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Amazon Music to Exclusively Stream KCON L.A. 2025

Amazon Music to Exclusively Stream KCON L.A. 2025

Yahoo2 days ago
Amazon Music will be the exclusive streaming partner of this year's KCON L.A., the streaming platform announced Wednesday.
Fans in North America, South America and Europe can access the livestream through the Amazon Music channel on Prime Video and Twitch. The online stream, presented by the streamer's K-Pop Now playlist, will include the festival's programming, along with the nightly broadcast of the festival's flagship M Countdown-branded concert portion.
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On Monday, CJ ENM and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced 'K-Culture Night at Academy Museum with KCON,' an event to celebrate the K-pop festival's 13th anniversary and the company's 30th anniversary. The celebration, taking place on July 31, is being put on as part of CJ ENM's three-year-long partnership with the Academy Museum, which was announced earlier this year.
K-Culture Night, held at the museum's David Geffen Theater, is slated to include a slew of entertainment figures. American-born Korean singer Eric Nam will serve as the evening's emcee. Dancer Choi Hojong, K-pop stars Lee Youngji and P1Harmony, J-pop girl group Is:sue and Squid Game star Yim Siwan will make appearances throughout the night. All of the stars taking part in the event will be performing at KCON in some capacity that weekend.
KCON, the world's No. 1 K-pop festival, will return to downtown's Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena for a three-day event Aug. 1 through Aug. 3, giving local K-Pop fans a chance at seeing several of their favorite acts under the same roof.
This year's KCON lineup includes HxW (Hoshi and Woozi of Seventeen), NCT 127, Aespa, Monsta X, Key, IVE, NMIXX and Zerobaseone. Baby DONT Cry, Riize, Hwasa, Meovv, Nowz, Idid, Izna, Jackson Wang, J-pop group JO1, Roy Kim, I-dle, Yuqi, AllDay Project, Cravity and Kep1er will also perform throughout the festival's three-day-long concert series.
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‘Avatar: Fire & Ash' Trailer Leaks Online: James Cameron Returns With Fiery Stunner
‘Avatar: Fire & Ash' Trailer Leaks Online: James Cameron Returns With Fiery Stunner

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

‘Avatar: Fire & Ash' Trailer Leaks Online: James Cameron Returns With Fiery Stunner

The action-packed first trailer for James Cameron's next Avatar fantasy epic has leaked online — and the footage looks spectacular. Disney is rolling out the trailer for Avatar: Fire & Ash 'exclusively' in theaters in front of Fantastic Four: First Steps. And just like with Christopher Nolan's 'only in theaters' trailer for The Odyssey early this month, grainy unauthorized copies have begun to circulate. But give some credit to Disney here — the Fire & Ash trailer is, at least, a bit tougher to find than the trailer Nolan's Universal film was, with copies being taken down as fast as they pop up. More from The Hollywood Reporter Billie Eilish Reveals 3D Collaboration With James Cameron Is in the Works James Cameron to Write Movie Based on Joe Abercrombie Novel 'The Devils' After Finishing 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Les Dilley, 'Star Wars,' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' Art Director, Dies at 84 Needless to say, fan reaction has been effusive. Fan site The Sietch of Sci-Fi said the trailer 'looks incredible.' Another raved that the trailer was 'some of the most beautiful footage I've seen all year [and I was] struck by the real sense of doom and rage — fist fights inside of cosmic volcanoes, heroes terrified, huge aerial battles.' While another entertainment writer wrote, '[The trailer] started out as 'meh, more of the same' and ended with 'yup, another billion to James Cameron.'' And a film critic wrote: 'The visuals are (somehow) on another level. There is no doubt in my mind that this WILL be the biggest movie of 2025, and 'epic' doesn't feel like it does this trailer justice.' The trailer introduces two new tribes, the Wind Traders and the fire-hurling Ash People clan. The footage shows (trailer spoilers here — if that's a thing) plenty of intense arial fighting between Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his Na'vi family, the Ash People clan and, of course, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang, now sporting dramatic white, black and red warpaint, suggesting he might have made an alliance with the Ash People). At one point, a captive Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) is warned by a new villain, Varang (Oona Chaplin), 'Your goddess has no dominion here.' Sully — who warns, 'we cannot live like this' — is taken captive and paraded by the occupation forces. And Spider (Jack Champion) seems like he's in jeopardy quite a bit. The first Avatar, released in 2009, became the highest-grossing film of all time, raking in $2.9 billion globally. The first sequel, 2022's The Way of Water, charted as the third-highest-grossing movie of all time (with $2.3 billion), beating expectations and silencing doubters that the Oscar winner could pull off another Avatar blockbuster. At this point, few doubt Cameron's ability to generate massive box office returns with the Avatar franchise and confidence is high that Fire & Ash will deliver when its released as a major holiday tentpole on Dec. 19. While a run time hasn't yet been announced, Cameron has teased that Fire and Ash 'will be a bit longer' than The Way of Water. The last film was three hours and 12 minutes. 'In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of [Way of Water],' Cameron recently said. 'The [film] was moving like a bullet train, and we weren't drilling down enough on character. So I said, 'Guys, we've got to split it.' [Fire & Ash] will actually be a little bit longer than [Way of Water].' Cameron plans five Avatar films and has said he intends to direct them all, as well. Much of the footage, Cameron has said, has already been shot. Avatar 4 is set for Dec. 21, 2029, and Avatar 5 will arrive Dec. 19, 2031. Cameron also hopes to adapt the Charles Pellegrino books Ghosts of Hiroshima and Last Train From Hiroshima as soon as his Avatar schedule permits. The film would focus on the true story of a Japanese man during World War II who survived the atomic blast at Hiroshima as well as the explosion in Nagasaki. If it comes to fruition, it would mark Cameron's first non-Avatar film since 1997's Titanic. Fire & Ash cast members include Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Matt Gerald, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Bailey Bass, Jemaine Clement and David Thewlis. The official description of Fire and Ash: 'Jake and Neytiri's family grapples with grief after Neteyam's death, encountering a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe, the Ash People, who are led by the fiery Varang, as the conflict on Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges.' Disney had no comment on the leak. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best Solve the daily Crossword

