Latest news with #Paprika
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paprika Studios and Seefood TV Execs Talk Formats — and No, This Is (Mostly) Not About Cooking Shows
I know, I know. When you hear Paprika, Seefood and TV, you may be thinking that this is all about cooking shows … and that the writer of these lines doesn't know how to spell 'seafood' correctly. But no, this is all about the final session of Wednesday's NATPE Budapest events schedule. 'Format Futures: How to make a splash on the global stage' was its title. And the speakers — this is where the food puns come in — were Ákos Erdos, CEO of Hungary-headquartered Eastern and Central European production company Paprika Studios Group, and Aleksander Herresthal, chief content officer of Norway's Seefood TV.'While massive franchises like Survivor and Big Brother dominate global screens, emerging formats making waves and securing international adaptations often come from smaller but highly creative players,' a description of the session said. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Stranger Things,' Video Games and French Comics to Light Up Lucca Emma Forrest's Upcoming Novel 'Father Figure' Set for See-Saw Films Adaptation Sarajevo Film Fest to Open With Dark Retirement Home Comedy 'The Pavilion,' Lidija Kordic to Host Opening Ceremony So how do these companies succeed in the age of deep-pocketed global streaming and technology giants? 'Creativity has always been at the center of the focus of our attention,' said Erdos, touting original programming as the focus of his team at the 17-year-old company that produces in seven countries. But he also emphasized that while commissioners typically ask for fresh content that they have never seen before, they often also highlight the contradictory hope for proven concepts. Paprika's strategy to serve clients well is to develop a format and adapt it for various markets where that makes sense. For example, its first big hit was a culinary format called Fish on the Cake, which has yielded 700-plus episodes across more than a dozen countries. 'Each week, five celebrities invite each other to dinner at their own home, one by one. There, they compete to make a perfect evening for the three other guests and collect as many points as possible to be crowned host of the week,' explains a show description. Dramedy Tiger Daddy has also traveled. Started in Hungary, it has been followed by a Czech version, the executive highlighted. The show is about a single father who has dedicated his whole life to raising three girls as a stepfather. Now that they are starting out independent lives with their partners, he begins, in the spirit of '50 is the new 30,' a search for a partner. Erdos also touted drama Murderesses, about 'a young and ambitious community police officer trying to locate her father, who has been missing for a year. She's investigating a seemingly mundane murder in a booze-den and enters a dangerous relationship with a teenage suspect.' The Paprika boss mentioned that it has traveled to different markets in a different way. Netflix is streaming the show in Poland, with other streaming deals in the likes of Japan, New Zealand and other countries. 'Reality is definitely on the uprise,' Erdos said about current market trends, calling that a reversal of the previous focus on dramas. 'A few years ago, I would have said the same for fiction, but the trend is now changing, and people want relevant content,' the Paprika CEO said. In that context, he talked about The Traitors, one of the big worldwide hit formats of today. 'I am a big fan of The Traitors,' Erdos shared. 'We are producing it in Hungary, now in Romania, actually in a production hub, back-to-back, which is unique.' But big reality shows with dozens of episodes are 'getting tired and fading away from commissioners' eyes, because they start not performing,' Erdos argued. 'The ones that can fill a TV slot for 30, 40 episodes these days are hard to find.' Paprika's work and status in the broader region has clearly been getting noticed. This week, ITV Studios struck a deal with Paprika, which became independent from Scandinavia's Viaplay in January 2024 and has been working to further strengthen its reputation. Under the deal, Paprika is exclusively representing six of ITV Studios' nonscripted formats across seven key markets, namely Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Meanwhile, Herresthal on Wednesday touted Seefood's hit Norwegian adventure reality format The Box, which has been licensed to such territories as the U.K., France and Denmark. The show features 12 celebrity contestants who are placed in separate containers and put in the middle of challenges they know nothing about, meaning they must work out what to do when the box opens to accomplish the mission at hand. Seefood's other shows include the likes of Celebrity Task Force, in which celebs join the army, relationship formats Still Looking and Couples Therapy, as well as Santas in the Barn, whose description reads, 'On the very first day of December, 24 excited contestants enter a barn where they will live together as Santas for 24 days.' Herresthal was asked what works best, for consumers and commissioners, in Norway, and he didn't have to think about his answer. 