Jin Shares Sadness Through New Song

Ahead of his 28th birthday on Friday, BTS member Jin shared a surprise with the world on Thursday night when he released the song Abyss, a meaningful tune about his relationship with his art.

Jin wrote Abyss alongside Bumzu – a producer who frequently works with boy band Seventeen – as well as with fellow BTS member RM and long-time collaborator Pdogg.

When he shared the song on the BTS’ Twitter page, he linked to both SoundCloud and a blog post in which he shares his thoughts on the sweet, reflective ballad.

In a letter to 

BTS’ fandom, known as Army

, Jin recalled how he recently told a press conference that he felt he could share his feelings of sadness with fans through music, and how this song grew out of him questioning whether he was worthy of congratulations after 

BTS hit No 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart with

 

Dynamite

 

over the summer

.

“To be honest, I recently felt really burnt out. I think it was because I had a lot of thoughts about myself,” he wrote, according to a translation by South Korean portal Soompi. “I was congratulated by many people after reaching No 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, but I wondered if it’s really OK for me to receive something like that.

“There are honestly a lot of people who love music more than me and are better at music than me, so is it OK for me to be feeling this happiness and being congratulated like this? That’s what I thought about, and going further into that made me feel troubled, so I wanted to lay everything down.”

Source: SCMP

Harshvardhan Kapoor Wants To Be On Tinder

Blessed with good looks and a notable family pedigree, Harshvardhan Kapoor seems destined to be a huge Bollywood star. But unlike other young up-and-comers – including his sister Sonam.

 and cousin Arjun – the youngest son of Slumdog Millionaire star Anil Kapoor and wife Sunita appears to prefer approaching his career with patience and strategy. While his peers typically work through a multitude of roles at the beginning of their careers, Harshvardhan has only made two films since he made his acting debut in 2016. 

Harshvardhan earned his bachelor’s degree in screenwriting from Chapman University in California and initially opted to become an assistant director in Bombay Velvet (2015). “I think being an actor is the most insecure thing,” he told Indian newspaper Deccan Chronicle. “The worst thing in the world is to become an actor and not find consistency in the work.”

The Kapoor family is one of the oldest celebrity clans in India; in other words, Harshvardhan is the third generation of a long line of thespians

. His grandfather, Surinder, was a famed Bollywood producer and the cousin of renowned silent actor Prithviraj. His father Anil, meanwhile, has been one of India’s top actors since the 80s while his sister Sonam has been dubbed “the fashionista of Bollywood”.

For his debut film Mirzya (2016), Harshvardhan played the starring role of a stable boy. He underwent intense horse riding training for the role, taking a year and half to prepare. But the 29-year-old actor went even further: he spent months in a horse stable in Seattle in the US, tending to the horses every day on top of training, to commit deeper to the role.

Harshvardhan will be starring opposite his father in an upcoming biopic about Abhinav Bindra, retired sport shooter and first Indian Olympic individual gold medallist. In order to portray Bindra, Harshvardhan spent five months practising daily at a shooting range.

The Manchester United fan also believes that he should be living a normal life in spite of his background. He was even on the dating app Tinder for a while before deactivating his account as the price of fame. “I really want to be on Tinder,” he told Man’s World India. “I am dying to be on Tinder. I am going to take a trip abroad just so that I can download Tinder and be on it.” He further stated that he dreads “the misinterpretation and the judgment” that comes with being a movie star.

Source: SCMP

K-pop Song For The Covid-19 Pandemic

Our lives may have been turned upside down this year because of the global Covid-19 pandemic, but K-pop stars have kept releasing new material, including songs that touch on living in the coronavirus era.

Tomorrow X Together: We Lost the Summer

In this sprightly tune from TXT's latest EP, "Minisode1: Blue Hour", out this week, the members sing about the lost summer of 2020, bemoaning the state of the world that kept them from enjoying the season and the missed opportunities for summer love.

"The cafe that I went to has now closed (and how) / I hide my sigh behind this stuffy mask (remaining here) / I hate my face without expression (you know)," members Taehyun and Soobin sing on the track.

Source: SCMP

McRefugee Movie by Aaron Kwok

The plight of Hong Kong's McRefugees receives unabashedly melodramatic treatment in this humane yet relentlessly bleak movie. Ironically, in a year that has seen the film's theatrical release repeatedly postponed by the coronavirus pandemic, the lives of those homeless people who are used to sleeping at night in 24-hour McDonald's joints have become even more of a nightmare.

Produced by Soi Cheang Pou-soi, I'm Livin' It premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2019, before going on to win a Hong Kong Film Award in May for the veteran comedian Cheung Tat-ming, in the best supporting actor category.

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The feature-film debut of long-time assistant director Wong Hing-fan is clearly pitched as another showcase for the acting of Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, the Canto-pop star playing a former investment expert who has fallen on hard times. But it is the ensemble cast who are memorable and who will win audiences' hearts.

Kwok plays Bowen, the de facto spiritual leader of a small group who spend their nights in a fast-food restaurant. Too ashamed to reunite with his mother (Nina Paw Hee-ching) and sister (Kathy Wu Jiaxing) since the prison spell that preceded his homelessness, Bowen appears content with life as a vagabond.

It must feel a little like redemption, then, that he also gets to use his street smarts to help out his fellow McRefugees: from a runaway teenager (Zeno Koo Ting-hin) to a talkative caricature artist (Cheung Tat-ming), a single mother in heavy debt (Cya Liu Yase), and an elderly widower who keeps denying his wife's passing (Alex Man Chi-leung).

A story of broken dreams and unfulfilled promises, the screenplay by Ja Poon ( A Beautiful Moment ) rarely misses an opportunity to pile on the misery. A would-be romance between Bowen and Jane (Miriam Yeung Chin-wah), a lounge singer who has carried a torch for him for years, never materialises, reflecting the film's austerity.