‘South Park' creators reveal battle with network over wild Trump depiction, joke they're ‘terribly sorry'
‘South Park' creators reveal battle with network over wild Trump depiction, joke they're ‘terribly sorry'

New York Post

time6 hours ago

  • New York Post

‘South Park' creators reveal battle with network over wild Trump depiction, joke they're ‘terribly sorry'

'South Park' creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone discussed their controversial season 27 premiere at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, revealing a behind-the-scenes battle with network executives over airing a less-than-flattering depiction of President Donald Trump's penis during Wednesday's episode. The duo behind the long-running Comedy Central series spoke alongside a panel of other adult cartoon creators at the event, including 'Beavis and Butt-Head' creator, Mike Judge, and 'Digman!' co-creator, Andy Samberg. When asked if they had been following the reaction to their season 27 premiere by the panel's moderator, Josh Horowitz, Parker jokingly replied, 'We're terribly sorry.' As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, that's about as far as the creators went in responding to the controversy stirred by the episode, although Stone did address Trump more directly later in the discussion when the duo were asked about how they originally met. 'For me and Trey, we met over 'Monty Python,'' he said. 'In this day, when PBS is getting their funding cut, that's how I found 'Monty Python.'' Stone's comments on PBS come on the heels of a congressional vote last week to cut funding for public broadcasting. Trump signed the $9 billion spending cuts package into law on Thursday. 'South Park' creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone revealed they went toe-to-toe with network executives before airing their controversial season 27 premiere at San Diego Comic-Con. Getty Images According to Parker, the show's team finalized the season's premiere episode just shortly before it aired. 'Just three days ago, we were going, 'I don't know if people are going to like this,'' Parker said, adding that the duo were reading news headlines and said to each other, 'Let's put that in there.' Horowitz questioned the 'South Park' creators about whether there were any concerns about the season premiere from higher-ups at Comedy Central, with Parker detailing a discussion with the network about showing Trump's penis on the show. The creators of the long-running Comedy Central series detailed how the executives wanted Trump's penis blurred, as the duo told them, 'No, you're not gonna blur the penis.' REUTERS 'They were like, 'We're gonna blur the penis,' and we're like, 'No, you're not gonna blur the penis,'' Parker responded, adding that the show's team agreed to add eyes to the depiction of the president's penis to make it a character. The White House, however, did not seem thrilled about the season 27 premiere of 'South Park.' White House Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers issued a statement regarding Wednesday's episode to Fox News Digital on Thursday. 'The Left's hypocrisy truly has no end — for years, they have come after South Park for what they labeled as 'offense' [sic] content, but suddenly they are praising the show,' Rogers stated. 'Just like the creators of South Park, the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows. This show hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention. President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country's history — and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump's hot streak.'

