Latest news with #HikaruUtada
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Netflix is about to remove ‘most underrated film of last five years'
Netflix is removing a large selection of titles in June 2025, including the most underrated film of the last five years. While the streaming service releases a bursting list of titles each month, it also takes many down without warning, meaning things can suddenly vanish from your watchlist. Fortunately, The Independent is on hand with a compilation of every movie and TV series falling victim to the culling, including certain Original titles, which we've listed below. Some acclaimed films are also being struck from the service include The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and 2023 family comedy Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. The Judy Blume adaptation follows an 11-year-old girl (Abby Ryder Fortson) who is forced to grow up in a new neighbourhood after her parents (Rachel MacAdams and Benny Safdie) relocate them. It became a modest critical hit upon its initial release. The movie, which was directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, was a box office flop, grossing $21.5m. The film's addition to streaming service has since led to a cult fanbase – and has seen it branded a 'devastatingly underrated' film by viewers perplexed it didn't receive enough plaudits. Find the full list of every movie and TV show being removed from Netflix in June 2025 below. NB: The Independent put this list together with help from What's on Netflix. Movies 1 June Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday – UK Attarintiki Daredi – US Batman Begins – US Big Game – UK Black Holes:The Edge of All We Know – UK/US Blackfish – UK Blue Lagoon: The Awakening – UK Burlesque – US Brahms: The Boy II – US The Client List – UK Closer – US Cult of Chucky – US Daddy Day Care – US The Dark Knight– US The Dark Knight Rises – US The Deep End of the Ocean – UK Den of Thieves – US Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas – UK Dr Seuss' The Grinch – UK The DUFF – UK From Prada to Nada – US GoodFellas – US Harriet – UK The Hatton Garden Job – UK The Holiday – UK Home Invasion – UK La Bamba – UK Legend – UK Little Women (1994) – UK Ma – US Magic Mike XXL – US The One – UK 100 Days with Tata – UK/US Open Season Scared Silly – US The Pretty One – UK Pride & Prejudice (2005) – US Ramachari – US Ramayya Vasthavayya – US SWAT: Under Siege – UK The Sweeney – UK Tarzan (2013) – UK Ted – US Ted 2 – US Transformers: The Last Knight – UK Two Weeks Notice – US Unhinged – US 4 June Doubt – UK Girls Will Be Girls – US 5 June The Contractor – UK Dark Places – UK 6 June Ambush – UK Sordid Lives – US 7 June I Am Woman – US Squaring the Circle – UK 8 June Almost Christmas – UK Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from AIR Studios – UK/US Margot at the Wedding – UK Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – UK Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo – US Spy – UK Srimannarayana – US 9 June Hikaru Utada Laughter in the Dark Tour 2018 – UK/US 2020 – UK/US The Bling Lagosians – UK/US Breaded Life – UK/US Camellia Sisters – UKUS Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema – UK 11 June Axone – US Big Eden – US Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story – US Trap – US 12 June Back to Black – UK The Best Man Holiday – UK Your Highness – UK 13 June Milea – UK 14 June Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – US Hakkunde – UK Knock at the Cabin – UK Source Code – UK 15 June Black Christmas (2019) – UK Fatal Attraction – UK Last Holiday – UK Material – UK/US The Spy Next Door – UK Terminator: Dark Fate – UK 16 June Wira – US Atonement – UK Bohemian Rhapsody – UK The Dead Don't Die – UK Four Good Days – UK Inglourious Basterds – UK The Inspection – UK Mortal Engines – UK Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron – UK Won't You Be My Neighbor? – US 17 June Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret – UK The Batman – UK Carol – US El límite infinite – UK Mobile Suit Gundam I – UK/US Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow – UK/US Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space – UK/US Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack – UK/US The Nan Movie – UK Operation Mincemeat – UK 18 June A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon – UK Lola Igna – UK 19 June Migration – US 65 – UK 20 June Father Figures – US 21 June American Sniper – US Blood Will Tell (Netflix Original) – US 22 June Brain on Fire (Netflix Original) – US 26 June Ordinary People (2016) – US Television 1 June Alvinnn!!! And The Chipmunks season three and four – US Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom season two – US 45 rpm (Netflix Original) – UK Haikyu!! – UK/US Muster Dogs – UK/US 2 June Bashar Shorts – UK 3 June The Footballer, His Wife and the Crash – UK 5 June Ben 10 season one to three – US The Hour – UK 6 June RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked season one – UK 10 June Al Hayba – UK/US 12 June Car Crash: Why's Lying? – UK Hannibal season one to three – UK 14 June Angela Black – UK 15 June Beyblade Burst QuadDrive season one – US Cold Case Files – US Forged in Fire – US 100 Days to Indy season one and two – US 16 June The Equalizer season one to three – US 17 June Shameless season one to 11 – UK 19 June Boomers – UK Dexter season one to eight – US 24 June Star Trek: Prodigy season one – US 25 June Stateless (Netflix Original) – US 26 June Signs season one and two (Netflix Original) – US
