Haseul, Yeojin, Yves, Go Won, and Olivia Hye won their respective injunctions to suspend their exclusive contracts with BlockBerry, South Korean media reported on Friday, June 16.

According to Seoul Economic Daily, the Seoul High Court’s Fifth Civil Cases Division ruled in favor of the five members, citing “a problem with BlockBerry’s transferring of exclusive contracts to Japanese agency Universal Japan without the written consent of the members.”

BlockBerry has not released a statement as of this writing.

The members have been in a legal battle against BlockBerry for more than a year, filing a string of lawsuits to suspend their exclusive contracts with the agency.

Chuu filed her injunction in December 2021 on the grounds of nonpayment for her activities. BlockBerry expelled her from the group almost a year after, on November 25, 2022, alleging verbal abuse against staff, which Chuu denied. 

A few days after, on November 28, JTBC reported that Heejin, Haseul, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Go Won, and Olivia Hye filed their injunctions, citing breach of mutual trust.

Heejin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, and Choerry won their injunctions in January 2023. 

Hyunjin and Vivi filed their injunctions in February 2023, winning them a few months after in May. 

‘Liberation’

LOONA members took to social media to react to the news, with Yeojin, Yves, Go Won, and Olivia Hye thanking the group’s fans for their support.

“I think we got a good outcome because you were always on our side and rooted for us and gave us strength,” Olivia Hye wrote.

Fans have been boycotting BlockBerry Creative since December 2022, calling out the agency for apparently mistreating LOONA members and signing them to contracts that leave them “in perpetual debt.”

Seven of the LOONA members are currently pursuing their respective endeavors.

Heejin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, and Choerry signed exclusive contracts with Modhaus and launched the ARTMS project in March 2023. The project is now teasing a comeback of the LOONA subunit ODD EYE CIRCLE, comprising Kim Lip, Jinsoul, and Choerry. 

In April, Chuu signed an exclusive contract with a new agency ATRP. She has also teased an upcoming solo album in the second half of 2023, with details still pending as of this posting.

Meanwhile, Hyunjin and Vivi signed exclusive contracts with CTDENM in June. – Rappler.com

The couple shared news of their engagement on Instagram, alongside an interview conducted by Dylan’s twin Cole for V Magazine on Thursday, June 15.

“Sprouse’s to be,” Dylan captioned his post, while Barbara wrote on hers, “With the power invested in V, I am a Sprouse to be.”

In the interview for the American fashion magazine, the couple revealed that they have been engaged since September 2022 but decided to keep the news to themselves for a while.  

“We didn’t necessarily feel the need to be fully transparent with the public about that aspect of our engagement,” the former Suite Life of Zack and Cody star explained.

“What we wanted to do with Stephen and the V team is make something that was kind of tongue-in-cheek about the nature of private versus public. We’re playing with the idea of perception.”

“Also, we just want to do it on our time,” the Hungarian fashion model added. Barbara shared that she was “really annoyed” when they were asked by their PR team to “post about it” after news of their engagement had leaked earlier this year, but is “very happy” that they ended up doing it their own way. 

Engagement speculations surrounding the couple had surfaced in March after Barbara was seen wearing a diamond ring when they graced the red carpet for Dylan’s movie The Duel during the Mammoth Film Festival in California. However, the couple and their representatives had not provided any comments on the matter at the time. 

Dylan and Barbara plan to exchange vows in the bride-to-be’s home country Hungary, but no other details about the wedding have been released. 

They started dating in 2018. – Cheska Lingad/Rappler.com

Cheska Lingad is a Rappler intern.

In the talk show, host Boy Abunda mentioned that there were speculations about a split between the actress and her ex-boyfriend, who is also the father of her six-month-old son, Uno.

“Yes, Tito Boy, naghiwalay na kami ng tatay ni Uno (Uno’s father and I have broken up),” she said. “We really tried our best, like everybody else, but it didn’t work out.”

The singer added that despite the split, the two remain good friends and are co-parenting Uno. She also said that her focus at the moment is “to be a better person and to be the best mom to Uno,” though she “dreams” of getting married.

