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Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
KPop Demon Hunters took 7 years to make but a lifetime of experience, says creator
NEW YORK – Sin ce its release on Netflix in June, the original animated film KPop Demon Hunters has burned up the internet – and the charts. The musical fantasy has topped the streamer's global rankings and inspired countless memes, dance challenges, themed merchandise and fan art. The movie's equally blockbuster soundtrack has stormed the music charts, with eight of its songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100. KPop Demon Hunters follows the members of Huntrix, a fictional K-pop girl group, as they juggle demanding careers and fight to save the world from soul-stealing demons. The film's directors and co-writers Maggie Kang – a Korean-Canadian veteran storyboard artist on films including Rise Of The Guardians (2012) and Puss In Boots (2011) – and American illustrator Chris Appelhans (who directed 2021's Wish Dragon) spoke about the making of their movie and its unexpected rise as a global cultural phenomenon. Here are edited excerpts from the conversation. Maggie, the story behind KPop Demon Hunters was your idea. What convinced you that a film which combines disparate elements like K-pop, animation, traditional Korean art and mythology, and demons could resonate with so many audiences? Maggie Kang: Well, nothing did . I wa s j ust trying to make something I wanted to see: A movie that celebrated Korean culture. And for some reason, I landed on demonology. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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I wanted to see female superheroes that were a lot more relatable, who like to eat and make silly faces. We were not trying to make them just pretty, sexy and cool. They ha d i nsecurities and showed that. Demon hunting is usually done very secretly, so these girls needed a public-facing persona. I also wanted to do something K-pop-related. It was like, let's just see if these two things can go together. How did you two end up working together on this project? Chris Appelhans: Aron Warner, the producer who did Wish Dragon, was helping Maggie develop this. He said: 'You should meet Maggie. She's really smart, and this idea is really cool.' He was right. Maggie told me about it, and about 10 minutes in, I was trying to play it coo l, but on the inside, I was like: 'P lease let me work on this movie with you.' When you're trying to make movies, you're looking for somethin g movin g t hat you have not seen before, and they just do not come along very often. This was one of those things. We essentially never disagreed. We had different strengths, but also, I think the sum of our brainpower made for a nice mix. When I first heard the title and read the premise, I was sceptical. How did you pitch your idea to Sony Pictures Animation? Kang: K-content is very popular, and it wa s at the height of boy band BTS' popularity that this was pitched, so I don't think it was a hard s ell. If you were not living under a rock, you knew how big BTS and K-content were. It was almost seven years to the day, from pitching it to the release. I had known Aron for a long time as well. When he landed at Sony with Wish Dragon, he called me and said, 'Do you have anything that you want to pitch me?' I pitched it like, 'It's a K-pop girl group, and they hunt demons secretly.' And he's like, 'I love it.' I thought he was joking. But the next week, he had a deal ready. A few months into development, Sony Pictures Animation president Kristine Belson was like, 'I think this has big movie potential.' So, we started to look for a directing partner, and that's when Chris came on. Korean-American singer-songwrit er Ejae, who does the vocals for (female lead) Rumi, was on super early and wrote a couple of demos for the first song, How It's Done, and a version of the duet Free. We played those two as proof of concept for music. Eight of animation film KPop Demon Hunters' songs have landed on the Billboard Hot 100. PHOTO: NETFLIX Did you have a particular audience in mind? There are many people who are not K-pop fans who are enjoying this movie. Kang: When I was a teenager and loved K-pop, I spent all my money on that. I went to an all-girls school, and when Titanic (1997) came out, I had friends who watched it in the theatres like seven, eight times. I was like, why isn't anybody tapping this obsessive, teenage girl love? So, I was trying to make a movie for my current self, of course, but also for my teenage self. Recently, somebody said, 'It seems like you made a movie for teenage girls, but maybe there's a teenage girl in everybody.' Romance, friendship and the idea of shame and hiding yourself – I think there are a lot of themes and ideas that are speaking to a global audience because they're something that everybody relates to. That is also the reason I wanted to make the movie as Korean as possible, because I wanted to prove it does not matter what culture something is set in. It's all about the characters and the story. NYTIMES KPop Demon Hunters is available on Netflix.