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN Nominees Showcase Wide Range of Japanese Music: How to Watch the Ceremonies
The inaugural MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN (MAJ) ceremony, the largest music awards in the country, is quickly approaching. Embodying the theme of 'Connecting the world, illuminating the future of music,' the brand-new international music awards will take place on May 21 and 22, 2025 at the ROHM Theatre Kyoto, with the winners of 50 categories to be announced on Day 1, and those of the six main categories and more to be announced and awarded in a ceremony on Day 2. Both days will be streamed globally via YouTube, the awards' global streaming partner. (Some regions excluded.) The Grand Ceremony on the 22nd will feature performances by AI, Hikaru Utada, Awich, Creepy Nuts, CHANMINA, Fujii Kaze, Mrs. GREEN APPLE and YOASOBI, with actor and singer Masaki Suda taking on the role of Master of Ceremony. MAJ is hosted by the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA), an association jointly established by five major organizations in the Japanese music industry: the Recording Industry Association of Japan, Japan Association of Music Enterprises, the Federation of Music Producers Japan, Music Publishers Association of Japan and All Japan Concert & Live Entertainment Promoters Conference. In the wake of the spread of streaming services and the success of Japanese entertainment such as anime, CEIPA was launched for the future growth of the Japanese music industry and will begin full-fledged promotion of entertainment and content from the country on a global scale this year. More from Billboard Saweetie Locks in Debut Australian Tour Dates French Police Recover Bust From Jim Morrison's Grave, 37 Years After It Was Stolen Taylor Swift Premieres 'Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor's Version)' in 'The Handmaid's Tale': Watch The six nominees in the six main categories, chosen by more than 5,000 music professionals including artists and creatives, are as follows: Song of the Year – Recognition for the song with the most outstanding musical creativity and artistry. Rosé & Bruno Mars 'APT.' Creepy Nuts 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born' YOASOBI 'Idol' Fujii Kaze 'Michi Teyu Ku (Overflowing)' Mrs. GREEN APPLE 'Lilac' Album of the Year – Recognition for the album with the most outstanding musical creativity and artistry. Mrs. GREEN APPLE, ANTENNA Kenshi Yonezu, LOST CORNER Fujii Kaze, LOVE ALL SERVE ALL Vaundy, replica Hikaru Utada, SCIENCE FICTION Artist of the Year – Recognition for the artist with the most outstanding musical creativity and artistry. Creepy Nuts Mrs. GREEN APPLE Vaundy YOASOBI Fujii Kaze New Artist of the Year – Recognition for the new artist who demonstrated outstanding musical creativity and artistry. FRUITS ZIPPER Number_i Omoinotake tuki. Kocchi no Kento Top Global Hit From Japan – Recognition for the Japanese song that became a global hit. Lotus Juice/Azumi Takahashi 'It's Going Down Now' XG 'WOKE UP' YOASOBI 'Idol' Fujii Kaze 'Shinunoga E-wa' Miki Matsubara 'Mayonaka no Door – stay with me' Best Song Asia – Recognition for the Asian hit song that was popular across Asian countries. Bernadya 'Satu Bulan' (Indonesia) REGINA SONG 'the cutest pair' (Singapore) aespa 'Supernova' (South Korea) PLAVE 'WAY 4 LUV' (South Korea) JEFF SATUR 'GHOST' (Thailand) Songs and artists that have topped the Billboard Japan charts, as well as songs with the most streams, one of the indicators for a song to be considered a hit in Japan, have been nominated. In particular, the nominees in the Song of the Year category boast some of the highest weekly streams of all time in the country, and are the record-holders for the respective artists. For reference, Kendrick Lamar & SZA's 'Luther,' which has led the Billboard Hot 100 for 11 weeks, has the highest number of weekly streams in the U.S. at approximately 46 million, while Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars' collaborative single 'Die With A Smile' has approximately 31 million. These figures include video views, which are separated in Billboard Japan's total streaming