The Kapuso star also gave a tearful message for her son on camera. “Nanay (mother) will always love and support you no matter what. I love you for who you are. Keep being you, and I’m very proud of you,” she said. “I promise to sing for you.”

In June 2022, the Undeniable Star announced that she was expecting her first child. She did not reveal information regarding her then-partner and the father of the child, and continues to keep his identity private, telling 24 Oras that they both preferred it as he is a non-showbiz personality. Rita gave birth to Uno in December 2022.

Rita Daniela de Guzman Iringan, professionally known as Rita Daniela, is the first grand champion of the QTV talent show PopStar Kids. She starred alongside Ken Chan in the shows My Special Tatay, One of the Baes, and Ang Dalawang Ikaw, and hosted The Clash. – Sophia Gonzaga/Rappler.com

Sophia Gonzaga is a Rappler intern.

The film, a sequel to 2018’s Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, was released on June 2 in the United States and was set for a June 22 release in the Gulf region.

However Vox, a subsidiary of retail conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim, said in response to a query via Facebook Messenger that the movie would not be released in the UAE. Majid Al Futaim did not respond to a request for comment.

Major cinema chains in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain do not list the movie on their websites’ “coming soon” sections, including Vox, Novo, and Reel cinemas.

The film has sparked debate online about whether the character Gwen Stacy is trans, and a scene in a trailer shows a sign in the background that reads “protect trans kids”.

Reuters could not determine if that was the reason the film was pulled.

The UAE Media Council on Monday said on Twitter it “will not allow the circulation or publication of content contrary to the values and principles of the UAE and the standards of media content in force in the country.” The Council gave no further details or referred to any specific content.

In the socially conservative Middle East, any deviation from traditional sexual norms is considered taboo and in many countries it is a criminal offense.

“I’m with the directive of not showing this movie. We don’t want to show the next generation that this is something normal. It’s not normal, our religion told us that there’s only male and female genders,” Abdullah Al-Oufi, a Saudi, told Reuters in Riyadh.

“I see that the decision of stopping the movie is a sovereign decision, and it’s our right to express our opinion,” said Sami al-Shoraim, a young Saudi in Riyadh, adding that movies should respect their viewers’ values.

Vox, which operates across the Gulf, had said in a Facebook post on Sunday that tickets were now available ahead of release. However, tickets on Thursday were not shown as available for purchase on Vox’s websites for Gulf countries.

Several cinema customer service lines did not say why the film was not listed and government bodies in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Kuwait’s information ministry said it had not yet received the film for consideration.

In June 2022 the UAE banned Walt Disney-Pixar’s animated feature film Lightyear from screening because it features characters in a same-sex relationship. The youth and culture ministry said it “violated the nation’s media content standard”. – Rappler.com

Hayek, in the episode released on Thursday, June 15, has sold her digital image to Hollywood for use in programming created with artificial intelligence (AI).

The story highlights real-world concerns of actors and writers, said Schitt’s Creek star Annie Murphy, who plays the office manager. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike in early May, partly over concerns that studios would start using generative AI, instead of humans, to write scripts.

“I hope it shines a light on what they’re fighting for and why they’re fighting for it,” Murphy said in an interview.

“It’s not just writers being whiney. It’s them saying ‘Can we not be replaced by computers?’ and that’s such a scary thing for human beings to have to ask,” she added.

Actors became concerned after realistic-looking “deepfakes” began circulating online of stars such as Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves and Hayek. Members of the SAG-AFTRA actors union are seeking protections on how their images are used in their negotiations with Hollywood studios.

“As much as I really want people to have a good laugh and enjoy our shockingly lighthearted episode when it comes to ‘Black Mirror,’ I do hope that it sparks proper conversation, or many conversations, about the really terrible repercussions that AI can have if it goes too far off the rails,” Murphy said.

Murphy said she and Hayek discussed the issue during filming of Black Mirror.

“Her image has been used in so many terrible and disrespectful ways, so we did have conversations about that,” Murphy said. – Rappler.com

One of four daughters of a bricklayer and a cleaning lady in northwest England, Jackson never forgot her roots even as she made her name as one of the greatest women actors of her generation.

