Latest news with #Vee
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Vampirina: Teenage Vampire' Live-Action Series Sets Release Date & Pulls Back the Cape on First-Look Teaser
Vampirina is taking flight from her animated Disney Jr. series to a live-action tween series premiering next month on Disney Channel. The first two episodes of the music-driven Vampirina: Teenage Vampire arrive Sept. 12 on Disney Channel, and all 16 episodes will hit Disney+ and Disney Channel On Demand on Oct. 15, Billboard Family can exclusively reveal. According to Disney Branded Television — which also released the first official teaser trailer and poster for the show on Tuesday (Aug. 12) — the title character 'leaves the safety of Transylvania to attend a performing arts boarding school. Living amongst humans for the first time, she pursues her passion for music while keeping her vampire identity a secret, something that's made more challenging when her overprotective father charges an overzealous ghost to live with her at the school.' More from Billboard Jhené Aiko & Meghan Trainor Join 'Hey A.J.!,' New Disney Jr. Animated Series Inspired by a Super Bowl Champ Billboard Family Sling TV Launches Affordable Day and Week Streaming Passes Starting at Only $4.99 Kenzi Richardson stars as Vampirina, or 'Vee,' while Jiwon Lee plays Vee's roommate Sophie; Shaun Dixon is 'the intriguing and laid-back' Elijah; Milo Maharlika is 600-year-old ghost Demi; and Faith Hedley is Vee's super-talented classmate Britney. Kate Reinders and Jeff Meacham play Vee's vampire parents, while Kim Coles (Living Single) is Dean Merriweather of Wilson Hall Academy of the Arts. Watch the teaser below: Season 1 guest stars include Mykal-Michelle Harris (Mixed-ish) as Ruby, Janice LeAnn Brown as her Wizards Beyond Waverly Place character Billie in a crossover episode, Jenna Davis (M3GAN) as 'magnetic upperclassman' Megan, and Ariel Martin (ZOMBIES) as the cheekily named pop star Millie Eyelash. Before the new live-action spin-off, the animated Vampirina series — which itself was based on the Vampirina Ballerina series of children's books written by Anne Marie Pace — debuted in 2017 on Disney Jr. and ran for three seasons and 75 episodes. Dan Cross and David Hoge (Julie and the Phantoms) are showrunners and executive producers of Vampirina: Teenage Vampire, joined by High School Musical: The Musical: The Series creator Tim Federle, Bronwyn North-Reist and Meg Deloatch as exec producers. Episodes one and two of Vampirina: Teenage Vampire will premiere Friday, Sept. 12, at 8 and 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel with new episodes weekly, before the series' Oct. 15 arrival on Disney+ and Disney Channel On Demand. 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
Scoop
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Solomon Islands Edge Past American Samoa In Group B Opener
The decisive goal came late in the first half through striker Janita Ereanimae, in what proved to be a tight and hard-fought encounter. Making their debut at this level after winning the qualifying tournament in the Cook Islands in May, American Samoa showed plenty of promise. Coach Diane Justus had strengthened her squad with four U.S.-based players, and her side created enough chances to feel they deserved at least a share of the points. American Samoa was the stronger team in the second half and pushed hard for an equaliser, showing they could compete with a side riding the momentum of the senior national team's OFC Women's Nations Cup 2025 triumph last month. The Solomon Islands started brightly and nearly took the lead in the 6th minute when Rose Aba turned sharply in the box and fired a powerful shot towards the bottom right corner, only for Leila Salausa in the American Samoa goal to get a glove on the ball and push it wide. American Samoa's first real opportunity came in the 23rd minute through Anaiyah Vee, who burst down the right wing, beating multiple defenders with her pace and strength. However, her low cross just missed the run of an unmarked Naimanu Samuelu in the box. Defensively, American Samoa remained solid throughout the first half, playing an effective offside trap that frequently caught the Solomon Islands forwards. Vee nearly opened the scoring in the 37th minute when she found space in the box, but her shot went straight at the impressive Fiona Goroani in the Solomon Islands goal. Just a minute later, the deadlock was broken. Aba beat the offside line and squared across goal for Ereanimae, who squeezed her effort past the advancing Salausa. Though the goalkeeper got a hand to it, Ereanimae followed up to tap the ball into the net. Vee continued to threaten for American Samoa and came close again four minutes before halftime, unleashing a powerful strike from the right that narrowly missed the far post. American Samoa came out strongly after the break, and Diamond Joung nearly equalised in the 49th minute. She broke into the box and aimed for the corner, but her effort lacked power and Goroani got down well to save. Goroani was later forced off following a collision and was replaced by Maria Selestina for the final third of the match. Despite continued pressure from American Samoa, their attacking moves often faltered in the final third. They came closest to a late equaliser a few minutes from full time when a header from a corner bobbled off Selestina and onto the crossbar before being eventually cleared, and the Solomon Islands managed to hold on for the three points.
