https://www.scmp.com/rss/167840/feed Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker. Yoda. Princess Leia. Chewbacca. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Nearly everyone has a favourite Star Wars character, so ubiquitous has the American epic space opera franchise created by George Lucas become since the first film, Star Wars, was released in 1977. That film (later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope) was followed by The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), which together formed the original Star Wars trilogy. A prequel trilogy was released between 1999... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Hong Kong looks set for another rainy weekend, but there are plenty of indoor things to do, as well as a couple of outdoor events for those who don’t mind getting a little wet. From cultural festivals to nostalgia-fuelled parties and to a grounding session with nature, here are five things to do in Hong Kong from May 22 to 24. 1. Extravaganza Latin Carnival Extravaganza Latin Carnival returns to Hong Kong on May 23 and 24, from 4pm to 11pm, transforming the Central Harbourfront into a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3354298/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-wet-weekend-may-22-24?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3354298/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-wet-weekend-may-22-24?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 02:53:11 +0000 Matt Glasby Matt Glasby 3/5 stars A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars films were major events. But since George Lucas sold the franchise to Disney in 2012, there have been five variable-quality big-screen outings, innumerable television shows and spin-offs, and this strange hybrid. Intended as season four of The Mandalorian, the material has been retooled into a stand-alone movie, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Directed by series creator Jon Favreau, and co-written by Favreau, Lucasfilm chief... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3354164/star-wars-mandalorian-and-grogu-movie-review-plays-extended-tv-episode?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3354164/star-wars-mandalorian-and-grogu-movie-review-plays-extended-tv-episode?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 May 2026 03:01:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters The White House called Star Wars ⁠star Mark Hamill “one ⁠sick individual” on Thursday after ⁠an AI-generated image of US President Donald Trump in a shallow grave was posted on one of the actor’s social media accounts. “If Only” was inscribed on the image of ‌Trump lying with his eyes closed next to a gravestone, surrounded by daisies, with the inscription “Donald J Trump 1946-2024”. The image was posted on Hamill’s verified Bluesky account. Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the classic Star... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352818/white-house-calls-mark-hamill-sick-after-star-wars-actor-posts-trump-gravesite-image?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352818/white-house-calls-mark-hamill-sick-after-star-wars-actor-posts-trump-gravesite-image?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 20:04:50 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh The future of Hollywood has never looked more uncertain, with the encroachment of artificial intelligence threatening to eradicate jobs across the industry, while the impending merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery casts doubt over the studio system itself. Nevertheless, for the everyday movie-goer, there remains – for now, at least – a steady stream of enticing prospects to lure us out of our homes and into the nearest multiplex. Below are 12 of the most exciting new releases coming to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346088/12-new-hollywood-films-watch-march-june-2026-including-toy-story-5-and-michael?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346088/12-new-hollywood-films-watch-march-june-2026-including-toy-story-5-and-michael?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Later this year, snow could be inducted into the US National Toy Hall of Fame. Its competition: a group that features hugely popular board games, outdoor favourites and giggling plushies. The National Toy Hall of Fame recently announced its 12 finalists for the class of 2025 and opened voting to the public and a panel of judges, who will choose which few will be honoured in November. The 12 contenders consist of the games Battleship, Catan, Connect Four, Trivial Pursuit and cornhole; tactile... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3326131/us-national-toy-hall-fame-announces-2025-finalists-catan-slime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3326131/us-national-toy-hall-fame-announces-2025-finalists-catan-slime?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 04:15:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Excited fans waved glowing Star Wars lightsabers on Sunday at the San Diego Comic-Con panel for George Lucas’ latest project, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Along with Lucas, the panel included director Guillermo del Toro and Taiwan-born Doug Chiang, vice-president of Disney’s Lucasfilm, with Queen Latifah moderating at the San Diego Convention Centre. Attendees shouted “Lucas! Lucas! Lucas!” and clapped their hands in anticipation of the Star Wars creator’s arrival, and gave the 81-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3319777/filmmaker-george-lucas-makes-san-diego-comic-con-debut-lucas-museum-narrative-art?