Simu Liu announces engagement to girlfriend Allison Hsu
'Barbie' actor and Marvel star Simu Liu has announced his engagement to girlfriend Allison Hsu.
The Chinese-Canadian actor, who was Marvel's first Asian superhero and played a Ken doll in the 2023 hit 'Barbie' movie, shared a series of romantic snaps on Instagram Sunday.
'Us forever,' Hsu wrote in a joint post, followed by a string of diamond ring and white heart emojis.
Often dubbed the 'city of love,' the pair shared several photos taken in Paris against the backdrop of the city's skyline, with Hsu sporting an impressive diamond ring.
'From weekends in Paris, day trips to Palm Springs, long nights on set, afternoons vegging on the couch and everything in between, I choose you forever and always,' Liu told his 3 million followers.
Hsu replied, declaring: 'I love you fiancé!!!!!!!!!!'
The pair were first thought to be officially dating in late 2022 when they attended the premiere of action-comedy 'Violent Night' together in Los Angeles, California.
Around the same time, Hsu posted a picture on Instagram of the pair cuddling.
Speaking in December 2022 about what he admired about his partner, Liu told People that Hsu was 'a badass, she's a fighter and she's very, very passionate about all things in life, her work, her job, and her other things.'
'And that's a language that I speak very well, and I am happy to see where it goes,' he said at the time.
Liu rose to international fame after his starring role in 2021 Marvel movie 'Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.'
More recently, the actor appeared as a guest star and investor on an episode of CBC's 'Dragons' Den.' During his time on the show, he raised questions about cultural appropriation after the owners of a Canadian bubble tea company appeared on the 'Shark-Tank'-style series, seeking an investment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
40 minutes ago
- Business Insider
'The Phoenician Scheme' has a star-studded cast — here's where else you might have seen them
Benicio Del Toro plays Zsa-Zsa Korda "The Phoenician Scheme" follows Zsa-zsa Korda, an arms dealer, as he tries to teach his daughter how to run his organization after a near-successful assassination attempt. Benicio Del Toro, who plays the character, who won an Oscar in 2001 for his supporting role in "Traffic." He previously worked with Anderson on his 2021 movie " The French Dispatch." Del Toro also appeared in three Marvel movies as the Collector, and starred in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," "Sicario," and "The Usual Suspects." Mia Threapleton as Liesl Liesl, Zsa-Zsa's eldest daughter, was raised in a convent away from her family's criminal enterprise. Although she wants to be a nun, her father wants her to be the heir to his estate, distracting her from her faith. Mia Threapleton, who plays Liesl, may seem familiar to fans even if they haven't seen her act before. That's because she's Kate Winslet's daughter. Threapleton made her acting debut at 13 with "A Little Chaos." Before "The Phoenician Scheme," her biggest role was playing Honoria Marable in the AppleTV+ series "The Buccaneers." Michael Cera plays Bjorn Bjorn joins Zsa-zsa and Liesl on their adventure as Zsa-zsa's personal tutor about insects. He is played by Michael Cera, who is best known for his roles in films such as "Barbie," "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," "Juno" and "Superbad." Steve Park plays the pilot Early in the film, Steve Park appears as a pilot for Zsa-zsa. This is the third Anderson film Park has appeared after starring in "The French Dispatch" and "Asteroid City." Park has also starred in "Death of a Unicorn," "Mickey 17," "Do the Right Thing," and "Fargo." Rupert Friend plays Excalibur Excalibur leads the shady consortium attempting to sabotage Zsa-zsa's organization in the movie. Rupert Friend, who plays Excalibur, starred in Anderson's 2021 movie "The French Dispatch" and his 2024 short films "The Swan" and "The Rat Catcher." Friend also played Mr Wickham in the 2005 version of "Pride & Prejudice," and starred in the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "Anatomy of a Scandal" series. Riz Ahmed plays Prince Farouk Riz Ahmed stars as Prince Farouk, the son of the King of Lower Western Independent Phoenicia, who has partnered with Zsa-zsa to build a tunnel across the region. This is Ahmed's first Wes Anderson movie, but he has starred in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," "Venom," and "Sound of Metal." Tom Hanks plays Leland Leland is part of the Sacramento Consortium, which is in business with Zsa-Zsa and Prince Farouk to build the tunnel. Beloved American actor Tom Hanks plays Leland. Hanks starred in Anderson's 2023 movie "Asteroid City," but is better known for his older roles like "Forrest Gump," "Cast Away," and "Big." Bryan Cranston plays Reagan Reagan is Leland's brother, also part of the Sacramento Consortium. Bryan Cranston, who plays Reagan, has starred in two of Anderson's movies — "Asteroid City and "Isle of Dogs." Cranston is best known for starring in the TV drama "Breaking Bad" and "Malcolm in the Middle." Mathieu Amalric plays Marseille Bob Marseille Bob is a French nightclub owner and leader of the Savarin-Montrachet Gang. He is also part of Zsa-zsa's Phoenician