count. Highest Weekly Audio Streams in Japan 'APT.' (12,127,799 streams) 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born' (24,945,758 streams, No. 5 on Billboard Japan's all-time list) 'Idol' (25,860,696 streams, No. 2 on Billboard Japan's all-time list) 'Michi Teyu Ku (Overflowing)' (8,843,750 streams) 'Lilac' (15,713,177 streams) As for the nominees in the Top Global Hit from Japan category, you may have come across the songs on TikTok or other video-shorting platforms even if you don't live in Japan. The nominees in this category were chosen by music industry professionals outside of Japan and include, in order from top to bottom, the battle song from the video game Persona 3 Reload (2024), a rap song released in 2024 by the seven-member group that headlined the Sahara Stage at this year's Coachella, the opener for the anime series, Oshi no Ko, that topped Billboard's Global Excl. US on June 10, 2023 and went on to become Billboard Japan's Song of the Year for that year, a song released in 2020 but became a viral hit in Asian countries after July 2022 and is still being listened to in many countries today, and a so-called 'city pop' tune released in November 1979 that spread worldwide through covers and TikTok. The songs were released in different eras and are from different genres, showing how diverse Japanese music is. Another interesting aspect of this award is that it not only honors Japanese artists and releases, but also includes music from all over the world. The fact that one of the main categories is the award for Best Song Asia indicates that this accolade also provides opportunities to establish global ties. In the section for International Songs, there are seven categories for different genres such as pop, rock, hip-hop/rap and more, which highlight the popular and highly acclaimed music from outside of Japan that is being listened to and loved in the country. The artists themselves can discover the high potential of their music in Japan, which is another way of looking at the nominations in these categories. Tatsuya Nomura, MAJ Executive Committee Chairman, shared his enthusiasm to Billboard Japan before the inaugural event, saying, 'The theme of MAJ is 'Connecting the world, illuminating the future of music,' and I believe the two days will embody that. It'll be the first step of an award that will last five, ten, even 100 years, so I hope you'll witness this historic moment.' Watch the Premiere Ceremony starting May 20 at 10 PM PT / May 21 at 1 AM ET. Meanwhile, the Grand Ceremony, featuring performances by AI, Hikaru Utada, Awich, Creepy Nuts, CHANMINA, Fujii Kaze, Mrs. GREEN APPLE and YOASOBI will stream on May 22 at 3:30 AM PT / 6:30 AM ET. MAJ May 21 Premiere Ceremony: MAJ May 22 Grand Ceremony: Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Asahi Shimbun
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
EDITORIAL: Let Diet members vote freely on married couple surname system
Members of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan submit a bill to the Lower House in late April for a new surname system for married couples. (Takeshi Iwashita) One part of Hikaru Utada's latest song created a buzz on social media over the Golden Week of national holidays in early May because of lyrics that asked, 'In what year of the Reiwa Era (2019-present) will it be OK in this nation for married couples to use separate surnames?' While the lyrics can be interpreted in a number of ways, there is no doubt it shows the high interest in how surnames should be used by married couples. The proposed system for choosing separate surnames upon marriage gave couples the freedom to choose either using one of their surnames by both or continuing to use separate surnames that each used until marriage. The Justice Ministry's Legislative Council issued its recommendations about the surname system in 1996, so all the major points of debate have been placed on the table in the ensuing 29 years. Under current law, couples can choose between the surnames of the husband and wife, but in actual practice wives in 95 percent of the cases change their surname. The U.N.'s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has issued recommendations to the Japanese government on four occasions calling for legal revisions because the current provision forcing couples to use the same surname is 'discriminatory.' In 2024, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) called for legal revisions as soon as possible. Above all, the sudden breach of the achievements and assessment built up through work before marriage is severe. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said in the Diet that there was no good reason for delaying reaching a conclusion to the issue. The legislative branch will be seen as negligent if the situation of the Diet not doing anything should continue. But the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has already decided not to summarize opinions among members in the current Diet session. The opposition parties that appeared to be more in favor of a new surname system are also not on the same page. In late April, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan submitted a bill in the Lower House that proposed having the couple choose a surname at marriage and using the same surname for all their children. The proposal more closely followed the recommendations of the Legislative Council because of concerns raised about the 2022 proposal compiled by five opposition parties that said the surname of children could be decided at their birth. There were concerns that proposal would lead to the possibility of siblings having different surnames. But support for the proposals has not spread. The Democratic Party for the People included a plank in its platform for the Lower House election last October that called for introducing a new surname system. But party leaders have made comments that are more cautious about pushing forward. While junior coalition partner Komeito's stance is that any legislation should be submitted by the government, it has not been aggressive in encouraging discussions within the LDP. Serious discussions should be held in the Diet on the proposals submitted by the opposition. And it would be preferable if parties allowed members to vote according to their conscience when the bill came up for a vote rather than forcing them to toe the party line. That would more appropriately reflect the views held by society as a whole. It is Diet members who are the representatives of the people and it has been pointed out that excessively forcing all party members to vote the same way interferes with active discussions in the Diet. There have been past cases in which parties allowed members to vote however they chose, particularly on legislation that was closely tied to the views of values and ethics held by lawmakers, including the bill on organ transplantation. Delaying Diet discussions just because the LDP cannot come up with an internal consensus is inexcusable. Each individual lawmaker will be asked to choose between overlooking the entrenchment of inequality or showing greater respect for the individual. --The Asahi Shimbun, May 17
GMA Network
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Hikaru Utada sings 'First Love' on 'First Take' 26 years after song's release
Hikaru Utada took us all back to 1999 as she performed her hit song "First Love" on the Japanese YouTube channel "First Take." Accompanied by piano, she delivered a heartfelt and emotional version of her hit song 26 years after its release. "First Love" was among the tracks included in Utada's debut Japanese-language studio album with the same name. Shortly after its release, the song quickly became a classic hit. The album also remains the highest-selling Japanese album with nationwide sales of eight million copies. In 2022, Netflix released the Japanese series "First Love," which took inspiration from Utada's songs. It starred Takeru Satoh and Hikari Mitsushima. —Jade Veronique Yap/MGP, GMA Integrated News
WIRED
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- WIRED
Hikaru Utada Would Rather Play CERN Than Coachella
Mar 27, 2025 6:00 AM The Japanese singer-songwriter's new album goes deep on their 'fascination with science.' WIRED Japan took Hikaru Utada to visit the Large Hadron Collider to learn more. Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada at CERN in Switzerland. Photograph: TIMOTHÉE LAMBRECQ Schrödinger's cat, quantum entanglement—the songs on Hikaru Utada's latest album, Science Fiction , go deeper into the singer-songwriter's 'fascination with science' than they ever have before. Part greatest-hits collection, part reflection on interests they have cultivated for many years, it's a body of work that shows their breadth as an artist. It only seemed fitting, then, that WIRED Japan would invite Utada to Switzerland to visit CERN, one of the world's leading research centers for particle physics, an invitation they quickly accepted. 'CERN is a place I have dreamed of visiting for the past 10 years or so,' Utada says. 