Latest news with #BL
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
BTS' V goes bare-faced live: Kim Taehyung flexes muscles, changes outfits, plays music and Counter-Strike as ARMY loses it
There's a reason ARMY - one of the world's largest fandoms - believes that the love they give BTS is always returned. On June 20, not long after waking up, the ever-charming Kim Taehyung, better known as V from BTS, surprised fans by going live on Weverse. He casually told viewers he had just gotten out of bed and decided to start a live - a sweet gesture that instantly made ARMY feel like they were the first people on his mind. But what truly caught fans off guard was the display picture he chose: a mirror selfie in a sleeveless shirt, which immediately sent the fandom into a frenzy. BTS' V shows off bare-faced visuals During the live, Taehyung appeared in a white-and-black tank top but quickly commented that he felt he was showing "too much skin." He also mentioned that his room was messy, with clothes scattered around. 🐻 Hold on... there's clothes everywhere so hold on. Okay, wait a sec!🐻 I'm going to grab a water!#thv @bts_bighit @BTS_twt #TAEHYUNG #KIMTAEHYUNG #BTSARMY #BTS #BTSV #BANGTAN #TYPE1 #TAETAE #WinterAhead #BTSisCOMING So what did V do? He paused the video screen continued to play music, took time to change into a t-shirt, and cleaned up his room - before returning to the live to chat more with ARMY. He turned on the Live as soon as he woke Up,changed his clothes and he's cleaning his room with us nowTAEHYUNG WHAT ARE WE? V's love for gaming makes a comeback While interacting with fans, Taehyung began playing what many believe was Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Listeners could hear the shooting effects and voiceovers, leading fans to excitedly guess the game in real-time. TAEHYUNG IS PLAYING GAMES WE ARE SO BACK YALL !!#TAEHYUNG #BTSV #BTS #V "Kim Taehyung is back," Say ARMY Seeing Taehyung share music and play games on live brought back memories of his pre-enlistment days. Many fans on X (formerly Twitter) couldn't contain their excitement over everything that happened in the short Weverse live -bare-faced visuals, gaming sounds, music, and a surprise chat. MY MANN SHOWING HIS ARMS RIGHT ON MY FACE I'm so sorry Taehyung but you like a character in BL manhwa 😭😭😭 the face card, the body, the sex appeal 💯 Bare face hottie, Kim Taehyung Live 🖤🤍🌟 taehyung and his gay ass music god i love him More about BTS V After serving 18 months in the South Korean military, Kim Taehyung was officially discharged on June 10, marking his return to civilian life. According to Allkpop, V received over 4.5 million messages via Goondori, a military platform that allows civilians to send letters and encouragement to soldiers, including public figures like celebrities, athletes, and influencers. On June 9, just one day before his discharge, V became the first and only celebrity to surpass 3 million messages on the platform - setting a new record and demonstrating the immense love he continued to receive even while serving. For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood updates, keep following our coverage here.
The Star
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Filipino actor Miko Gallardo opens up about past rape, alleged blackmail
BL (boy love) actor Miko Gallardo has opened up about being raped, blackmailed, which he said has been going on for 10 years. In an eight-minute video statement on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, June 10, Gallardo — addressing himself as Dwayne — pleaded for his 'freedom' while claiming that he was a victim of blackmail and extortion 'for a whole decade of [his] life,' underscoring that he wanted the alleged abuse toward him to end. 'For the past 10 years — a whole decade of my life — I have been blackmailed and extorted, and I just want it to end. I'm sending this message out to the person, you know who you are, I will not be dropping any names. I just want this to go and end smoothly with peace,' he said. 'Let me go. I want my freedom. I will be talking in English for everybody to understand. I will be as straightforward as possible. I am begging — I am not asking — I am begging for things to end. I want it to end. I want my freedom. Ten years of this blackmail, threats, and extortion, I am done. I will do whatever you want me to do for things to end,' he continued. The actor said he is willing to 'end [his] relationship' and settle things through financial means just to achieve his desired freedom, as he stressed that he is already 'done and tired' of what he had been through. 'You want me to end my relationship? I will do it. You want me to pay you back? I will do it. You want whatever, whatever your reason is, whatever your wants are, I will, I will give it. I will do it. 'All I'm asking in return is my freedom and my peace. So I can go about my days and my life without having to worry anymore. I am tired. I'm exhausted. I want to go home. I miss my grandma. Whatever your reasons are for doing this, I'm sorry. But please, I beg you. Please, let me go. Let me have my freedom,' he said. To explain where he was coming from, Gallardo alleged that he was raped by 'two people whom [he] trusted as older sisters' when he was eight years old, and was 'almost raped by older men' around the same age. 