business scheme. Mathieu Amalric, who starred in Anderson's "Isle of Dogs" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel," plays Marseille Bob. Amalric has also played a Bond villain, Dominic Greene, in 2008's "Quantum of Solace." Richard Ayoade plays Sergio Sergio is the leader of the Intercontinental Radical Freedom Militia Corp jungle unit, which attacks Marseille Bob's nightclub in the movie. Richard Ayoade, a British comedian, plays Sergio after starring in two of Anderson's short films, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" and "The Rat Catcher." Ayoade mainly has voice acting roles, but has appeared on-screen in the sitcom "The IT Crowd" and "Paddington 2." Jeffrey Wright plays Marty Marty is a shipping magnate and the leader of the Newark Syndicate gang. He is also in cahoots with Zsa-zsa. Jeffrey Wright plays Marty, making "The Phoenician Scheme" his third Anderson movie. He also starred in "Asteroid City" and "The French Dispatch." Wright has also starred in "American Fiction," "The Batman," "Quantum of Solace," and three "Hunger Games" movies. Scarlett Johansson plays Hilda Sussman-Korda Hilda Sussman-Korda is Zsa-zsa's second cousin and has an intimate relationship with him. She is also part of Zsa-zsa's business scheme because she is constructing a trans-basin hydroelectric embankment within her private utopian outpost in Phoenicia. Scarlett Johansson, who is best known for her roles in Marvel movies, "Her" and "Lost in Translation," plays Hilda. Johansson has worked with Anderson twice before, starring in "Asteroid City" and "Isle of Dogs." Benedict Cumberbatch plays Uncle Nubar Benedict Cumberbatch plays Zsa-zsa's brother, Uncle Nubar. Though Uncle Nubar is part of Zsa-zsa's business plan, the brothers often oppose each other. Benedict Cumberbatch, another Marvel star, plays Uncle Nubar. He starred in Anderson's 2024 short films "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" and "Poison." Cumberbatch is also known for his roles in "Star Trek: Into Darkness," "The Imitation Game," and the "Sherlock" TV series. F. Murray Abraham, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Hope Davis have small cameos in the movie Though they do not appear in the film's trailers, F. Murray Abraham, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Murray all have cameos in hallucination scenes. Abraham, who cameos as a prophet, has starred in Anderson's 2014 movie "The Grand Budapest Hotel," "Amadeus" and HBO drama "The White Lotus." Dafoe has brief appearance as a knave and has appeared in 4 of Anderson's films since starring in 2004's "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." Dafoe has also starred in four "Spider-Man" movies, "Aquaman," "Poor Things," and "Nosferatu." Murray makes a cameo as god and has made appearances in 10 of Anderson's films, skipping only "Bottle Rocket" and "Asteroid City." Murray is best known for starring in "Lost in Translation," "Groundhog Day" and the "Ghostbusters" movies. Hope Davis, who makes a small appearance in the trailers, plays Mother Superior in the movie, Liesl's superior in her convent. She also appeared in Anderson's last feature "Asteroid City," "Captain America: Civil War" and the "Succession" TV series.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Why Kylian Mbappe has invested in France's SailGP team: ‘I'm a very curious person'
Kylian Mbappe admits he knows next to nothing about sailing. At a breakfast on the top floor of a boutique Parisian hotel, just a stone's throw from Roland Garros where week one of the French Open is in full swing, the Real Madrid forward is talking about how he sees the sport as part of his legacy, how it can inspire the young people in his foundation. Advertisement The 26-year-old France captain, a World Cup winner at just 19 and one of the world's most feted soccer players, also helps clear up the predominant question of the day: why has he invested in the French SailGP team? 'Well, the first thing is that as a French person,' he tells The Athletic, 'I've always wanted to support my compatriots. I've always wanted to support French sport, so that was already a first factor. 'The second is because SailGP does a lot of things socially for children. And to have been able to involve my foundation (Inspired by Kylian Mbappe, IBKM) with SailGP is really something that fills me with joy because we share a lot of values and we have a lot of projects planned together for the future.' SailGP is a high-speed, close-to-shore international championship consisting of 12 national teams racing in identical carbon-fiber catamarans head-to-head over a 12-month season, which runs from November to November. 'I'm just starting out, I'm a beginner,' he says of his SailGP knowledge. 