Her agent said she had died at her home in southeast London after a brief illness.

Raw-boned, pallid and angular, with striking, sharp eyes, she had starred on stage, television and film before quitting to take up politics with the left-of-centre Labour Party, declaring: “An actor’s life is not interesting”.

The current lawmaker for Jackson’s former seat in parliament said she was devastated to hear of her predecessor’s death.

“A formidable politician, an amazing actress and a very supportive mentor to me,” Tulip Siddiq said on Twitter.

Growing up in Birkenhead, Cheshire, Jackson left school at the age of 15 and found work in a shop before winning a place at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

She won her first Academy Award in 1971 as lead actress for her role as a headstrong artist in director Ken Russell’s film of D.H. Lawrence’s novel Women in Love.

Her second Oscar came three years later for A Touch of Class, a romantic comedy directed by Melvin Frank in which Jackson played a harried fashion designer caught up in a catastrophic love affair with an American businessman in London.

Jackson also won two Emmy awards for her portrayal of England’s Queen Elizabeth I in the BBC’s 1971 television series Elizabeth R.

Besides her serious film roles, Jackson also showed her popular, comic touch when she appeared in some of British television’s most-loved comedy shows of the day, starring as Cleopatra in a sketch with duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise and appearing on The Muppet Show.

“She leaves a space in our cultural and political life that can never be filled,” Labour leader Keir Starmer said. “She played many roles, with great distinction, passion and commitment.”

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, of the governing Conservative Party, described her as a “funny, thoughtful and principled person”.

“Moral malaise”

After more than three decades on stage and film, Jackson quit acting and took her no-nonsense, straight-talking style into politics.

She had been angered by the damage she believed was inflicted on the working classes by Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s Conservative prime minister from 1979 until 1990.

In 1992, at the age of 55, Jackson won a seat in parliament representing Labour in a constituency in north London.

“We must work for the poor, the homeless, the unemployed, the frail, the sick,” she told supporters.

In parliament, Jackson was vociferous in her condemnation of the Conservatives which she accused of instilling a “dreadful, dreadful moral malaise” in Britain.

When Labour won power in 1997, then prime minister Tony Blair appointed her as a junior minister responsible for London transport, a position she held for two years before resigning to make an unsuccessful attempt to be nominated as Labour’s candidate for London Mayor.

Though she remained in parliament, securing re-election in 2001, 2005 and 2010 and fighting for equality, she became increasingly out of step with Blair’s more centrist approach and decided in 2011 not to contest the next election.

“I will be almost 80 and by then it will be time for someone else to have a turn,” she said.

She returned to acting in 2015 and the following year won critical acclaim for playing King Lear on stage. In 2018, she played 92-year-old A in Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women on Broadway, a performance that won her a prestigious Tony Award.

In 2019, she played an elderly grandmother struggling with dementia in Elizabeth Is Missing, a television series, and was rewarded with a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) TV Award for Best Actress.

Jackson was married from 1958 to 1976 to stage director Roy Hodges. She is survived by their son, Daniel Hodges, who was born in 1969. – Rappler.com

The alleged assaults took place between 1979 and 1992 in various locations in Nevada, including in Cosby’s backstage dressing room and his Las Vegas hotel suite, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday, June 14 in federal court in Nevada.

The complaint arrived just weeks after the state enacted a “lookback” law eliminating a two-year window for sexual assault victims to bring civil claims, following the lead of several other states.

More than 60 women have leveled accusations stretching back decades against Cosby, who was once known as “America’s Dad” for his role in the 1980s television comedy The Cosby Show.

Now 85, Cosby was the first celebrity to be convicted in the MeToo era, when a Pennsylvania jury found him guilty in 2018 of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, an employee at his alma mater Temple University in Philadelphia, in 2004.

He spent three years in a Pennsylvania prison before the state’s Supreme Court threw out his case in 2021, ruling that he should not have faced charges after striking a non-prosecution deal with a previous district attorney years earlier.

In a statement, Cosby’s spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, criticized “lookback” laws and said his accusers “are not fighting for victims – but for their addiction to massive amounts of media attention and greed.”