'To be honest, being able to go there and talk to the scientists and see the particle accelerator might be even better than performing on the main stage at Coachella [laughs]. I definitely wanted to go.' CERN is the world's largest particle physics laboratory, located on the border between Switzerland and France. Its iconic Large Hadron Collider (LHC)—a gigantic circular accelerator with a circumference of 27 kilometers—made its name in 2012 when it discovered the Higgs boson, the mysterious particle that continues to play a key role in experiments into the origins of the universe. The center's work is not limited to research about how the universe began and the behavior of subatomic particles; it can also lead to advances that have greater impacts on everyday life. For example, in 1989, Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist who was then working at CERN, developed a system to provide decentralized, real-time access to information within the organization. It became the foundation for the World Wide Web. Hikaru Utada explores ATLAS, a large general-purpose particle detector located 100 meters underground on the CERN main campus, which detects and measures particles accelerated and collided by the Large Hadron Collider. PHOTOGRAPH: TIMOTHÉE LAMBRECQ In recent years, the organization has also been proactively engaged in outreach efforts that fuse art and science. That's why University of Tokyo physicist Junichi Tanaka and Kazuki Kojima, a researcher at KEK (High Energy Accelerator Research Organization) are here. CERN asked the Japanese scientists to accompany Utada and WIRED on our CERN visit. Utada asked the two of them more questions than anyone else. While standing in front of ATLAS (the large general-purpose particle detector located 100 meters under the main CERN campus that detects and measures particles accelerated and collided by the LHC), the conversation around the topic of dark matter was a lively one. Utada: What are you most focused on pursuing at the moment? Kojima: There is a theory in particle physics called the Standard Model, but it can only explain about 5 percent of the mass and energy in the universe. In fact, it is thought that about 26 percent of the mass and energy in the universe is dark matter, and the remaining 70 percent is dark energy. Regardless of dark energy, we know that dark matter exists, but we don't know what it is, and we are currently searching to understand its true nature. Utada: Dark energy is … Kojima: We know almost nothing about it. Tanaka: You could say it's a name that was almost given at random. Utada: OK, so 'dark' here doesn't mean 'not lit,' but rather 'unknowable' or 'unknown.' Tanaka: We don't know anything about dark energy. It has that name because the universe is expanding. But dark matter can be explained by gravity, so we believe it exists. But it's hard to find it. We're trying to measure something when we don't know what it is, so we spend a great deal of time conducting experiments. Utada: It's like proving the existence of something by the absence of something else. Kojima: Yes, that's right. Utada: It's like trying to prove the existence of an invisible man. A room with capacity for 10 people is packed even though there are only nine people there. Or there were 10 people in the room, but traces of 11 people coming from it. Tanaka Yes, yes, that's the idea! Utada explores CERN. Photograph: TIMOTHÉE LAMBRECQ It's a matter of making an analogy to something else or replacing one relationship with another. Utada says they attach a special importance to this act. This means that they regularly transform what exists only in their own mind into clever metaphors by making full use of the knowledge and experience they have cultivated over time, and the words and symbols derived from their intuition. They then diligently carry out the task of communicating these to others. 'When I compared dark matter to an invisible man, I was really happy to hear Tanaka and Kojima say, 'Oh, that's right!'' Utada says. Another thing that made an impression on Utada was the pair's response to their question about what they'd want to convey to the general public who are not experts in science. 'Tanaka thought for a while and then said, 'I guess it would be that there is still so much we don't know.' I thought that was really wonderful,' Utada says. But it's even deeper than that. 'I think the 'knowledge of ignorance,' feeling truly excited by the fact that there are things we don't yet know or don't understand, is a very important perspective,' Utada says. 'Fear comes from ignorance, doesn't it? It is human instinct to fear the dark. It's because we don't know that we feel fear, discrimination, prejudice, violence, and more. So what is the opposite of that? I think it's curiosity and a spirit of inquiry.' The songs on Hikaru Utada's new album Science Fiction go deep into the singer-songwriter's 'fascination with science.' Photograph: TIMOTHÉE LAMBRECQ This story is an excerpt of a piece from WIRED Japan's Quantumpedia March issue . Special thanks to: Presence Switzerland (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs), embassy of Switzerland in Japan, Switzerland tourism, CERN, Geneva tourism, hotel president Wilson Junichi Tanaka (The University of Tokyo), Kazuki Kojima (KEK), Masato Aoki (KEK), Tomoyuki Saito (The University of Tokyo), Nozomu Kaji (Sony Music Labels, Inc.), Mina Okachi (Sony Music Labels, Inc.), Akihico Mori styling by Kyohei Ogawa, hair and makeup by Hisano Komine, project coordination by Erina Anscomb.