'The only reason why they didn't go through with it was because they almost got caught. But I did not speak up. I was a scared little boy who never talked. But this time, I'll say it all. I don't care. I don't give a (expletive) anymore,' he added. 'At 10 years old, all the way up around 16, 17 — I don't even remember anymore — I had a sexual relationship with an older woman — who was way older. Growing up, that really (expletive) up my mind. Filled my head with anger, lust, and bad choices. And that's the reason maybe why I'm here,' he further added. The actor also revealed that he was 'sexually assaulted' by unnamed individuals in the entertainment industry, while seemingly addressing a certain individual as 'Filipino P,' an apparent play on music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs' name. To note, Combs has been on trial for charges of sex trafficking and alleged racketeering. 'When my career started, I got people sexually assaulting me in this industry, in the acting industry. Yeah, Filipino P* did try to get me many, many times. But I never spoke up. They told me to shut up and take it in and just focus on my career. And that messed me up big time. Led me to bad decisions, bad choices, substance abuse, alcohol, you name it,' said Gallardo. 'They never got hold of me because I always try to find a way to reason out or run away. I was never able to fight back. Because if you do, you know what happens when you fight back in this industry. You know what happens. They bury you. I don't want to be buried. Life is about survival. And right now, I am trying to survive,' he further added. Appeal for survival To end his statement, Gallardo said he is 'begging' to be free from the unnamed individual who allegedly 'has control over' his life. 'I'm here now, though. I'm still alive, I'm still kicking, begging for my life back from that person who has control over me right now. You know what I've been through,' he said. 'You know the sh*t that I had to crawl my ass out of. So let's make a deal. Let's end things peacefully. Give me a chance to live again. But if you give me no choice and just tell me to end my life while you laugh about it or celebrate over it, you tell me I deserve it, then you leave me no choice.' The actor also declared that he is the only person who can end the alleged abuse, while reiterating the aforementioned deal to 'end things peacefully.' 'Who gives a sh*t, right? The world keeps spinning anyways. But let me make a deal. I wanna live. I want freedom. If you still have any humanity and sympathy left in you, let me go. Yeah, maybe I can only blame myself for being in this situation, for trusting you. So only I can end it,' he said. Talks of Gallardo's alleged abuse began last June 4 after he made a cryptic post about seemingly wanting to end his life in a now-expired Instagram Story. The actor is best known for his lead role in BL (boys' love) projects such as My Day and Our Story. He also made an appearance on the noontime show It's Showtime as a contestant of its Bidaman segment. has reached out to Gallardo for further comment about his video statement but has yet to respond, as of this writing. Meanwhile, Gallardo's agency, Oxin Entertainment, said it has been coordinating with the 'appropriate authorities' to ensure Gallardo's mental well-being, moments after the actor alleged that he was a victim of sexual harassment, blackmail and extortion for quite some time. Miko Gallardo 'actively working' with agency after dropping abuse claims. Images: Screengrabs from YouTube/ochomiko Miko Gallardo is 'actively working' with his agency after dropping abuse claims. Images: Screengrabs from YouTube/ochomiko Miko Gallardo's agency, Oxin Entertainment, said it has been coordinating with the 'appropriate authorities' to ensure Gallardo's mental well-being, moments after the actor alleged that he was a victim of sexual harassment, blackmail and extortion for quite some time. In a statement on its Facebook page, Oxin said Gallardo was a victim of a 'certain individual ' and that it ha been reaching out to the proper authorities. 'It has come to our attention that Miko Gallardo recently shared a video on YouTube detailing years of suffering from alleged harassment, sexual abuse, extortion, and blackmail at the hands of a certain individual,' it said. 'Mr Gallardo has reached out to us for assistance, and we are actively working to coordinate with him regarding these very serious concerns, which are significantly impacting his mental health and overall well-being,' it continued. Oxin assured Gallardo's safety and said the matter would be handled with 'utmost seriousness.' 'We want to assure everyone that we are taking this matter with the utmost seriousness and will be coordinating closely with the appropriate authorities to address these allegations. We appreciate your understanding and concern during this sensitive time,' it said. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network Those contemplating suicide can reach out to the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service (03-2935 9935 / 014-322 3392); Talian Kasih (15999 / 019-261 5999 on WhatsApp); Jakim's family, social and community care centre (011-1959 8214 on WhatsApp); or Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (03-7627 2929 /email sam@ centres in malaysia).