The Nevada lawsuit accuses Cosby of drugging each victim with drinks or pills before assaulting them, a pattern that matches allegations from other women, including Constand.

Cosby faces other legal claims as well. A former Playboy model sued him this month, alleging he assaulted her in 1969. The plaintiff is taking advantage of a California law that lifted the statute of limitations on such claims.

Lili Bernard, one of the plaintiffs in Nevada, has separately sued Cosby in New Jersey for an alleged assault in 1990 under a similar law.

Last year, a California jury found that Cosby sexually assaulted teenager Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 and ordered him to pay her $500,000. – Rappler.com

Extraction is the opposite, and goes against Hemsworth’s onscreen persona. Directed by Sam Hargrave and written by Joe and Anthony Russo, the 2020 film introduces Hemsworth as Tyler Rake, a black ops mercenary who, after abandoning his son dying of lymphoma, attempts to rectify his actions by saving the son of another. Here, the excitement is in the probability of death and the action, rip-roaring across Dhaka and Mumbai, is so committed to realism that it produces cuts on Hemsworth’s face and injuries on his body. So when the first film concludes with his neck shot and his body falling into the depths of a river, it subverts the decade-long image of invulnerability and immortality constructed by Marvel. Here, he is no god. He’s a human. He limps. He bleeds. He drowns. He is dead.

Extraction was created without a sequel in mind. But after its sudden success, in part due to the daring 12-minute long take that made pandemic-addled adrenaline junkies swoon, Netflix had to make a follow up. Without meaning to, writer Joe Russo and director Sam Hargrave turned Hemsworth’s plunge into murky waters into a baptism, turning him into yet another god, just in a different universe with a different name.

Such is the trade of a modern action star, and Extraction 2 begins with this rebirth. Tyler Rake is fished out of the river, and after being comatose in a hospital in Dubai, is able to make a speedy recovery through physical therapy, his arm cast being one of the few reminders of his brush with death. Nik Kahn (Golshifteh Farahani) and her brother Yaz (Adam Bessa) take Tyler to a remote cabin where he is to retire and, for a while, he acclimates to domesticity. All of this happens within the first 15 minutes.

But then a nameless agent — of course it has to be Idris Elba — arrives with a mission he cannot refuse. One from his ex-wife. Rake’s life begins to unspool for the audiences. Flashbacks of his son enter into frame more frequently. In the hopes of exorcizing this ghost from his mind, he goes to Georgia to rescue his ex-wife’s sister and two children who are trapped in a maximum security jail. But things go wrong and the destinies of all three families — Rake’s, Nik’s, and the Georgian mob boss’ — become intertwined through gunfire and blood.

If anything, Extraction 2 ups the spectacle from its predecessor. The centerpiece is an expanded 21-minute singular take that transports its audience from a maximum security prison to a moving train without any cuts perceivable to the untrained eye. Hargrave, known for his stunt work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and more, takes every possible opportunity to milk the action. A teddy bear makes the noise that alerts everyone to the break-in. The riots spread out of the cells and onto the courtyard. Hemsworth, pushing through hundreds of extras, is lit on fire with a molotov cocktail. He is punched, stabbed, and manhandled. Bullets rain on him as he traverses a high-speed train and subzero temperatures.

The camera shakes, in hopes of emphasizing the disarray. Like its predecessor, Extraction 2 films in real locations, exchanging the comfort of green screens for the grit and harsh climate that locations in the Czech Republic and Vienna can imbue the work. But while there is risk in the creation of the action, so little of that risk can be felt for its characters. The audience is acutely aware of Hemsworth’s plot immunity and this cushions the blow of each stunt, reducing the impact of the work. It isn’t as absurd as The Fast and Furious franchise, but it isn’t as enjoyable in its sheer bombast and camp, either.

The truth is that while Extraction 2 is a physical spectacle, so little of that is translated onto film, because there’s too little of a character journey to latch onto emotionally. In a press conference earlier this month, Hemsworth detailed how exploring the interiority of Rake’s character was a priority in the creation of the sequel and Russo’s attempts at providing him with a backstory — a grief-stricken wife, loving friends who function as bosses, even the ability to speak Georgian — register more as a crutch than characterization. The cold environment was meant to match Rake’s tough exterior, but his iciness doesn’t melt nor does Russo and Hargrave seem interested in making him vulnerable.