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3319777/filmmaker-george-lucas-makes-san-diego-comic-con-debut-lucas-museum-narrative-art?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jul 2025 22:40:37 +0000 Carolina Malis Carolina Malis If hairstyles had passports, the bun would surely boast the most stamps. It’s been everywhere: gracing royal courts and spinning through dance studios, quickly whipped up atop heads on coffee runs and catching the light on fashion runways. This deceptively simple hairstyle has reigned for centuries, repeatedly declared “the look of the season” as though it had ever truly faded from style. The bun is fashion’s quiet overachiever: endlessly adaptable, reliably chic and just as fitting at a couture... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/beauty/trends/article/3319151/why-bun-hairstyle-such-versatile-classic-adopt-sleek-chignon-audrey-hepburn-kendall-jenner-and-bella?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/beauty/trends/article/3319151/why-bun-hairstyle-such-versatile-classic-adopt-sleek-chignon-audrey-hepburn-kendall-jenner-and-bella?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 22:00:07 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Mark Hamill was at a point in his life where he felt ready to trade the Force for a pool float and quiet crosswords in the shade. After five decades as the face of one of pop culture’s most enduring myths – Luke Skywalker, the wide-eyed Tatooine farm boy turned Jedi Knight in Star Wars – Hamill had found a comfortable corner of the galaxy to call his own. He had a home he cherished, a family that kept him grounded and no pressing need to be in front of a camera again. “I said, ‘This is perfect –... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3314166/whats-next-mark-hamill-star-wars-legend-movies-maga-and-malibu-melancholy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3314166/whats-next-mark-hamill-star-wars-legend-movies-maga-and-malibu-melancholy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Jun 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Ishani Sarkar Ishani Sarkar Gracie Abrams is on the rise. The musician has been on tour for her The Secret of Us album, and last year, Abrams joined Taylor Swift for the last leg of her Eras tour, which concluded in December after an epic two-year run. Abrams also opened for the “Anti-Hero” singer during several of her 2023 shows too. More recently, she’s been supporting her boyfriend Paul Mescal at the Cannes Film Festival; the pair wore matching black outfits, though they did not pose for photographs together. “The bar... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3313118/who-gracie-abrams-mother-katie-mcgrath-she-once-worked-rfk-jrs-uncle-was-proud-mum-when-her-daughter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3313118/who-gracie-abrams-mother-katie-mcgrath-she-once-worked-rfk-jrs-uncle-was-proud-mum-when-her-daughter?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jun 2025 10:00:17 +0000 Matt Glasby Matt Glasby This is the latest instalment in our From the Vault feature series, in which we reflect on culturally significant movies celebrating notable anniversaries. It is hard to imagine a world in which Star Wars is not the galaxy-conquering behemoth we know today. As of 2025, George Lucas’s sci-fi franchise includes nine films and three movie spin-offs, with more streaming and animated series being added all the time. Of course, none of this would have happened without the 1977 original, a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3312130/how-1980s-empire-strikes-back-set-star-wars-way-becoming-phenom-it-today?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3312130/how-1980s-empire-strikes-back-set-star-wars-way-becoming-phenom-it-today?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 May 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Ishani Sarkar Ishani Sarkar Last October, Hollywood legend Samuel L. Jackson was honoured at the Museum of Modern Art’s star-studded Film Benefit in New York – and the celebrated actor had two of the most important women in his life by his side to cheer him on. We’re talking, of course, about his wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and their daughter, Zoe Jackson, both of whom looked radiant in white, while the man of the hour sported an all-black ensemble. Other celebrity guests included Denzel Washington, Amanda Seyfried,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3312096/who-zoe-jackson-daughter-samuel-l-jackson-shes-emmy-winning-producer-credits-including-project?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3312096/who-zoe-jackson-daughter-samuel-l-jackson-shes-emmy-winning-producer-credits-including-project?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 May 2025 10:00:15 +0000 Sammy Heung Sammy Heung Growing up in Hong Kong in the 1980s, Man Tsang Wai-man spent his free time immersed in the world of Dragon Ball, one of his favourite manga, and sketching his own interpretations of the protagonist Son Goku’s future adventures. Little did the young dreamer know that years later, his artworks would venture to another galaxy far, far away … Tsang, now 46, has been chosen by Disney to adapt a beloved Star Wars novel about Grand Admiral Thrawn – one of the most cunning and formidable villains of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3311620/new-hope-hong-kong-comics-artist-lands-dream-star-wars-manga-gig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3311620/new-hope-hong-kong-comics-artist-lands-dream-star-wars-manga-gig?