While Cheung took the limelight with his win at the Hong Kong Film Awards, I'm Livin' It is a true team effort; under Wong's measured direction, almost every actors leaves an impression. Sentimental, yet realistic for the most part, this film casts a rare spotlight on the Hong Kong underclass, one that hopefully will inspire positive action in their favour.

Source: MSN

Andy Lau Concert After Covid-19 Pandemic

Fans of Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau can rejoice as he has announced a concert and a new record.

The good news was announced during Lau’s 59th birthday celebration that was broadcast live 27th September.

Apart from treating his fans to several songs from his previous albums during the one hour telecast, Lau also sang his upcoming release of Jixu Meili (Continue to be Beautiful), reported Hong Kong portal Ming Pao.

“This is my first time singing this song, I think I sang a bit too fast! I am very excited, sweating!” he said.

Lau said for his birthday wish, he hoped that the pandemic would be over soon and for everyone to be happy and healthy.

“After the pandemic, we can meet more often.”

Responding to queries from fans, Lau assured that he would not cancel any physical performances.

“We just temporarily postponed it. Once the pandemic is over, we will arrange (new dates),” he said, adding that he missed taking photos with all his fans.

Lau usually celebrates his birthday with his fans, including those from his official fan club, Andy World Club but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the physical celebration this year was replaced with an online gathering.

He has cancelled several scheduled concerts in Hong Kong and China this year due to the pandemic.

Nicholas Tse Turns 40

Known for his dramatic stunts on screen, actor Nicholas Tse, who has a net worth of US$139 million, loves to cook, likes straightforward people and might just be the world's next kung fu star.

Born to veteran actors Patrick Tse and Deborah Li, Nicholas spent most of his childhood in Vancouver and Phoenix, Arizona, where he was in the limelight because of his parents. Holiday photos of him and his sister were often published in magazines, and as a result, Tse would grow comfortable being in the public eye.

Following his parents' footsteps, Tse made his debut in the entertainment industry as a singer but found mainstream success in acting. He is the only actor to have won best new performer (1999), best supporting actor (2010), and best actor (2011) at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

He is a chef and an entrepreneur

Tse started cooking after he saw a TV show explaining how difficult it is to create a souffle or profiterole. "It immediately inspired me to try making them," he told CNN.

He then opened his own bakery, Chef Nic's Cookies, in 2015. Unfortunately, due to the economic downturn caused by anti-government protests and the Covid-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, the store has since closed.

Aside from the bakery, he launched a TV show in 2014 called Chef Nic where he documents his culinary endeavours with famous personalities like Jackie Chan and Fan Bingbing.

He likes it when people keep things simple

Netizens and viewers of the Netflix series J-Style Trip were surprised when Tse said he likes uncomplicated people and cites co-actor Jay Chou and rumoured love Faye Wong as examples. "Among people I know, only Jay and Faye are equally simple-hearted," he said.

Tse owns two properties at Lyndhurst Terrace in Central, Hong Kong. According to Malay Mail, quoting a report from Apple Daily, he had to slash his rental rates. One of his lots is now offered for rent for HK$82,000 (US$10,500) a month; back in 2012 it was rented out for HK$225,000 (US$29,000).

He might be the next kung fu star

Actor and director Donnie Yen thinks Tse has the potential to be a massive kung fu star. This seems apt given Tse's credentials and background: he was trained by Philip Ng, Andy On and Sammo Hung and has two decades' worth of experience acting in action films.

In an episode of America's Next Top Model Season 18, model mentor Miss Jay Alexander and Tse facilitated an action-packed acting challenge to teach a fight sequence to the models. He showed how to do a left and right hook, uppercut, and pin down an opponent, showcasing why he's one of Hong Kong's most respected action stars.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Handsome Prince of Malaysia

The 5th son of Malay Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor is a proud military man who loves to be in the driving seat – inheriting a love of cars and bikes, but also staying in shape by playing golf, polo and sailing.

Being the fifth son of a sultan comes with its fair share of perks – one being that you are far enough away from the burden of the crown but still get to experience all the splendour that comes from being within His Royal Highness’ inner circle. Welcome to the extraordinary life the 27-year-old Tunku Abdul Rahman.

The royal lineage seems to have an affinity with racing cars and Tunku Abdul Rahman has inherited that need to get behind the wheel. In March 2019, His Highness, also known as the Tunku Paglima of Johor, marked his debut as a professional racing driver during the launch of his racing team. Like his grandfather, the Iskandar of Johor, he chose to compete in a Mercedes-Benz.

A skilled driver through and through, Tunku Abdul Rahman has also been known to sail yachts, ride motorbikes, and even manage the reins of a horse while competing in polo.

The prince isn’t one to shy away from social media, and he keeps his 500,000 Instagram followers entertained with posts and stories. And just like any regular fan, he shares shots of himself hanging out with his idols, such as MotoGP champions Marc Marquez of Spain and Australia’s Mick Doohan.

Aside from officially being known as the Tunku Panglima of Johor, Tunku Abdul Rahman was appointed a datu and the Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor while still a teen, in 2009, and was knighted in 2015, aged 22. At times, he has proudly donned his military uniform instead of civilian clothes. He once said on Instagram, “I wear my uniform with pride because I’m proud of the regiment I’m serving and also because I earned the wings and badges I have on my chest – I don’t wear them just as decorations.”

With his love for polo and car racing, it comes as no surprise that Abdul Rahman is comfortable outdoors. He spends his weekends on the golf course at times, and swims in one of the pools at the family’s official residence, Istana Bukit Serene. When he’s not staying fit by cycling, running, or riding, he participates in royal engagements, travelling by private jet when he can.

Source: SCMP