'I'm really trying grasp the basics for now to really understand what it's about. But learning new things, that's something I've always been passionate about, so I'm a good student.' Mbappe, who bought a stake in France's team in March, is one of many global stars associating themselves with a championship now in its fifth season. Four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel was a founding investor in the German team. Last month, actor Anne Hathaway was named among the female-led ownership group of the Italian team, while on Thursday, it was announced Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds were the new co-owners of the Australian team. The U.S. team has a plethora of stars behind them, too, with former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry last year leading a group of investors who acquired the team for $35million (£27.2m). Advertisement A factor not to be overlooked is the skyrocketing value of the national teams' franchises. This is a fledgling global circuit still just six years young, so when Sir Ben Ainslie bought the franchise for the British team in 2022, it's believed he paid less than $5m. Just three years later, SailGP founder and CEO Russell Coutts says he wouldn't sell a franchise for less than $50m. 'By the end of this season, we'll be seeing $100m valuations for teams,' he told The Athletic earlier this year. SailGP is running hot right now and despite no prior interest in sailing, it's not hard to see how Mbappe was convinced to invest in the French team headed by former Olympic sailor Quentin Delapierre. But Mbappe wants the association with Delapierre's team to run a lot deeper than pure financial play because he says he sees SailGP as an ideal vehicle for inspiring some of the 98 teenagers and young adults on his program. Gathered at the breakfast on Mbappe's return to his home city are eight IBKM members, aged 16 to 20. They are there to meet Delapierre for the first time, as he starts preparing them for a trip to New York, where they'll experience a SailGP grand prix at first hand, right in the core of the Big Apple. Mbappe sounded envious not to be joining them this weekend for the grand prix, which will be held on Upper New York Bay on Saturday and Sunday. 'I want them to have the freedom to create their own experience, their own memories, because they are the ones who will live it,' he says. 'They'll also learn the meaning of sacrifice, the meaning of hard work, because they'll see how much work it takes to get a result, seeing the preparation for a major competition. Of course, I don't know what they plan to do with their lives in the future, but they will see the mental preparation (of the sailors), seeing how much self-control and management of emotions (is involved).' Mbappe set up IBKM in 2020 to help young children forge a strong direction in life. Working closely with his mother, Fayza, who is also sitting in on The Athletic's interview, the forward, only the second man to score a hat-trick at a World Cup final, wants his legacy to be more than what he has achieved on the football pitch. Advertisement 'I wanted to reach out to young people around the world, just as someone once reached out to me, and give them the strength to believe in their dreams and write their own stories,' he says of the foundation. 'We want to inspire and support these young people through sport, education and culture.' While Mbappe won't be able to join his eight apprentices for the New York leg of the championship, he's planning to attend a grand prix at some point this season or next. 'Depending on my schedule, I will certainly try to see if it will be possible to be there, because it's another thing to see it for real rather than watching it on TV. Like any other sport, you want to feel the energy, the passion and the whole sense of sacrifice that's required when you're trying to achieve a result,' he says. When it's suggested that he could explore a second sporting career in sailing after he retires from football aged 40, he does a theatrical double-take. 'Forty? You think forty?' Mbappe laughs. 'But I'm a very curious person, and I'm trying to develop myself more and more to gain as much knowledge as possible. So it's really going to be a great learning experience for me because sailing is not an area I know very well. 'I never wanted to close any doors for my post-career. I never wanted to say no to anything, so we'll see, but I have a lot of work to do before considering what comes after my (footballing) career.' While at first glance there's not much obvious crossover between football and SailGP, Mbappe sees a lot of commonalities. 'The challenges in football and SailGP are different, but I think in the end, success is success, regardless of the discipline. It's the same thing because it provokes the same emotions, it requires the same workload, the same obsession with detail. The same idea of dedicating everything to trying to win.' Winning is something the French team hasn't manage to achieve yet this season. But even the straight-talking Coutts has talked of the France team as winners-in-waiting. Advertisement But Mbappe has given Delapierre a boost. The France driver having to pinch himself that he now finds himself trading thoughts and ideas with this French soccer icon. 'Honestly, Kylian has inspired me a lot, not only as an athlete but also as a human being,' he tells The Athletic. 'Even when he was really young and playing at Monaco, he spoke very clearly about where he wanted to go and what he wanted to achieve. It's really nice to have this conversation around high-level sports, but also what he wants to share with his youngsters. 'I hope at some point that I will be able to share my passion with Kylian on the F50 and see if he enjoys sailing. It will be super nice to have him on board with us.'