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 May 2025 01:00:11 +0000 Kate Whitehead Kate Whitehead The wellness ritual you can’t live without? I drop my eight-year-old son off at school just before 8am and go to House of Fitness, a boutique gym on Possession Street in Sheung Wan. I could go to a cheaper gym, but this one is between my son’s school and the office, so it’s convenient. The most conversation-sparking object at home? Roomba, our robot vacuum cleaner. We have one at home called Rob and another in the office called Bob. People always comment on Rob, whether he’s running over the dog... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3310862/tiny-island-creative-director-alexis-holm-opens-postmag?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3310862/tiny-island-creative-director-alexis-holm-opens-postmag?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 11:00:09 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service “We’re all Star Wars nuts,” Barry Ray says as his wife, Melissa, and daughter Evie play nearby. Evie knows all the Star Wars characters from multiple readings of the Little Golden Books series, which retells stories from the sci-fi franchise for children. She is wearing a Princess Leia costume so, in keeping with the canon, her parents are dressed as Darth Vader and Padmé Amidala. They have travelled from Granbury, Texas, to celebrate Evie’s sixth birthday in the middle of a 40-hectare... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3311169/star-wars-vibes-utah-desert-hotel-make-sci-fi-dreams-come-true-dont-expect-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3311169/star-wars-vibes-utah-desert-hotel-make-sci-fi-dreams-come-true-dont-expect-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 08:15:08 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa Star Wars actor Adam Driver is known for keeping his family life private. The House of Gucci star met his wife, Joanne Tucker, at university and the pair wed in 2013, before welcoming two children into their family. Bermuda-born Tucker makes the occasional red carpet appearance to support her husband, but even then, the couple hardly discuss their relationship or family in public. So what do we know about the Marriage Story actor’s elusive wife of over a decade? Joanne Tucker was a ballet... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3310582/meet-adam-drivers-wife-joanne-tucker-she-met-star-wars-actor-juilliard-danced-nutcracker-teen-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3310582/meet-adam-drivers-wife-joanne-tucker-she-met-star-wars-actor-juilliard-danced-nutcracker-teen-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 May 2025 11:00:13 +0000 Agencies Agencies The force was strong with one German church on Sunday where a Protestant pastor marked the unofficial “Star Wars Day” of May 4 with a galactic-themed service. Kitted out with atmospheric smoke, special lighting and a replica of the Millennium Falcon spaceship from the beloved sci-fi films, the church near the western German city of Cologne organised its space-themed service in an effort to attract younger attendees. Wielding a lightsaber and dressed in a cape like a Jedi knight, Pastor Samuel... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3309052/may-4th-be-you-church-germany-stages-cosplay-star-wars-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3309052/may-4th-be-you-church-germany-stages-cosplay-star-wars-service?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 May 2025 19:29:31 +0000 Andor returns for its second season on Disney+ with a three-episode premiere this week and the weight of the Star Wars galaxy seemingly on its shoulders. But creator Tony Gilroy says he and his collaborators felt little pressure from Disney and Lucasfilm as they sought to tell the story of a growing revolutionary resentment against the Galactic Empire, and the birth of the Rebel Alliance leading up to the events of the 2016 film he scripted, Rogue One. “We took no creative notes on this show,”... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3307393/tony-gilroy-diego-luna-andor-season-2-star-wars-spin-hits-disney?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3307393/tony-gilroy-diego-luna-andor-season-2-star-wars-spin-hits-disney?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2025 04:56:47 +0000 It’s not yet 9am, but Takashi Murakami is already grappling with life’s more stark realities, reckoning with the possibility of cognitive decline in his later years. “I tend to be depressed and can’t think of happy, good thoughts too much,” he tells me over a video call during his morning walk before heading to his studio in Saitama, just north of Tokyo. “The only time I feel comforted is when I’m making my own work.” Murakami barely needs an introduction, his visual language possibly the most... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3303117/global-artistic-powerhouse-takashi-murakami-reveals-his-highs-and-lows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3303117/global-artistic-powerhouse-takashi-murakami-reveals-his-highs-and-lows?