Glasgow Times
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Ozzy Osbourne's final Black Sabbath show just weeks ago
The legendary rocker passed away at the age of 76 'surrounded by love' it was announced by his family earlier tonight (July 22). He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. Appearing on a large black throne in Villa Park, Birmingham, he told thousands of heavy metal enthusiasts on July 5 that it was 'so good to be on this stage'. I have been a Black Sabbath fan almost my entire life. And when I say Black Sabbath I mean the band with Ozzy Osbourne in it. Everything else was business. They were just immense. A thundering voice and noise direct from the working class. — Danny Baker (@prodnose) July 22, 2025 Osbourne and his fellow original Black Sabbath members – Iommi, Butler and Ward – were the last to appear on stage as part of a star-studded line-up for the Back to the Beginning concert. Among the bands performing were Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N'Roses, and there were messages of thanks from other celebrities, including Jack Black, Ricky Gervais and Dolly Parton. In an emotional moment, Osbourne said: 'I don't know what to say, man, I've been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.' Ozzy Osbourne's last social media post A post shared on Instagram just one day ago showed an empty corridor at Villa Park and a flier that remains following the show. Fans were quick to comment with their sadness this evening (July 22) following Ozzy's passing. What was Ozzy Osbourne's biggest hit? Ozzy's biggest hit is considered to be 'Crazy Train'. While it didn't top the Billboard Hot 100, it's noted as 'a classic of the heavy metal genre', released in 1980. Other notable hits and fan favourites include Mama, I'm Coming Home, No More Tears and a duet with his daughter Kelly Osbourne, on 'Changes' which topped the UK charts in 2003.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift Doc to Examine How She ‘Skillfully' Navigated ‘Controversy' Throughout Her Career
It's no secret that Taylor Swift has become one of the most successful musicians of all time, but how did she get there? That's exactly what a new documentary coming to the U.K.'s Channel 4 aims to find out. As announced exclusively by Deadline on Tuesday (July 22), an upcoming two-part series tentatively titled Taylor will trace the pop star's two-decade career from its early stages to becoming a billion-dollar, industry-dominating machine by way of insider interviews and fresh insights pulled from a 'rare archive.' Guy King will direct the project, which does not yet have an official release date. More from Billboard Billboard's Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 2 — Taylor Swift Stephen Colbert Cheered Himself Up After Cancellation News With 'Viva La Vida' Cover Feat. 'Weird Al' Yankovic and Lin-Manuel Miranda 48 Hours in Atlanta: Where to Stay, Eat & Explore the City's Rich Music Culture 'Taylor Swift is an unprecedentedly powerful 21st century voice for women and young people,' King told the publication. 'Under the microscope of social media since the earliest days of MySpace and Tumblr, she came of age during a new feminist wave.' 'With her fame came controversy, which she so skillfully wrestled to the floor,' the director added. 'We're excited to tell her story.' King and his team will have an abundance of material to draw from as they dive into Swift's historic rise. The Pennsylvania native has more Billboard Hot 100 entries than any other artist besides Drake, is the only musician to ever win album of the year at the Grammys four times, and has earned the title of first singer to ever become a billionaire based on songs and performances alone. As far as 'controversy' goes, Swift has plenty to analyze on that front as well. The musician has been scrutinized on everything from her love life to her feuds with fellow industry titans such as Kanye West and Scooter Braun, the latter of which culminated in Swift finally reclaiming ownership of her masters by purchasing them this past May. With that in mind, Taylor will be far from the first documentary-style project to explore her life and career. Swift personally participated in Netflix's Miss Americana, a Lana Wilson-directed doc about the musician's trajectory and political awakening, in 2019. Best of Billboard Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Pentatonix & Train Will Bring Their Holiday Hits to iHeart Christmas Concert Fox Plans NFT Debut With $20 'Masked Singer' Collectibles 14 Things That Changed (or Didn't) at Farm Aid 2021 Solve the daily Crossword
Boston Globe
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
A look at some of Ozzy Osbourne's best music videos, reality show clips
Osbourne and his bandmates delighted the crowd at Paris's Olympia Theater in December 1970 with a live rendition of 'War Pigs,' the antiwar anthem they recorded on the Black Sabbath LP 'Paranoid.' 'Paranoid' Speaking of 'Paranoid,' it landed with an initial thud on the Billboard Hot 100, clanging in at 61. But the track in many ways emerged as the band's signature song, and for legions of fans, the official video shot in Belgium in 1970 was a frenetic journey through the mind of a gifted young artist operating without restraint. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Advertisement 'Iron Man' Ozzy famously croaked 'Has he lost his mind? Can he see or is he blind?' on this seminal track from the group, also released on the 'Paranoid' album. 'Iron Man' would go on to shape the consciousness of disaffected youth from coast to coast during the 1970s, while later providing a soundtrack for future Gordon Geckos at frat parties in the 1980s, once the cut began to lose its some of its subversive edge. Check out a shirtless Ozzy revisiting the song in a live rendition at a packed concert in 2019: 'The Osbournes' on MTV In later years, the Ozz man (sort of) shed his transgressive rocker image for the role of a charmingly put-upon father in his long-running reality TV series 'The Osbournes.' Advertisement The very first episode began with the family gathered in the living room trading F-bombs and tossing items at one another, in a scene not unfamiliar to many clans dealing with simmering resentments that suddenly surge to the fore. It was cheeky. It was relatable. And like everything the man touched, it was difficult to look away, even for an instant. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at
The Herald Scotland
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Ozzy Osbourne's final Black Sabbath show just weeks ago
He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. Appearing on a large black throne in Villa Park, Birmingham, he told thousands of heavy metal enthusiasts on July 5 that it was 'so good to be on this stage'. I have been a Black Sabbath fan almost my entire life. And when I say Black Sabbath I mean the band with Ozzy Osbourne in it. Everything else was business. They were just immense. A thundering voice and noise direct from the working class. — Danny Baker (@prodnose) July 22, 2025 Osbourne and his fellow original Black Sabbath members – Iommi, Butler and Ward – were the last to appear on stage as part of a star-studded line-up for the Back to the Beginning concert. Among the bands performing were Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N'Roses, and there were messages of thanks from other celebrities, including Jack Black, Ricky Gervais and Dolly Parton. In an emotional moment, Osbourne said: 'I don't know what to say, man, I've been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.' Ozzy Osbourne's last social media post A post shared on Instagram just one day ago showed an empty corridor at Villa Park and a flier that remains following the show. Fans were quick to comment with their sadness this evening (July 22) following Ozzy's passing. What was Ozzy Osbourne's biggest hit? Ozzy's biggest hit is considered to be 'Crazy Train'. While it didn't top the Billboard Hot 100, it's noted as 'a classic of the heavy metal genre', released in 1980. Other notable hits and fan favourites include Mama, I'm Coming Home, No More Tears and a duet with his daughter Kelly Osbourne, on 'Changes' which topped the UK charts in 2003.