Breaking Down the Ending of Netflix K-Drama 'Trigger'
Breaking Down the Ending of Netflix K-Drama 'Trigger'

Time​ Magazine

time6 hours ago

  • Time​ Magazine

Breaking Down the Ending of Netflix K-Drama 'Trigger'

If Trigger were a U.S. production, the action thriller that follows a police force as they deal with an influx of guns into their city wouldn't have a very novel premise. In the U.S., where gun violence was declared a public health crisis last year, there are more guns than there are people, with an estimated 120.5 guns per every 100 people. But in South Korea, where Trigger is set, there are only 0.2 guns per every 100 people. Korean gun control laws are strict, and the weapons are practically a non-issue when it comes to public safety. While gun violence does occur, as was the case last week when a father shot his adult son using a homemade gun, it is a rarity in Korea, where private gun ownership is uncommon. According to a 2022 article in the Korea Herald, private guns are intended for shooting athletes, manufacturers and sellers of firearms, and for those who need them for construction or as props in film or TV production. Licensed hunters may apply for gun ownership, but they must go through a rigorous qualification process and are only allowed to keep their guns at home during hunting season. Other times of the year, the firearms must be stored at the local police department. Otherwise, only authorized personnel in security-related fields can be in possession of firearms, and often, police officers choose not to carry them. Trigger envisions a world where gun control laws in Korea are ignored Trigger, a Netflix K-drama from writer-director Kwon Oh-seung (Midnight), imagines what would happen if all of these regulations were ignored, and unregistered, highly deadly firearms started streaming mysteriously and rapidly into the country. Across 10 anxiety-inducing episodes, we follow police protagonist Lee Do (Island's Kim Nam-gil) as he tries to keep Korean society from falling into a panic-induced frenzy, and succumbing to a status quo where gun violence is the norm. The thriller is simultaneously a parable for Korean viewers and a mirror for American viewers, who already live in a society where buying a gun can take as few as five clicks. Who is behind the gun plot in Trigger? The guns in Trigger are being funneled into the country by the fictional International Rifle Union (IRU), a black market arms dealer with immense political and economic power globally. The person behind the plan is Moon Baek (Evilive's Kim Young-kwang). Baek stumbles upon the IRU when as a kid, looking for revenge after being trafficked from Korea to the United States for his organs. Jake, one of the organization's higher-ups, sees something valuable in the desperate, vengeful kid. He raises Baek to be a part of the organization. The IRU's entrance into Korea is facilitated by Baek, who has been diagnosed with six months to live due to cancer. While Baek presumably presents the plan to Jake as a business opportunity, he is really looking for retribution against the country that failed him. Upon his arrival in Korea, Baek murders the man who made his childhood a living hell. He hides bullets in the ceiling of the man's apartment, a signal to officials that everything in Korea is about to change. Baek uses some local gangsters, posing as regular mail couriers, to distribute the guns. He targets individuals who are marginalized for some reason or another. Many of them are physically and mentally bullied by the people in their lives. 'Everyone carries a trigger in their heart,' a psychologist says early in the show's run. Trigger implies that everyone is capable of violence, and it is the job of a functional society not to give its citizens access to a weapon that can so easily lead to violent self-destruction. Lee Do's backstory explained Lee Do serves as a counterpoint to Baek's nihilistic ruthlessness. While Do's childhood may not have been quite as horrific, he didn't have it easy. His parents and brother were killed during a home robbery when he was just a child. Immediately following the incident, Do takes a gun off of Captain Jo's (Kim Won-hae) desk and aims it at the man who killed his family, intending to pull the trigger. The captain talks him out of it, but the moment is a formative one for Do. Jo raises Do as his own, alongside his daughter. Decades later, Lee Do is the Platonic ideal of a policeman, protecting the vulnerable and preferring de-escalation to violence. Until guns start appearing amongst the civilian population, Do chooses not to use a gun himself, still haunted by the lives he took during his years as a soldier. When gun violence starts ramping up, he decides to pick up a gun once again—but only when it is necessary to take someone down. Moon Baek kills Captain Jo While Trigger has a complex cast of characters, Lee Do and Moon Baek are the protagonist and antagonist at its center. Both suffered tragedy as children. One was given the support they needed to become a happy, healthy adult. The other was not, and has grown into a ruthless killer as a result. While Lee Do wants to protect the innocent (and even the guilty) around him, Moon Baek wants to see people suffer like he has. Gun violence is his method. When Lee Do starts getting in Moon