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Mar 2025 20:00:08 +0000 Disney+ has just dropped a trailer for the second series of Star Wars: Andor, which will see the return of Diego Luna in the titular role of Cassian Andor, surrounded by the likes of Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough and Forest Whitaker, as Saw Gerrera. While Andor series two won’t arrive until April, Whitaker, as one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors and directors, will always attract attention – and fans hope his reappearance in Andor will finally reveal what’s up with... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3300491/meet-forest-whitakers-ambitious-daughter-true-whitaker-aspiring-actress-and-screenwriter-sights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3300491/meet-forest-whitakers-ambitious-daughter-true-whitaker-aspiring-actress-and-screenwriter-sights?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Mar 2025 22:00:10 +0000 People of a certain age will know Mark Hamill from when he first appeared as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars in 1977. As moviegoers fell in love with George Lucas’ space opera, they also fell in love with its protagonist – and Hamill became a huge star. Even though he’d already met his future wife by then (more on that later), the fame went to his head, and they broke up for a while. “I had to taste groupies and fame,” he admitted to People magazine in 1981. “I went to Las Vegas to date 38-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3289534/meet-star-wars-legend-mark-hamills-wife-46-years-marilou-hamill-she-reveals-what-its-being-married?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3289534/meet-star-wars-legend-mark-hamills-wife-46-years-marilou-hamill-she-reveals-what-its-being-married?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2024 20:00:08 +0000 Star Wars: Bounty Hunter was released in 2002 and is a video game prequel to the film Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, which was released the same year. The main character is Jango Fett, a would-be Mandalorian and bounty hunter. Hired by the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, better known as Count Dooku, he is supposed to capture a dark Jedi. Now, following the release of the Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster and the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection earlier this year, fans can also... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3280908/star-wars-bounty-hunter-remastered-tweaks-graphics-adds-aiming-aid-removes-side-borders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3280908/star-wars-bounty-hunter-remastered-tweaks-graphics-adds-aiming-aid-removes-side-borders?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Oct 2024 11:15:08 +0000 James Earl Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen – eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, The Lion King and Star Wars’ Darth Vader – has died. He was 93. His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died on Monday morning at home. The cause was not immediately clear. The pioneering Jones, who worked deep into his 80s, won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3277849/james-earl-jones-acclaimed-actor-and-voice-star-wars-darth-vader-dies-93?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3277849/james-earl-jones-acclaimed-actor-and-voice-star-wars-darth-vader-dies-93?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Sep 2024 21:43:02 +0000 The gold bikini-style costume that Carrie Fisher wore as Princess Leia while making Return of the Jedi in the Star Wars franchise has sold for US$175,000, according to the auction house that handled the sale. The costume was made famous when Fisher wore it at the start of the 1983 film when Leia was captured by Jabba the Hutt at his palace on Tatooine and forced to be a slave. The costume, one of the most memorable in the Star Wars films, was sold on Friday by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions. Joe... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3272236/princess-leia-gold-bikini-costume-set-star-wars-sells-auction-us175000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3272236/princess-leia-gold-bikini-costume-set-star-wars-sells-auction-us175000?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jul 2024 23:54:12 +0000 Hollywood actress Billie Lourd, daughter of the incomparable Carrie Fisher and talent agent Bryan Lourd, turned 32 last week. And a week before that, she attended the Los Angeles premiere of Watershed, a documentary on American Paralympic medallist Mallory Weggemann that her husband Austen Rydell was an executive producer on. At the event, the couple shared with People their approach and philosophy on parenting, which right now is “whatever works”, even if that means “cosleeping” with her kids... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3271957/meet-billie-lourd-carrie-fishers-only-daughter-she-was-american-horror-story-and-scream-queens-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3271957/meet-billie-lourd-carrie-fishers-only-daughter-she-was-american-horror-story-and-scream-queens-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jul 2024 10:00:14 +0000 Star Wars: The Acolyte actor Manny Jacinto – who’s been credited with making Star Wars “sexy again” – recently spoke about getting all his lines cut from the 2022 Tom Cruise movie, Top Gun: Maverick. “At the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise,” the Canadian actor told GQ in a recent interview. In 2018, Jacinto was cast as one of the fighter pilots-in-training in the Top Gun sequel alongside Glen Powell, a role for which the 36-year-old put in months of gruelling... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3271403/meet-manny-jacinto-hunky-star-wars-and-top-gun-actor-calling-out-tom-cruise-asian-canadian-star?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3271403/meet-manny-jacinto-hunky-star-wars-and-top-gun-actor-calling-out-tom-cruise-asian-canadian-star?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2024 10:00:15 +0000 It’s not quite a galaxy far, far away, but about 20 people gather at dusk in a park in southern Mexico to practice fencing with glowing lightsabers – a sport inspired by the Star Wars franchise. Lightsaber duelling has grown in popularity in recent years, and France’s fencing federation now recognises it as an official sport, holding national championships. In Mexico, the Jedi Knight Academy teaches fencing “with lightsabers in the style of the Jedi teachings”, referring to the fictional... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3269831/mexicans-embrace-force-lightsaber-training-inspired-star-wars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3269831/mexicans-embrace-force-lightsaber-training-inspired-star-wars?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jul 2024 20:34:01 +0000 After the success of John Krasinski-directed horror A Quiet Place and its 2020 sequel, the next step is not forwards but back, it seems. Directed by Michael Sarnoski, this week’s A Quiet Place: Day One, as the title suggests, spirits viewers back to the moment those horrifying, sound-sensitive alien creatures first invaded the planet. A prequel to A Quiet Place? Well, on paper it sounds like a good idea. Why not fill in those gaps and explain what happened on that first day? With a cast... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3267894/are-hollywood-prequels-really-way-forward-quiet-place-day-one-next-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3267894/are-hollywood-prequels-really-way-forward-quiet-place-day-one-next-test?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jun 2024 09:15:08 +0000 George Lucas celebrated his 80th birthday last month – and can claim to be one of the richest film directors in the world. The auteur behind the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises has accumulated an immense fortune of US$10 billion over the years, according to Celebrity Net Worth – in no small part thanks to the fact that he sold his Lucasfilm production company to Disney for US$4.1 billion in 2012. On May 25, Lucas was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3267541/meet-mellody-hobson-george-lucas-influential-wife-princeton-grad-sits-board-starbucks-champions-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3267541/meet-mellody-hobson-george-lucas-influential-wife-princeton-grad-sits-board-starbucks-champions-her?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Jun 2024 22:00:16 +0000 The third season of Bridgerton is spicing things up with fresh faces promising to bring more drama, romance and scandal to the show. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, these newcomers are set to weave their talents into the tapestry of this lavish imagining of Regency-era London. With the highly anticipated second half of season three having dropped on June 13, here’s what to know about Bridgerton’s new cast members. 1. David Mumeni Stepping into the shoes of Lord Samadani – a suitor Queen... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3266941/who-are-bridgerton-season-3s-new-cast-members-5-fresh-faces-know-david-mumeni-who-was-tom-cruise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3266941/who-are-bridgerton-season-3s-new-cast-members-5-fresh-faces-know-david-mumeni-who-was-tom-cruise?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jun 2024 20:00:10 +0000 Star Wars fans are rejoicing after the news broke last week that The Acolyte, a series that’s a part of the legendary sci-fi franchise, will be released this year. Although the exact date has yet to be confirmed, reports state that the series will be released in June on Disney+. The Acolyte is set at the end of the High Republic era before the main Star Wars films, and will star Lee Jung-jae (remember him from Squid Game?), Joonas Suotamo, Jodie Turner-Smith and Amandla Stenberg. Young talents... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3253521/who-are-richest-star-wars-cast-members-net-worths-ranked-adam-driver-and-ewan-mcgregor-natalie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3253521/who-are-richest-star-wars-cast-members-net-worths-ranked-adam-driver-and-ewan-mcgregor-natalie?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Feb 2024 20:00:18 +0000 Carl Weathers, a former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, playing nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the Rocky films, facing off against Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator and teaching golf in Happy Gilmore, has died. He was 76. Matt Luber, his manager, said Weathers died on Thursday. His family issued a statement saying he died “peacefully in his sleep”. Comfortable flexing his muscles on the big screen in Action Jackson as he was joking around on the small... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3250809/carl-weathers-who-starred-rocky-films-and-mandalorian-dead-76?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3250809/carl-weathers-who-starred-rocky-films-and-mandalorian-dead-76?