'In Norway, celebrity competition reality is the only thing that they want,' he shared. 'I guess it's a major trend overall everywhere, but especially in Norway. It's interesting, because in Norway, 70 percent of the viewing is on VOD, so that kind of changed the whole media landscape and what kind of format can work in Norway.' Continued the executive: 'We don't have any talk shows anymore, and most of our studio-based formats are also not performing that well. And scripted has also been down since the streamers lowered their ambitions on the scripted side. So, that's the situation.' What does all that mean for Seefod? 'For us, it's back to the same thing. We are driven by passion,' Herresthal said. 'So for us, it's all about just trying to develop something that we really believe in. And I think we are able to persuade someone, if it's just a good enough concept.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Irish Daily Mirror
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
'My friend named daughter after a food and baby's nickname is even worse'
Choosing a baby name isn't always easy, especially when you consider your family and friends' opinions on your favourite monikers. But one woman has become a laughing stock among her friends after announcing her daughter's unusual name at her gender reveal party, reports The Mirror. Taking to Reddit to share her shock, a friend said: "One of my parents' friends are pregnant and just had their baby shower. I attended and after the gender reveal (it's a girl), the name was announced: Paprika - like the spice. "They said that they did this so that they could call her Pika, like Pikachu. The baby shower was Pokemon themed. "Their family was visibly confused and didn't know how to react." Wanting to hear other people's thoughts on the name, she shared it on Reddit's tragedeigh thread, a group created to share names that have been "deliberately misspelled or completely made up to appear more unique than they actually are". Commenting on the moniker, one user said: "Wouldn't people end up calling her Prika or Rika? They like Pika but chose a longer name that they will shorten and drop a middle letter. But not the longer name from which they got Pika. It all makes sense!" Another user added: "At least they spelled it correctly." A third user said: "Name reveal is a terrible idea. If you meet a baby and the baby is introduced, you can react about how cute the baby is, who they look like, or whatever. "If you're told a baby has been born, you can react with interest about all sorts of things. But with a big Name Reveal, you're going to be expected to react to the name specifically, which is awkward if you don't love it." Another user said: "My neighbour's yappy Maltese is named Pika(chu)." One more user added: "As a long time Pokémon fan, this is absolutely ridiculous." Another user said: "If I was that baby honestly I'd rather be named Paprika rather than literal Pikachu. Not a good name, but we have literal food names playing in the playground. It's not the worst." A final user said: "It's legal to name the kid Pikachu, why not?" While it's not illegal to name your child after a Pokémon in the UK or Ireland, there's an ever-growing list of banned monikers worldwide. In Sweden, in 1996, a family wanted to name their child 'Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116'. However, unsurprisingly, this was not approved by the government despite the family's insistence that it's pronounced Albin. When the name was rejected, the family tried to name their son A instead - again pronounced Albin - but this was also turned down. In the end, they ended up calling him Albin, pronounced as such. In Japan, a couple sparked controversy after attempting to name their son Akuma, which means devil. In 1994, the father explained how he chose the name because he wanted his son to stand out in life with an unforgettable moniker, making him appear powerful. The family faced a legal battle to keep it but ended up backing down and changing their son's name.
