkest Hour ( 2017 ), Gary Oldman transformed into Winston Churchill, which earned him his first Oscar.

In Bombshell, Charlize Theron transformed into broadcast journalist Megyn Kelly, he received yet another fantastic statuette two years later.

Working with Cooper was a no-brainer given his personal relation to the subject matter.

“PERFECTIONIST”

When Cooper and Hiro initially met in 2020, they discussed how to properly reflect Bernstein throughout the almost 50-year course the movie covers.

Cooper, a 49-year-old man, was forced to look younger in five different phases of the film, according to the beauty designer.

Preproduction lasted more than anticipated&nbsp, in large part as a result of the coronavirus pandemic as well as the complexity of the project.

It took two and a half hours to transform Cooper into a fresh Bernstein. The artist was in the armchair for about five days “because he had to be covered from head to toe,” according to Hiro, and the center stage required three hours.

Hiro remarked,” We are both sort of a perfectionist.” He” conjured Leonard Bernstein from the inside out .”

CRITICISM IS” DIFFICULT”

However, that creative achievement presented additional difficulties. There was a lot of criticism about Cooper’s use of a large robotic nasal when Netflix released the first trailer for the movie last year, with some saying the portrayal of the Jewish master reflected anti-Semitic tropes.

Jamie, Alexander, and Nina Bernstein’s children joined the film’s protection, saying they were “perfectly good” with the choice and adding:” It turns out that Leonard Bernstein had a great, big head.

Hiro acknowledges that it was a “difficult” second. The actor said,” I was definitely confused about it. It took me a thus to [digest it], I thought. We admired Leonard Bernstein a lot. And he also had that head.

Beyond the social internet outcry, Bernstein’s confidants in Hiro claimed that Cooper’s endless hours of research and analysis had paid off:” Exactly like Lenny.”

He said,” That kind of proves that our target was reached,” which appears to be confirmed by Hiro’s second Oscar nomination.

The performer and his team are the favorites to defeat teams from Poor Points, Oppenheimer, The Society of the Snow, and Golda to take home the award for outstanding beauty and hairdressing at the Oscars dinner on March 10.

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K-pop star G-Dragon cleared of drug allegations, according to media reports

K-pop star G-Dragon has been cleared of allegations of illegal drug use by South Korean police, according to media reports.

Police had been investigating the singer and rapper, whose given name is Kwon Ji-yong, amid an ongoing crackdown on illegal drugs by the government of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol.

On Tuesday (Dec 19), the Incheon Metropolitan Police decided not to charge the former leader of the K-pop band BIGBANG for alleged drug use after they had not obtained testimonies to support the charges against him, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Reuters could not immediately reach the police or G-Dragon for comment on Wednesday.

G-Dragon, a fashion muse and a writer of many hit songs, had strongly denied the allegations, showing up at a police station last month for questioning to prove his innocence.

In a sit-down interview with Yonhap News TV last month, the 35-year-old star again denied any illegal drug use. “I have never used drugs, received or given drugs from or to anyone,” he said, referring to negative drug test results.

A series of drug charge arrests, including of chaebol heirs and celebrities, has prompted authorities to vigorously pursue a crackdown on narcotics and increase customs inspections.

South Korea has tough drug laws, and crimes are typically punishable by at least six months in prison or up to 14 years for repeat offenders and dealers.

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George Brown, drummer and co-founder of Kool & The Gang, dead at 74

George “Funky” Brown, the co-founder and longtime drummer of Kool & The Gang who helped write such hits as Too Hot, Ladies Night, Joanna and the party favourite Celebration, died Thursday (Nov 16) in Los Angeles at age 74.

Brown died after a battle with cancer, according to a statement released by Universal Music. He had retired earlier in the year, nearly 60 years after the band began, and revealed that he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.

Kool & The Gang has sold millions of records with its catchy blend of jazz, funk and soul, what Brown liked to call “the sound of happiness”. In 1964, Brown helped launch the Grammy-winning group, originally called the Jazziacs, along with such friends as bassist Robert “Kool” Bell, brother Ronald Bell on keyboards and guitarist Charles Smith.

After years of relative obscurity, name changes and personnel changes, Kool & The Gang broke through in the mid-1970s with Jungle Boogie and Hollywood Swinging among others songs and peaked in the late 70s-mid 1980s, with hits ranging from the ballads Cherish and Joanna to the up-tempo, chart-topping Celebration, now a standard at weddings and other festive gatherings.

In 2023, Brown produced the band’s latest album, People Just Wanna Have Fun, and released his memoir Too Hot: Kool & The Gang & Me.

He is survived by his wife, Hanh Brown, and his five children. In lieu of flowers, his family has asked for donations to be made in his honour to the Lung Cancer Society of America.