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Feb 2024 23:45:07 +0000 As well as launching one of the most successful film franchises of all time, epoch-making space opera “Star Wars” (1977) made stars of several cast members, including actor, novelist, script editor and raconteur Carrie Fisher, who played the pivotal role of Princess Leia. Gillian Howard, Hong Kong-based co-founder and global fair director of the Digital Art Fair, explains how the film, and an encounter with its star, changed her life. It started when I was really little, growing up in Hong Kong.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3247093/how-selling-star-wars-actress-carrie-fisher-piece-video-art-changed-life-hong-kong-based-digital-art?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3247093/how-selling-star-wars-actress-carrie-fisher-piece-video-art-changed-life-hong-kong-based-digital-art?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jan 2024 09:15:12 +0000 A Star Wars fanatic who was encouraged by a chatbot “girlfriend” to assassinate Queen Elizabeth was sentenced on Thursday to nine years in prison for taking his plot to Windsor Castle, where he scaled the walls and was caught with a loaded crossbow nearly two years ago. “I’m here to kill the queen,” Jaswant Singh Chail, wearing a metal mask inspired by the dark force in the science fiction and fantasy franchise, declared on Christmas Day in 2021 when a police officer on the grounds of the castle... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3236975/uk-sith-lord-jaswant-singh-chail-jailed-plot-kill-queen-elizabeth-crossbow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3236975/uk-sith-lord-jaswant-singh-chail-jailed-plot-kill-queen-elizabeth-crossbow?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Oct 2023 20:31:37 +0000 It will come as no surprise to learn that Gareth Edwards has a love for Asian culture. The British filmmaker, who burst onto the movie scene with the low-fi sci-fi Monsters in 2010, made the leap to Hollywood with his second film, Godzilla. The first of the “MonsterVerse” series, that 2014 film was a stylish, huge-budget take on the Japanese series of creature features made by entertainment company Toho, starring the great Japanese actor Ken Watanabe. He followed it with Rogue One in 2016,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3235824/creator-how-gareth-edwards-sci-fi-epic-film-was-influenced-asian-culture-and-subject-ai-resulting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3235824/creator-how-gareth-edwards-sci-fi-epic-film-was-influenced-asian-culture-and-subject-ai-resulting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Sep 2023 23:15:14 +0000 Lucasfilm’s visual effects and animation studio in Singapore will close down in the coming months after almost two decades due to economic reasons, parent firm Disney said on Tuesday. The Singapore studio was set up in the 2000s by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), which was founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas and is a division of Lucasfilm. For years, its home in Singapore was the striking Sandcrawler building, named after the Star Wars transport that inspired its design. Lucasfilm sold the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3231181/singapores-lucasfilm-disney-star-wars-studio-close-economic-reasons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3231181/singapores-lucasfilm-disney-star-wars-studio-close-economic-reasons?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Aug 2023 11:47:26 +0000 Faye Bradley Faye Bradley While we often find ourselves captivated by the glamorous (and handsomely rewarded) actors and actresses bringing beloved films and TV shows to life, let’s not forget that it’s the brilliant minds behind the camera – the directors – who truly deserve our gratitude. They are the ones responsible for what you see on the screen – making those impeccable casting choices and shaping the overall vision of the production. We have iconic figures like George Lucas, the genius who created the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3227705/worlds-12-richest-film-directors-2023-net-worths-ranked-star-wars-and-indiana-jones-billionaire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3227705/worlds-12-richest-film-directors-2023-net-worths-ranked-star-wars-and-indiana-jones-billionaire?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:15:10 +0000 Justin Pichetrungsi is quickly becoming one of America’s most exciting chefs. It’s not the path he set out on, though – he used to lead the animation team for some of Disney’s biggest franchises, then craft dishes for his family’s restaurant at night. But since taking over Anajak Thai in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, in 2019, Pichetrungsi has moulded the 43-year-old venue into an award-winning eatery praised by some of America’s most prominent food critics. Pichetrungsi recently discovered that his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3226513/how-chef-anajak-thai-left-his-disney-animation-job-help-out-his-parents-eatery-and-made-it-one-las?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3226513/how-chef-anajak-thai-left-his-disney-animation-job-help-out-his-parents-eatery-and-made-it-one-las?