Korea Herald
25-07-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Miracell launches Korea's first generative AI voice system for hospitals
Korean stem cell research company Miracell has introduced the nation's first generative AI-powered voice consultation system designed for medical institutions. Co-developed with Europe-based Vee, a Warsaw-listed AI company, the solution marks a major shift in healthcare automation. The company said Monday it has secured exclusive distribution rights for Vee's AI solution across Asia and is working closely with Vee Korea to customize the system for local hospitals. Unlike traditional rule-based ARS systems, the new AI tool uses natural language processing to deliver 24-hour conversational support, handling appointment scheduling, billing inquiries, patient reminders and general questions. The system is particularly effective during nights and weekends, when staffing is limited. It integrates with hospital customer relationship management systems and supports both inbound and outbound calls. Hospitals can trial the solution free for one month, lowering the adoption barrier. 'Generative AI can dramatically improve service quality in medical care,' said Shin Hyun-soon, CEO of Miracell. 'This isn't just an upgrade — it's a survival strategy for the health care sector.' Vee provides the underlying large language model engine, customized for Korean language and clinical context. A future version will link with Miracell's Celldoc platform, integrating patient consultations, appointments, and treatment records into a single interface. By combining its stem cell expertise with cutting-edge AI, Miracell aims to set a new standard in the health care industry. 'We're starting with clinics already using Smart-MCell,' a Miracell spokesperson said. 'But this is just the beginning. With AI, we hope to bring patients and caregivers even closer, and open the door to a more responsive, intelligent health care experience.'
Chicago Tribune
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
These Chicago LGBTQ-owned businesses offer rainbow cakes, colorful coffees and a ‘third space' for all
To properly celebrate Pride Month, you need quite a lot of energy and definitely a lot of cake. Thanks to October Cafe, Jennivee's Bakery and Chicago Sugar Daddy, there are plenty of ways to keep the caffeine tank full and the sweet tooth satisfied while also supporting LGBTQ-owned small businesses in Chicago. Jennivee's Bakery If Tiffany's sold cakes instead of diamonds and had a penchant for rainbows, it might be Jennivee's Bakery on Halsted Street. Rainbow pillows perch on a long pink booth and two faux crystal chandeliers dangle over a black and white checkered floor, the base of a spacious dining area that compelled chef and owner Jenni Vee to upgrade to this location from her beloved original storefront nearly a year ago. 'This is the gayest bakery in Chicago,' she said. Vee immigrated to the United States from Cebu, Philippines, to pursue a career as a physical therapist. In 2017, she pivoted, employing 'pure ambition and a little bit of delusion' to open a bakery in Lakeview and realize a passion for baking she had been nurturing since age 6. Vee ran her original storefront on the other side of the neighborhood for seven years before opening this location last June. The new space screams French chic turned a little cheeky: The woman in the Renaissance-style painting (ornate frame and all) casts a sly expression across the room, while the smudged mirror on the back wall reflects rainbow flower leis hung from classy light fixtures. A woman's silhouette holds up a cupcake in Vee's lace-trimmed pink logo. 'I wanted it to be fun, feminine, yet cozy and inviting,' Vee said. Her cakes fit right in. Vee supercharges classic vanilla buttercream with bright colors and edible glitter. The vivid purple of her signature ube cake has new neighbors every month as Vee brainstorms fresh ideas, mostly based on Filipino flavors but with European baking techniques (think a mango buttercream cake). This month, pride-themed cakes and cupcakes star in the display case. Rainbow sprinkles coat the outside of a large vanilla cake, with eddies of rainbow icing, coated in edible glitter, lining the top. The cupcake version is much the same: vanilla cake with a hefty swirl of multicolored buttercream icing. Vee has also created an edible monument to transgender pride in a lemon cake with strawberry filling. Stripes of baby blue, pink and white icing paint the transgender flag on the outside; cutting into the cake reveals the same pattern within. The rainbow cupcakes are bestsellers at Jennivee's, but the pink and blue cake is most significant for Vee, a transgender woman herself. As both business owner and head baker — her black chef's coat is usually powdered with flour, her hands stained with icing — Vee won't have time this June to participate in the Chicago Pride Parade. The parade, however, marches right past her bakery, so she's expecting a barrage of orders. 'The party comes here,' Vee said. Since upgrading her space, Vee has become accustomed to mayhem: The bakery gets busiest during its later hours, when customers crowd in for cake, gelato and the comfort of a 'third space' like Jennivee's. Audrey Borden and Michelle Gonzalez wanted to wave a pride flag in an area they thought could use a little more color. The couple opened October Cafe in Norwood Park, where Gonzalez grew up, two years ago in August. The fall-themed coffee shop offers a proudly queer space for those in search of community. 'I feel like that's what was intended for us — to make roots in a place where I grew up, and kind of push against the norms around here,' Gonzalez said. 