Must Read

An afternoon with Chris Hemsworth and Sam Hargrave of ‘Extraction 2’

Such are the rules that bind male action stars. Farahani is a more captivating performer because of her vulnerability. Her concern and worry is noticeable not only in her bodily movements, but her eyes and voice. Flashes of worry, of fury, of emptiness flit in and out of her eyes and her voice solidifies when needed and trembles in unexpected places, and these nuances create a window for the audience to see the complexities of her evolving relationship with the situation and with Rake. It’s easy to understand why she has so much screen time, because they’re investing in her for a sequel. But if the supporting performances are more interesting than the lead’s, if Hemsworth merely absorbs the grief and violence around him like bullets on kevlar, what is the use of following him around instead of her?

It’s not a huge ask: that great action be performed with emotional depth and rooted in character motivation. Romain Gavras’ Athena, also on Netflix, explores similar thematic territories as Extraction 2 — familial responsibilities, cross-cultural allegiances and disparities, and violence as a means of making sense of complicated grief and acquiring retribution and justice in proxy. But Extraction 2 neither has the emotional weight, nor the lightness, nor the contextual power to separate itself from any other action film. Its emotional wounds are merely scratches. Its context is merely a checklist. Its spectacle is impressive in the moment, but empty in retrospect. – Rappler.com

Abyss Company, Sandara’s agency, confirmed the news on Wednesday, June 14. “Sandara Park is preparing for a new album [aiming to be released] in July,” they said, according to a Soompi report. 

“Sandara Park’s fans have waited for her [for] long. We have decided to release a special album and are currently putting all our hearts into it to return to fans,” the company added, according to Korea Herald. 

Following the news, Sandara also took to social media to share her excitement. “Finally, singer Dara is back with solo special mini-album for my fans. Thank you so much for waiting,” she wrote.

Specific details about the album, such as its title, title track, and release date, are yet to be released. 

The upcoming album will be Sandara’s first solo release in South Korea and will mark her return as a singer since 2NE1’s final single “Goodbye” in January 2017. 

Sandara, 38, rose to fame after joining the 2004 talent competition series Star Circle Quest. She began her singing career in the Philippines with her first album Sandara in 2004

She debuted under YG Entertainment as a member of South Korean girl group 2NE1 in 2009. The group went on to release multiple hit songs such as “FIRE,” “I DON’T CARE,” and “I Am the Best” before disbanding in November 2016. 

Following 2NE1’s disbandment, Sandara explored acting, appearing in shows such as We Broke Up and My Love from the Star. She has also made various appearances in television programs such as King of Mask Singer. 

In 2021, she ended her 14-year partnership with YG Entertainment and signed with Abyss. – Rappler.com

Activities for the Miss Supranational 2023 pageant started on Wednesday, June 14, with the organization opening the voting for its Miss Influencer challenges. The winner for the challenge will secure a spot in the pageant’s Top 24. 

In her official entry, Pauline looked sultry wearing a red piece and posing in a blue backdrop. 

The beauty queen from Bohol also took to Instagram to ask for the support of Filipino pageant fans. “Supra headshot,” she wrote. “This is it. Our [Miss Supranational] challenge.” 

“Let’s do this, Philippines,” she added. 

Fellow beauty queens such as Samantha Panlilio, Hannah Arnold, Jannarie Zarzoso, and Angelique Manto sent their well wishes for Pauline’s pageant journey in the comments section. 

As of writing, the Facebook post has over 178,000 reactions, 40,000 comments, and 22,000 shares. Following this, Pauline expressed her gratitude to the support she received. “I feel so blessed [because] of all of your love and support,” she wrote in her Instagram stories.

Pauline was named Miss Supranational Philippines 2023 in May following the Miss Universe Philippines 2023 coronation night. She will be competing in hopes of winning the Philippines’ second Miss Supranational crown, following Mutya Datul in 2013. 

The Miss Supranational 2023 coronation night is happening in July in Poland. – Rappler.com