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jul 2023 20:15:15 +0000 Carrie Fisher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, a May the Fourth tribute to a beloved Star Wars actress that had a touch of stardust. The late star’s daughter, Billie Lourd, wearing her mother’s portrait printed on her metallic dress, accepted the star on behalf of Fisher. She threw glitter, her mother’s favourite, on the newly unveiled star. “My mum used to say you weren’t actually famous until you became a Pez dispenser. Well, people eat candy out of her neck every day.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3219438/star-wars-carrie-fisher-gets-her-walk-fame-star-may-fourth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3219438/star-wars-carrie-fisher-gets-her-walk-fame-star-may-fourth?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 May 2023 20:12:09 +0000 Doing anything special for Star Wars Day, other than digging out that old, busted lightsaber in your basement for old times’ sake? Carmelo Esterrich, professor of humanities and cultural studies at Columbia College in Chicago, in the US state of Illinois, knows what he’s doing that day, May 4. When he’s not teaching or writing, Esterrich is a fitness instructor at a Chicago district park. And on Star Wars Day, “we usually do abdominals to the tune of the John Williams music of ‘The Imperial... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3219219/ive-seen-first-one-over-100-times-how-star-wars-expert-who-teaches-courses-franchise-viewed-movies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3219219/ive-seen-first-one-over-100-times-how-star-wars-expert-who-teaches-courses-franchise-viewed-movies?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 May 2023 09:15:15 +0000 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the latest release from Electronic Arts, is something of a miracle in modern video-game development. It is single-player only, has no microtransactions and was made during the pandemic in roughly three years – half the time it takes to produce many of today’s big games. But Stig Asmussen, the director of the game, is quick to dismiss any suggestion that the game’s development was miraculous. “If anything, it’s a testament to the team,” Asmussen said, adding that it was... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3218751/electronic-arts-sequel-star-wars-jedi-survivor-was-made-record-time-dont-call-it-miracle-says-video?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3218751/electronic-arts-sequel-star-wars-jedi-survivor-was-made-record-time-dont-call-it-miracle-says-video?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Apr 2023 09:15:12 +0000 Natasha Lyonne must be Hollywood’s most in-demand lovable rogue and anti-hero. She’s also no stranger to the fashion world, having starred in Gucci’s 2019 The Performers campaign which traded heavily on her trademark style: effortless, at times irreverent and imbued with subtle nods to the 1970s. More recently, Lyonne’s signature sartorial taste has been spotted front row at New York Fashion Week events, where she rubbed shoulders with Hollywood’s elite including close friend and Russian Doll... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3212227/natasha-lyonne-poker-face-and-genius-rian-johnson-after-owning-netflix-russian-doll-and-orange-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3212227/natasha-lyonne-poker-face-and-genius-rian-johnson-after-owning-netflix-russian-doll-and-orange-new?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Mar 2023 17:00:10 +0000 More than two years since the last season of The Mandalorian, the science fiction Western series from the Star Wars universe is back. In between, fans did not have to go without the warm-hearted bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), because the spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett to a large extent concerns him and Grogu, better known as Baby Yoda. In the spin-off, Grogu decided against training with Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi, choosing to follow his mentor Din Djarin. As a result, the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3212026/mandalorian-returns-disney-season-3-star-wars-show-creator-jon-favreau-what-expect-and-why-story-may?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3212026/mandalorian-returns-disney-season-3-star-wars-show-creator-jon-favreau-what-expect-and-why-story-may?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Mar 2023 20:15:09 +0000 The modern video game era has been a showcase for interactive narratives, and it seems like the rest of the entertainment industry is starting to pay attention. Two of the most acclaimed animated TV series over the last year were ones inspired by League of Legends and Cyberpunk 2077, and in a few weeks, HBO will launch an anticipated show based on The Last of Us. But these examples just reinforce something game players have long known: some of the best stories in recent years have been found in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3205627/10-video-games-stories-we-cant-wait-2023-star-wars-zelda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3205627/10-video-games-stories-we-cant-wait-2023-star-wars-zelda?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jan 2023 11:45:08 +0000 When you’re an up-and-coming actress, auditions mean everything. Just ask Gabby Wong, who had given birth to her son Henry four weeks before she was asked to self-tape for the new Netflix thriller 1899. “I was actually left holding the baby,” she says, explaining how she had to repeat the trick a couple of days later when she met her director, Baran bo Odar, and co-star Isabella Wei over Zoom. And she nailed it. “The period after you’ve given birth is a very raw time, [but] I just had to do it.