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All BTS members renew contracts with Hybe agency as the K-pop group continues 'hiatus'

After a protracted discussion about whether BTS deserved an freedom, Jin, the oldest member of the group, enlisted last month. All able-bodied people in South Korea are required to serve at least 18 weeks in the military.

J-Hope, a bandmate of his, began his required assistance in April.

Suga, a second member, may start his support on Friday.

On Wednesday, Hybe stock closed over 0.82 percent in Seoul.

Stocks of Blackpink’s company YG Entertainment fell last week after local media reports claimed that part Lisa had turned down a regeneration offer. K-pop contract renewals can be difficult.

They then recovered, though the agency hasn’t yet disclosed specifics of new contracts for Blackpink & nbsp, one of K-pop’s most popular girl groups.

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Chinese pop idol Cai Xukun denies wrongdoing in sex scandal

Cai Xukun, a well-known Chinese pop star and style icon, denied on Monday( Jul3) that he had put pressure on the person to have an abortion but pledged to change his ways after becoming embroiled in the country’s widespread sexual incident.

A blogger claimed last week that Cai had a one-night have with” Ms C ,” claiming that after learning she was pregnant, he forced her to have an abortion.

The controversy has erupted in China, where famous people are held to high moral standards, endangering Cai’s attractive collaborations with well-known international companies like Prada and Tag Heuer.

On Monday, there were no Cai music videos available on the state broadcaster CCTV’s video streaming game, and a title search turned up nothing.

Cai acknowledged Monday’s marriage with Ms. C., which ended in 2021, and added that the two were no longer seeing each other, breaking times of silence on the subject.

” The interaction between Ms. C. and I was voluntarily… Cai informed his more than 38 million Weibo supporters that there were no improper activities involved.

” I beg related independent media to refrain from disseminating or accepting rumors.”

The singer did, however, promise to alter his behavior, saying,” In the future, I will completely limit my words and actions and take people and social control.”

Major international partners of Cai have never commented on the matter.

However, evidence of waning confidence started to appear on Saturday when a Chinese celebrity-focused advertising association warned customers about” risks” associated with” male singer named Cai.”

According to a statement made by the Beijing Advertising Association and posted on WeChat,” this event is tending toward deeper hype and growth.” Cai’s full label was never given in it.

” Associated brands, performance management companies, and multi-channel network users are requested to manage Cai’s hazards.”

Following numerous scandals that implicated some of the country’s biggest entertainers, Chinese authorities have been closely monitoring the home entertainment industry in recent years. In 2021, they launched a comprehensive crackdown on dubious financial practices and” evil” behavior.

Chinese-Canadian actor Kris Wu was found guilty of rape and given a 13-year prison term in November.

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Karen Allen on one last hurrah as Marion Ravenwood in Indiana Jones: Dial Of Destiny

Indiana Jones. Karen Allen always knew he’d come walking back through her door.

Since 1981’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Allen has been only a sporadic presence in the subsequent sequels. But the glow of the freckled, big-eyed actor who so memorably played Marion Ravenwood has only grown stronger over time.

Indiana Jones may be one of the movies’ most iconic characters, but he’s always needed a good foil. It was Kate Capshaw and Ke Huy Quan in Temple Of Doom and Sean Connery in The Last Crusade.

Yet, none could top, or out-drink, Allen’s Marion, a wisecracking, naturalistic beauty and swashbuckling heir to screwball legends like Katharine Hepburn and Irene Dunne.

Allen’s place in the latest and last Indiana Jones, the just-released Dial Of Destiny, has long been a mystery. Now that the movie is in theatres  spoiler alert  we can finally let the cat out of the bag. Allen returns. And while her role isn’t large  tragedy has driven Marion and Indiana apart  it’s extremely poignant in how she figures into Harrison Ford’s swan song as Indiana Jones.

“Secrets,” Allen chuckled in a recent interview, “are not my specialty.”

Allen, 71, was a magnetic presence in some memorable 1970s and 1980s films, including 1978’s Animal House (the performance that caught Steven Spielberg’s eye), 1984’s Starman and 1988’s Scrooged.

But while she’s steadily worked ever since, the era’s male-dominated Hollywood often seemed to squander her talent. Allen has lived for decades in the Berkshires, where she opened a textiles and clothing boutique and has frequently performed at Tanglewood.

Allen also returned to Marion in 2008’s Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. But as much as Dial Of Destiny signifies the end of Ford’s run as Indy, it’s also Allen’s goodbye to her most beloved character. This time, Indiana’s sidekick went to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the Fleabag creator and star. Allen, praising Waller-Bridge as a strong woman, approves.