Baek's way, the criminal mastermind becomes intrigued by the stalwart cop. To get closer to him, he poses as just another recipient of one of the illegal weapons, and offers his 'help' in trying to stop various shootings. Do almost immediately identifies Baek as one of the people behind the organized influx of guns. However, when the police go to arrest Baek, he uses his immense resources to slip between their fingers and continue to wreak havoc. Captain Jo, Do's surrogate dad, becomes one of Baek's desperate targets when a jeonse fraud drives his daughter to suicide. Jo finds the men who scammed his daughter, confronting them at a karaoke room. When they show no remorse, he starts firing. Lee Do arrives on the scene once Captain Jo has followed one of the men outside. He convinces Jo to put the gun down, asking him not to let the feeling that killing the man will help fool him in this moment. 'How did you bear this pain at such a young age?' Jo asks Do. 'It was all thanks to you, Captain,' Do tells him, embracing his distraught father figure. Baek, who has orchestrated the entire scenario to drive up public anxiety around shootings and to break Do's resolve, doesn't like how the scenario ends. He comes out of the shadows to shoot both Captain Jo and Lee Do. 'Just wait and see,' Baek tells Do as he loses consciousness. 'You'll wake up to a whole new world.' The ending of Trigger explained As intended by Baek, Do is out of the action for at least a few days following the incident. When he wakes back up, he is devastated to learn that Captain Jo has died. He grieves Jo and her daughter, acting as the chief mourner at their funeral. Meanwhile, Baek has announced to the public that anyone who wants a gun in Korea can get one. Public fear is at an all-time high as thousands of weapons are delivered to the populace, and incidents of gun violence become more common as a result. On the news, political pundits begin to debate whether gun ownership should be legalized in Korea. The president is considering martial law. A 'Free Guns' rally is organized by Baek to pit the two sides of the argument against one another. Lee Do leaves the funeral in order to attend. Baek has a truck filled with boxes of weapons driven into the middle of the rally. Chaos breaks out as people frantically grab the weapons, thinking they need them to protect themselves. Baek sets off smoke bombs to further confuse the crowd. As Lee Do makes his way to Baek, he remembers a philosophical argument they had over dinner, before Do realized Baek's villainy. 'Wouldn't pulling a 5-milimeter trigger in pursuit of revenge spread fear in the minds of many?' Do told Baek. 'Out of fear that they might die without a gun, everyone will rush to get one. And a society like that will soon be destroyed.' Baek wants to create that society, and he is well on his way. 'It was this world that made the people angry,' he tells Do, making the bad faith argument. 'All I did was hand them a gun. It's up to them whether they pull the trigger.' In the smoky plaza, as scared people point guns at one another, Baek taunts Do. 'What I want is a single gun shot … that will make these people start shooting at each other' He wants Lee Do to be the one to pull the trigger. Baek disappears into the smoke and Do follows, gun drawn. Before he can find the man, a gun shot rings out. Baek has been shot, perhaps by his own hand. The plaza erupts into gunfire. In the chaos, Do sees a boy alone, crying for his mother, a gun in his hands. It is an echo of the boy he once was. Rather than defend himself, Do drops his gun and rushes to him. He embraces the child as the gunfire continues. 'It's okay. You're safe,' he tells him. The image is captured by a livestreamer on the scene. It stops nurse So-hyeon, whom we have been following throughout the series, from using a gun to kill the co-workers who bully her. Once the dust has settled, and scores of people are dead, the image of Lee Do embracing the scared child becomes a symbol of choosing empathy over violence. Later, we see the image at a memorial for the victims of the shooting. Another message at the memorial states: 'We will remember the innocent lives lost and work to create a safer world.' Does Moon Baek die at the end of Trigger? Baek is in a coma following the events of the firefight. The doctor tells Do, who visits Baek in the hospital, that he is unlikely to recover, due to his cancer and the blood loss sustained from the gunshot wound. Later, we see an English-speaking cabal of IRU members, including Jake, vaguely discussing their next business move. A woman walks into the wards where Baek is unconscious, presumably to kill him. Does Trigger have a happy ending? The ending of Trigger isn't happy, but it is hopeful. Across the country, the police hold illegal firearm drop-off drives to collect as many of the weapons as possible. One of the people who drops off a fun is nurse So-hyeon. "It took too long," she tells Officer Jang, who collects her signature. "You did the right thing,' he tells her. Lee Do survives to de-escalate another day. In an echo of what Captain Jo did for him, Do adopts the child he saved in the firefight. He picks the boy up from school, and holds his hand as he walks him home. Do is doing what he can.

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