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3199645/actress-gabby-wong-her-first-major-role-netflix-series-1899-star-wars-spin-rogue-one-and-her-love?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3199645/actress-gabby-wong-her-first-major-role-netflix-series-1899-star-wars-spin-rogue-one-and-her-love?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Nov 2022 10:15:08 +0000 Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made history on a list of counts: he’s the country’s first prime minister of colour, at 42, he’s youngest leader in modern times – and he’s also by far the wealthiest one. Sunak and his millionaire wife Akshata Murty, 42 – daughter of Infosys founder billionaire Narayana Murthy – reportedly have a combined fortune of about US$830 million, according to The Washington Post. That’s more than that of the nation’s royals including late monarch Queen... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3197636/how-does-rishi-sunak-spend-his-gigantic-fortune-britains-richest-pm-ever-shares-us830-million-net?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3197636/how-does-rishi-sunak-spend-his-gigantic-fortune-britains-richest-pm-ever-shares-us830-million-net?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Oct 2022 22:00:11 +0000 Han Solo may be a hunk. But “Pan Solo” is a hunk of bread. That is what a bakery in the San Francisco Bay Area has dubbed its 6-ft (1.8 metre) bread sculpture of the Star Wars character as he appeared after being frozen in carbonite in The Empire Strikes Back. Hannalee Pervan and her mother, Catherine Pervan, co-owners of One House Bakery in Benicia, California, spent weeks moulding, baking and assembling the life-size sculpture using wood and two types of dough, including a type of yeastless... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3196176/pan-solo-california-baker-creates-life-size-star?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3196176/pan-solo-california-baker-creates-life-size-star?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Oct 2022 21:46:11 +0000 Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera get mistaken for each other all the time. And they aren’t the only A-listers that fans are convinced share such a resemblance that they must have been separated at birth. We took a look at some of the most striking male celebrity doppelgängers in Hollywood. 1. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes Neeson has said people often confuse the Harry Potter and Taken stars. What’s more, the two have starred in multiple films alongside each other (Schindler’s List, Wrath of the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3184436/16-mirror-image-male-celebrities-who-could-be-twins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3184436/16-mirror-image-male-celebrities-who-could-be-twins?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jul 2022 11:00:23 +0000 New Zealand-born filmmaker Taika Waititi has become a creative powerhouse in Hollywood, accruing credits as an actor, writer, producer and director in a string of projects for both film and television. Still best known perhaps for his controversial 2019 hit Jojo Rabbit, for which he won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay, Waititi, who is half Maori and half Jewish, describes himself as a “Polynesian Jew”, and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2022. While at... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3184167/taika-waititi-thor-love-and-thunder-director-also-known?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3184167/taika-waititi-thor-love-and-thunder-director-also-known?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jul 2022 20:15:16 +0000 By the time most men reach 50, they’ve got adult children and are quite often already grandfathers (or the thought of it is dawning on them). But for some celebs, it’s only then that they get started on a family. Here are 14 celebrities who became first-time dads after 50 … James Earl Jones James Earl Jones, now 91, became a father at 51 to his son, Flynn. Jones – who voiced the famous line “I am your father” to Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back – and his second wife, Cecilia Hart, who... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3183653/14-celebrities-who-became-first-time-dads-after-50-elton?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3183653/14-celebrities-who-became-first-time-dads-after-50-elton?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Jul 2022 17:00:10 +0000 Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky referenced Star Wars and World War II as he sought aid from big tech firms, appearing as a hologram at a conference in Paris. He told a crowd of hundreds at the VivaTech trade show on Thursday that Ukraine was offering technology firms a unique chance to rebuild the country as a fully digital democracy. He asked for help on the terms of lend-lease, the way in which the United States helped the Allies during World War II, whereby aid was offered without... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3182018/zelensky-hologram-references-star-wars-we-will-defeat-empire-too?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3182018/zelensky-hologram-references-star-wars-we-will-defeat-empire-too?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jun 2022 02:45:45 +0000