'It hasn't been easy, but we're making it happen. I'm here — they're gonna hear me, they're gonna see me.' Borden and Gonzalez do nothing with subtlety: Their pop music bumps through the space, their flavors are varied and loud, and their jack-o'-lantern decorations watch guests from every wall. For June, giant pride flags hang off one wall while a banner of smaller flags decorates another. Borden and Gonzalez's love for each other, much like their love for October, is easy to spot. They met in 2019 at a 'Queers and Allies' meeting at North Park University, where Borden was a freshman and Gonzalez a junior. They were married in 2023, and Borden is now eight weeks pregnant with 'baby pumpkin.' On the first of every month, Gonzalez and Borden roll out a new flight of specialty drinks. After the fall flight, which is available year-round, June's rainbow flight is the most popular. It features an orange-yellow mango and peach jasmine tea, a lavender latte, a red strawberry lemonade and a darker purple ube vanilla latte. Insiders know that this flight, like all the rest, is available year-round on October Cafe's secret menu. In lieu of having a business float at the Chicago Pride Parade — Gonzalez and Borden said it's a hefty fee — October Cafe will host pride bingo June 20, a drag queen story hour June 21, and small business events June 21-22 to highlight other queer-owned businesses. Everyone who works at this Lakeview bakery is gay. 'It's not a criteria, I swear,' laughed owner and baker James Cox. But for Pride Month, it is fitting. In September 2021, Cox opened Chicago Sugar Daddy with his partner — in both business and life — Rayan Ibasco. The bakery's name is a callback to their early days as a couple, when Cox would shower Ibasco in sweet baked goods that earned him the moniker 'sugar daddy.' At the shop, Cox handles everything baking-related while Ibasco files taxes and organizes payroll on top of working another full-time job as an international student recruiter. Ibasco, who grew up in Manila, Philippines, moved to the United States in 2017 and graduated from DePaul University. Cox moved to Chicago to get his degree from the French Pastry School; he earned it in 2007. He was an executive pastry chef at several restaurants and hotels in the Chicago area, and was the general manager at Jennivee's right before opening Sugar Daddy. Sugar Daddy focuses more on catering and custom orders. Cox bakes a lot of wedding cakes — he's looking at around 200 this year, 60% of which he estimates are for queer weddings. June is the bakery's busiest month, as all sorts of companies, as well as regular customers, order pride-themed goods. In the bricks-and-mortar, Cox fills the display case with chocolate and marble cupcakes iced with a rainbow swirl of thick Swiss buttercream. He also spruces up a basic sugar cookie with a rainbow watercolor effect and a heart shape. 'Any way to incorporate rainbows,' Cox said. The trademark at Chicago Sugar Daddy is connection. Ibasco and Cox are both bad at names, but they remember faces and, more importantly, everyone's favorite order. Cox knows what to recommend for the woman who stops in before her hair appointment (chocolate) and the little boy whose grandmother brings him 'to go see James' (the marble cupcake). Ibasco is adamant that Chicago Sugar Daddy never become too corporate. 'We want to continue to be a home away from home forever,' Ibasco said. 'The bakery has been a gateway for us to be closer to the community.' Cox and Ibasco will continue to spread sweetness to their community on the day of the Chicago Pride Parade — June 29 — when they plan to hand out free slices of rainbow cake.
New Paper
28-05-2025
- New Paper
2 charged over getting foreign workers to hold placards in protest at worksite
Two Singaporeans were charged on May 27 after they allegedly got foreign workers to hold placards at a construction site and demand outstanding payment owed to a company. Rebecca Rubini Ravinthiran, 33, who was a director at the aggrieved company Apex Engineering, was handed a total of 17 charges, while Vee Derrick Mahendran, 36, was handed 11 charges. Rebecca was handed two charges over organising a public assembly without a permit, while Vee was given two charges for abetting her alleged offences. Rebecca's 15 other charges and Vee's nine other charges were for instigating various foreign employees to break a condition in their work passes. According to charge sheets, Rebecca allegedly organised two public assemblies at about 11am and 11.30am on Oct 24, 2024, to demand that Apex Engineering be paid the outstanding payment. She allegedly did so by instructing six workers from Apex Engineering to gather at a construction site in Jalan Satu and hold placards, and nine workers to do the same at a construction site in Tengah Garden Walk. Vee had allegedly aided in the preparation of placards publicising the cause the day before and coordinating with her on the gathering of workers to hold placards on the day itself. He had also allegedly supervised the group of workers in Tengah Garden Walk on Oct 24, 2024, by updating Rebecca on his observations, and conveying her instructions to the group. The pair will return to court on June 24 for a further mention of their case. In a joint statement on May 26, the police and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said no further action will be taken against the workers as the police have ascertained that they were acting under the instructions of their employer, and had no intention of breaking the law. Those found guilty of organising a public assembly or procession without a permit can be fined up to $5,000. Anyone convicted of abetting a foreign employee to break the terms of his work pass may face a jail term of up to 12 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. In a Facebook post in October 2024, MOM said it was aware of a social media post regarding several migrant workers holding placards at a worksite. The ministry said it engaged the workers, who shared that they were not owed salary payments, and did not have any concerns about their well-being.