Daily Mirror
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'My friend named daughter after a food and baby's nickname is even worse'
A woman has shared her shock after hearing what her friend is naming her newborn daughter, as she explains how her entire family reacted to the news at the child's gender reveal party Choosing a baby name isn't always easy, especially when you consider your family and friends' opinions on your favourite monikers. But one woman has become a laughing stock among her friends after announcing her daughter's unusual moniker at her gender reveal party. Taking to Reddit to share her shock over the name, a friend said: "My one of my parents friends are pregnant and just had their baby shower. I attended and after the gender reveal (it's a girl), the name was announced: Paprika - like the spice. "They said that they did this so that they could call her Pika, like Pikachu. The baby shower was Pokemon themed. "Their family was visibly confused and didn't know how to react." Wanting to hear other peoples' thought on the name, she shared it on Reddit's tragedeigh thread, a group created to share names that have been "deliberately misspelled or completely made up to appear more unique than they actually are". Commenting on the moniker, one user said: "Wouldn't people end up calling her Prika or Rika? They like Pika but chose a longer name that they will shorten and drop a middle letter. But not the longer name from which they got Pika. It all makes sense!" Another user added: "At least the spelled it correctly." A third user said: "Name reveal is a terrible idea. If you meet a baby and the baby is introduced, you can react about how cute the baby is, who they look like, or whatever. "If you're told a baby has been born, you can react with interest about all sorts of things. But with a big Name Reveal, you're going to be expected to react to the name specifically, which is awkward if you don't love it." Another user said: "My neighbour's yappy Maltese is named Pika(chu)." One more user added: "As a long time Pokémon fan, this is absolutely ridiculous." Another user said: "If I was that baby honestly I'd rather be named Paprika rather than literal Pikachu. Not a good name, but we have literal food names playing in the playground. It's not the worst." A final user said: "It's legal to name the kid Pikachu, why not?" While it's not illegal to name your child after a Pokémon in the UK, there's an every growing list of banned monikers worldwide. In Sweden, in 1996, a family wanted to name their child 'Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116'. However, unsurprisingly, this was not approved by the government despite the family's insistence that it's pronounced Albin. When the name was rejected, the family tried to name their son A instead - again pronounced Albin - but this was also turned down. In the end, they ended up calling him Albin, pronounced as such. In Japan, a couple sparked controversary after attempting to name their son Akuma, which means devil. In 1994, the father explained how he chose the name because he wanted his son to stand out in life with an unforgettable moniker, making him appear powerful. The family faced a legal battle to keep the name but ended up backing down and changing their son's moniker.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Anime that predicted the future – From AI to global pandemics
Credits: Ranker In recent years fans have noticed uncanny parallels between sci‑fi anime and real life. Some anime seem to have predicted today's news – from neural implants and smart cities to viral outbreaks. For example, the classic Akira (1988) showed Neo-Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympics, a detail echoed when Tokyo actually held the Games (albeit delayed by COVID‑19). Likewise, popular shows like Ghost in the Shell and Psycho-Pass envisioned future tech that now has real‑world counterparts. We look at key anime predictions – both famous and obscure – that mirror modern advances in AI, virtual reality, and even global pandemics. Cybernetic minds and AI futures Anime often envisions humans merging with technology. In Ghost in the Shell (1995), Major Kusanagi is a cyborg whose cybernetic brain can be hacked. That idea of a 'brain chip' is no longer pure fantasy. In January 2024, Elon Musk's Neuralink confirmed the first successful human implant of a brain‑computer interface. The device lets a paralyzed patient move a cursor just by thinking, eerily similar to sci‑fi. Ghost in the Shell even warned of the dangers: Kusanagi's upgrades make her vulnerable to hackers, a cautionary parallel to today's cybersecurity concerns in neural tech. Another prophetic anime is Psycho-Pass (2013), which imagines a dystopia where all citizens get a 'Crime Coefficient' score based