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
Casino Tycoon Lawrence Ho's SPAC Swings Wildly After Merger With ‘Media And Entertainment Group'
Lawrence Ho, chairman and CEO of casino giant Melco International Development. A special purpose acquisition company backed by casino magnate Lawrence Ho completed its merger with an obscure media and entertainment company, whose stock was on a roller-coaster ride during its New York Stock Exchange debut on Thursday. Shares of France-based the Generation Essentials Group (TGE) skyrocketed as much as 234% on their first day of trading after the de-SPAC. The company closed flat at $10.04 on Thursday, reaching a market cap of $533 million. TGE merged with Black Spade Acquisition II, a blank-check company formed by Ho's Hong Kong-based family office Black Spade Capital, at an equity value of $488 million and enterprise value of $892 million. It came nearly a year after Ho listed Black Spade Acquisition II, raising $150 million with the aim to combine with a company in the entertainment, lifestyle or technology sectors that benefits from AI. TGE is a subsidiary of AMTD Digital, which briefly became the world's hottest stock after it went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2022. At the time, AMTD Digital founder Calvin Choi, a well-connected Hong Kong financier, amassed a paper fortune of as much as $37 billion in less than a month after AMTD Digital's listing. Shares of AMTD Digital have since plunged more than 99% from its peak in August 2022. Lawrence Ho (middle) and Calvin Choi (middle right), founder of AMTD Digital and the Generation Essentials Group. Formerly known as World Media and Entertainment Universal, TGE says it operates as a 'global media and entertainment ecosystem covering high fashion, arts, lifestyle, cultural, entertainment as well as F&B.' The company runs media outlets including the L'Officiel fashion magazine (acquired in 2022) and the Art Newspaper (acquired in 2023), produces Chinese-language movies with a combined gross box office it says reached more than $400 million, and operates two hotels—one in Hong Kong and the other in Singapore. TGE's biggest revenue contributor in 2024 was its 'strategic investments,' which included the stocks of Bank of Qingdao, Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank and its parent AMTD Digital, as well as film investments. The company reported an 81% jump in revenue to $77 million last year, with 45% coming from those investments, followed by hospitality and media advertising. Its net profit more than doubled to $44.7 million during the period, mainly due to the disposal of some non-core businesses. A Black Spade Capital spokesperson said there're 'strong synergies' between TGE and Ho's entertainment and hospitality empire. 'We are actively exploring new ideas and collaborations to enhance value on both sides,' the spokesperson said in an email response. 'With TGE's hardworking team and innovative spirit, and now a solid capital raising platform, we are confident they will reach the next level and become a leading global force in media, fashion, and art.' Ho, chairman and CEO of casino giant Melco International Development, is a son of late casino legend Stanley Ho. In 2021, he listed his first SPAC in the U.S., raising $169 million. Two years later, that blank-check company completed a $23 billion business combination with VinFast Auto, Vietnam's electric-vehicle maker controlled by the country's richest person Pham Nhat Vuong. VinFast saw its stock inexplicably skyrocketed to a peak market cap of $190 billion in August 2023. Its shares have since then plummeted more than 95% from its peak.