“If it wasn’t going to be me,” said Allen, “I’m glad it was her.” More about her role below:

Did Steven Spielberg or Dial Of Destiny director James Mangold reach out to you about returning as Marion?

There was a period of time when Steven was going to direct the film. It was my understanding although I never read any of those scripts  that it was being developed very much as a still-ongoing Marion-and-Indy story.

When Steven decided to step down and James took over and brought in new writers, I knew it was going into a different direction. Having not even known what it was before, it was even more mysterious after they took it over. So I really didn’t know anything for a long period of time until they had a script.

And I have to confess, I was a bit disappointed that she wasn’t more woven throughout the story and didn’t have more of an ongoing trajectory. However, the way in which she does come back into the story was very satisfying. I just thought, “okay, I’m just going to embrace this”. I certainly would have been wildly disappointed had Marion just sort of vanished into the ether.

Did you always think Marion and Indiana were destined for each other? You don’t exactly get a sense of permanence between them in Raiders.

It’s funny. When I first started working on it, I just decided that Indy was the love of her life. I just decided to make a deep commitment to that and to play through Raiders Of The Lost Ark with the feeling they’re soulmates. When we end up married in Crystal Skull, I wept when I read that script.

Indiana Jones could be a boys world but you were such a spirited force of nature.

Well, Steven and George had this experience as young boys with these Saturday afternoon matinee serial films. They were just a little bit older than I am, so I kind of missed that. I don’t have a reference point for that. So I don’t think that I necessarily understood the genre of film we were making. I thought we were making Casablanca. I really, truly did.

So, I sort of defined my character in that sort of genre  which I think weirdly enough works quite well for the film. I never imagined Marion as a damsel in distress in any sort of way. I was always pushing back against that, and in the end, Steven was supportive of that.

Do you ever wish you had gotten the chance to star in more Hollywood films?

I make movies all the time, although I have tended in the last 10 or 15 years to focus more on indie films. In truth, the kinds of roles I’m really hungry to play, particularly for someone my age, they’re written more in the indie world.

People kind of think, “where have you been?”. There were times I was raising my son but I often do at least two films a year. They’re very satisfying, probably more satisfying than the sort of roles I would be offered. A lot of times I turned down things. There’s a lot of thankless roles for women in bigger budget films.

What has Marion meant to you?

She’s sort of at the core of my growth as an actor and certainly my relationship to the world. As I move through the world, I’ve become very identified with that character. There was maybe a brief period of time where I found it annoying.

But that passed and now it’s just this character that I love. I can’t imagine anything more satisfying to have had the chance in life to create a character that has some meaning for people.

What was it like to shoot your scenes with Harrison Ford in Dial Of Destiny?

It was fantastic. We shot it all in one day or maybe two days. To just imagine these two people that have been wrenched apart through grief and loss and then she’s coming back with this hope that they can move forward. When we played the scene, that was very, very affecting. We were both very affected by it and a little teary. And the crew was a little teary.

How has it been keeping your role in the film secret?

It’s been excruciating. (Laughs) I never have to do anything like this again. People have come up to me and they’ve been so upset because they didn’t see my name on IMDb. People would be so mad I’d have to stand there and just be like, “what do I say?”.

Do I say, “yeah, isn’t that a drag?” or “You never never know  wink, wink”. I’ve had to say I just can’t answer any questions about Indiana Jones  which I feel like is sort of saying that I’m in the film. It’s a lose-lose situation. (Laughs)

Does playing Marion one last time cap anything for you?

More so for Harrison than for me. He’s such a fully developed character and has done all five of these. With Marion, I’ve kind of come and gone. But she will always be a character that moves through life with me.

I don’t know if I really have a sense of it being over. There always was a sense that one more would be done, even if it took 20 years. Now, they’ve been very clear that this is the last one. So it is a letting-go.

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South Korea celebrates 10 years of K-pop megastars BTS

“It’s thrilling to be here. It’s thrilling to be surrounded by other ARMY,” scientist Anne Micic, 55, a BTS fan from Australia, told AFP.

“I think that’s the other thing, that as an ARMY when you meet other ARMY it’s almost like you have another family, which is really awesome.”

A handwritten letter by J-Hope, who began his military duty in April, was uploaded on Monday on Weverse, the worldwide fandom network.

The letter appeared to have been prepared in advance for the anniversary before he joined the military.

“I assume I’d be very military-disciplined” by the time the letter is revealed, he wrote.

“No matter what day it is, I sincerely thank you and love you,” he told fans.

“BTS SAVED MY LIFE”

A special map released by the city government for fans visiting from abroad features 13 locations across the South Korean capital.

It includes agency HYBE’s office in Yongsan and the historic Gyeongbok Palace, where BTS filmed a special edition of the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

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