ONLINE CONCERT RECORD
A weekend concert by Hong Kong acting and singing superstar Andy Lau Tak-wah attracted a record-breaking 350 million viewers on Douyin, the mainland Chinese sister company of TikTok. The concert ran for two hours and attracted 100 million viewers in the first 30 minutes, with tens of millions more joining by the end. The figures beat Lau’s own previous record on the platform, which he set in July last year at a concert to celebrate his 40 years in the business. The South China Morning Post said the record numbers were swelled by a recent wave of nostalgia for Canto-pop or Cantonese-language contemporary music, though the paper also noted that Lau also performed a couple of Mandarin-language classics.
PINK LIE
Disney+ will next month start streaming the first season of “Pink Lie,” a Korean unscripted reality TV show. The concept involves a group of young singles, each with a lie that makes them extremely hard to find love, put into a house with the sole goal of finding romance. Produced by CJ ENM, the show is branded as a Star Original. “Pink Lie” is hosted by Super Junior’s Kim Heechul, Lee Sunbin (“Work Later, Drink Now”), Song Wonseok (“Business Proposal”) and YouTube influencer Ralral. The streamer is upping its Korean content component and will Thursday upload “The Zone: Survival Mission,” a variety show starring Yu Jaeseok, Lee Kwangsoo and Kwon Yuri in a range of hilarious and unexpected situations.
RED RECORD
Toei Animation’s “One Piece Red” has become the top-grossing film in Japan for the current calendar year. As of Sept. 4, 2022, marking 30 days on release, the franchise film had earned $94 million (JPY13 billion). It is the ninth highest-grossing locally-produced anime film in Japan, closely behind “Jujutsu Kaisen 0,” which was released in December and has a JPY13.75 billion total. Currently, 21st on the all-comers ranking, behind “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “One Piece Red” looks set to break into the top twenty within the week.
BOY BAND BORN
Hybe Labels Japan, an offshoot of Hybe Corporation, the backer of K-Pop sensation BTS, will launch its first Japanese idol group &Team on Dec. 7, 2022. The nine members of the new act were all winners in the “&Audition – The Howling” talent show which had its final episode on Saturday. Their names are K, Fuma, Nicholas, EJ, Yuma, Jo, Harua, Taki and Maki. Their final mission songs, “Melody” and “Running with the pack” are already available on streaming platforms.