on brain scans. People flagged as high-risk can be hunted by police before they commit any crime. This premise has real echoes: researchers at the University of Chicago built an AI model that predicts crimes a week in advance with about 90% accuracy using public data. In other words, predictive policing – once a dark fantasy – is already being tested. These examples show how anime foresaw the rise of powerful algorithms and surveillance tech long before they appeared in the news. Virtual worlds and dreams Virtual reality and the internet are other themes anime got right. The cult classic Serial Experiments Lain (1998) centers on 'the Wired' – a vast virtual world linked to everyone's minds. It portrayed teenagers so engrossed online that the boundary between reality and the internet breaks down. Decades later, we live in a world of social media, VR games and online avatars that make Lain's vision feel prophetic. Similarly, Satoshi Kon's Paprika (2006) imagined a device that lets therapists enter and share people's dreams. In the film a 'dream terrorist' causes fantasy and reality to merge. Strikingly, today entrepreneurs are developing lucid‑dreaming technology. One startup's prototype headset can record brain activity during sleep and even help users shape their dreams – a real-world echo of Paprika 's plot. Even lesser‑known anime made accurate guesses. Den-noh Coil (2007) follows schoolkids wearing AR 'cyber‑glasses' that overlay games and data onto the real world. Set in 2026, it portrays a society where augmented reality (AR) is ubiquitous – a scenario now unfolding as smartphones and smart glasses bring AR apps to life. In short, many sci‑fi anime foresaw virtual and mixed realities years before they arrived in labs or on store shelves. Pandemics and post‑apocalypse Credits: Dazed Many anime also tackle disasters and disease. For instance, the horror manga Virus Fang (1997) – though not an anime – vividly depicted a global viral outbreak long before COVID‑19. Fans note how its 25‑year‑old story about pandemic panic reads like a prophecy today. In anime series, sudden plagues often become monster outbreaks. Highschool of the Dead (2006) starts with a mysterious virus that turns people into zombies, stranding classmates in their school. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (2016) imagines a 'Kabane' virus transforming humanity into undead creatures, forcing survivors into fortified trains. These apocalyptic visions – from zombie hordes to frozen-in-time worlds ( King of Thorn has a 'Medusa' plague) – resonate with our real fears about contagion and collapse. They remind us that anime often explores what society would do in a global crisis. It's worth noting, however, that not every spooky coincidence holds up. For example, internet rumors claimed Akira showed the World Health Organization warning about a disease. In reality, fact-checkers confirm Akira never mentions any pandemic or WHO. The film's 'apocalypse' is a psychic bomb in 1988, and the bit about Tokyo 2020 was only a backdrop – there's no virus plot. So while many anime have frighteningly accurate details, others are still just fiction. When fiction meets reality From neural implants to virtual nightmares to viral plagues, anime has covered a lot of ground. These stories can feel prophetic: Akira 's Tokyo Olympics setting, Ghost in the Shell 's brain chips, or Psycho-Pass ' crime algorithms all arrived on screen years before similar realities. As we develop new technologies and face new threats, anime fans enjoy spotting predictions in their favorite shows. Whether by coincidence or inspiration, the sci-fi anime foresight on display gives us a fun way to compare fiction with fact. And who knows – the next great anime may already be plotting tomorrow's headlines. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
What's Cooking: Sunshine Chicken
What's Cooking: Sunshine ChickenRecipe by: Chef Lisa A. HeidelbergTime: 30-40 minServings: 4 servings 2-3 tsp sunshine seasoning(see below) 4-5 boneless skinless chicken thighs(5 ounces each) Olive oil ½ cup of honey 2 Tbsp yellow mustard ¼ tsp red pepper flake Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub spice blend over both sides of chicken and coat with olive oil. Place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet and bake until done, approximately 20-25 minutes. Mix honey, mustard, and pepper flake until combined. Brush all over chicken. Enjoy! Ingredients: Ginger, Thyme, Red Pepper, Turmeric, Allspice, Cilantro, Garlic, Onion, Curry Powder & Smoky Paprika 1. Combine all of the spices in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container for 6 months. Chef notes: Serve chicken with rice or mashed potatoes & garnish w/diced onion & tomato Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