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First Post
06-06-2025
- First Post
JBL Tune Beam 2 Review: A good pair of TWS earbuds in a highly competitive segment
These JBL earbuds lag behind the competition in a couple of areas but somewhat make up for it with their energetic sound output and TalkThru feature. read more Pros: Energetic sound output Useful companion app to tweak the sound and more Good build quality, IP54 ingress protection for the buds The finish and build quality of the product are pretty good Lightweight and comfortable in the ears Dual-pairing support Ambient Aware and TalkThru features work well Very good battery backup Cons: Outdoor call quality needs improvement Average ANC No wear detection sensors Prone to accidental touch inputs Price: Rs 5,999 The JBL Tune Beam 2 is priced at Rs 5,499 in India with a one year warranty Rating: 3.9/5 BL has been around for a long time and needs no introduction. They already have a broad portfolio of audio products in India, including several true wireless (TWS) earphones, to cater to different types of users. The Tune Beam 2 that we have for review today is among their most recent releases here. On the surface, it looks like a simple pair of TWS earphones with most of the key boxes ticked for the segment. But the near Rs 5,000 segment is highly competitive. So let's see if this one's in tune with it or not. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD JBL Tune Beam 2: Design and Comfort (8/10) The design of these JBL buds is quite simple but pleasant with short stems and angled earpieces with silicone tips. The buds as well as the case are made of high quality plastic with a matte black finish. A hint of gloss for the logo and model name breaks the monotony and looks good. The three indicator LED slashes at the front add a bit of character to the design. These earbuds have an IP54 rating against dust and water ingression, and one can wear them during workouts or jogs without a worry. The fit is quite snug and comfortable with the right pair of eartips and the buds don't pop out of the ears often. The silicone eartips enter the ear canals and provide a decent seal. You get two more pairs of tips in the bundle if the preinstalled medium option isn't the right size for you, along with a cool looking flat charging cable. The buds are extremely light and weigh just 5.2 grams each despite hosting a 65 mAh battery. You have touch zones at the back of the buds and the touch sensitivity is good. The company packs a few extra eartips in the bundle The charging case is fairly compact but not slim enough to go unnoticed in your pocket. The product is fairly compact and just about pocketable It doesn't have any sharp edges and feels great in hand. Weight is not an issue either with the case tilting the scales at 42 grams. There is no mention of any ingress protection for the case, so try not to take it out in a drizzle. You get three charge indicator LEDs at the front, while a USB-C charging port is present at the back. The three LEDs at the front of the case inform you about the amount of remaining charge The Tune Beam 2 is also available in Turquoise and White colour options. The bottom on the case has a USB-C port to charge these earphones briskly JBL Tune Beam 2: Features and Specifications (8/10) Each earbud is fitted with a 10 mm dynamic driver and three microphones for calling and active noise cancellation (ANC). In addition to adaptive noise cancellation, you get two transparency modes called Ambient Aware and TalkThru. The former lets the ambient noise through to keep you aware of your surroundings and the latter focuses on enhancing vocal frequencies, facilitating a quick conversation without removing the buds from the ears. These earbuds support multipoint connectivity and can be paired with two devices simultaneously. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD There are no wear detection sensors on the JBL Tune Beam 2, which I would have liked to see given that buds priced 30% lower now flaunt that feature. These earbuds are Bluetooth 5.3 compliant and support SBC and AAC codecs. You get access to various settings of the earbuds after you install the JBL Headphones app and sync the earphones with it. The app is quite handy and lets you alter the sound output, create a custom audio profile, configure the controls and update the firmware among other things. The feature-rich JBL Headphones app let's you tweak the sound output, controls and more Just like in the case of earlier JBL earbuds we had reviewed, you cannot assign a specific function to each gesture. You have to assign an entire set from Ambient sound control, Playback control, Volume control or Voice assistant control. Most sets assign the functions to single tap and double tap gestures, with Playback controls using triple tap for previous track function. Given that single tap is mapped in most cases, the Beam 2 is prone to accidental touch inputs when adjusting or removing the buds from the ear or the case, which can be irritating at times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD BL Tune Beam 2: Performance (8/10) These buds aren't the loudest around and the volume needs to be pushed close to 80% for optimal loudness that several earphones achieve around the 50 to 60% mark. The default sound is noticeably bass heavy; well, it's called JBL Pure Bass Sound after all. The good part being, the bass is reasonably tight and not too boomy, and the overall output is quite energetic. Even better, you can tweak it using the JBL Headphones app and bring better balance to the output. The JBL Tune Beam 2 may offer a feature or two less than the competition but performs admirably You can push the mids up a bit in the 10-band equaliser for better vocal clarity and then adjust the bass and highs to suit your taste. If that's too much work, you also get half a dozen audio presets to try out. If that's not enough, you can also create your personal listening profile (Personi-Fi 3.0) using a simple listening test in a quiet environment which adjusts the sound curve as per your preference and listening capabilities. It is certainly worth a try. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After doing the necessary adjustments in the equaliser, the JBL Tune Beam 2 produces a punchy and fairly balanced sound without losing its zing or thump. The default sound is good enough for genres like pop and EDM, but with a few tweaks, these earbuds sound well across more genres of music. The soundstage here is decently broad and the detail in audio is perfectly fine for the segment. You also get Spacial Sound here which tends to broaden the soundstage further but it's a matter of individual taste; I preferred to keep it off. Moving on to ANC, I wasn't very impressed with the results. It does block certain frequency sounds but results in a bit of hiss in certain cases. The competition is way ahead in this department. Where this JBL does better than the competition is in transparency modes. I quite liked the Ambient Aware and TalkThru options where the sound being let through feels natural. They can be used to be aware of your surroundings when crossing the road or to hear announcements at airports or stations with the buds on. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD TalkThru can be quickly enabled or disabled by a simple double tap to have a quick chat without removing the buds from the ears. While the company does not specify the latency figures, there was no perceptible lag between the video and audio when streaming videos. The wireless range is perfectly acceptable with the buds retaining a strong connection up to 10 metres with a clear line of sight. JBL Tune Beam 2: Call quality (6.5/10) The call quality on the JBL Tune Beam 2 is a case of two extremes. When indoors or in a quiet environment, you are clearly heard by the person on the line with good vocal clarity. When outdoors or in noisy areas, the microphones tend to pick up quite a bit of ambient noise like that of traffic or people talking. Some could even hear crows cawing a fair distance away. JBL probably needs to decrease the sensitivity of the microphones a little. The wind noise suppression works well though. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD JBL Tune Beam 2: Battery life (8.5/10) The battery backup of the JBL Tune Beam 2 is quite impressive. The company claims figures of 10 and 12 hours for the buds with ANC on and off respectively, while the charging case can provide three more top-ups. With the loudness over 75% at all times, the earbuds managed to go on for close to 9 hours with intermittent use of ANC and TalkThru. With the 590 mAh battery in the charging case, the overall battery backup figure reaches 36 hours, which is quite impressive. Without using ANC at all and with minimal calling, the battery backup can easily breach the 40-hour mark. The product can be fully charged in about two hours with a standard USB-C charger. Fast charging numbers aren't specified but a 10-minute charge gives you close to two hours of playtime, which can be handy. JBL Tune Beam 2: Price and verdict STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The JBL Tune Beam 2 is priced at Rs 5,999 with a one year warranty, and can often be spotted for Rs 5,499. For that price, you get a pair of lightweight and comfortable TWS earphones with a lively sound output that can be tweaked further from the companion app, more than useful transparency modes and excellent battery backup. The outdoor call quality and ANC need a bit of improvement and features like wear detection sensors should have been present. But its energetic sound output does make up for some of its shortcomings. The earbuds are fairly lightweight and fit well into the ears without any discomfort While the JBL Tune Beam 2 is a good addition to the near-5K segment in India, it is a highly competitive space here. There are several excellent TWS earbuds one can buy around Rs 5,000 like the OnePlus Buds 3, EarFun Free Pro 3 and CMF (Nothing) Buds Pro 2 to name a few. They offer superior codec support in addition to comparable sound quality and comfort. Take your pick. Neither will disappoint you.
Spectator
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
2706: Pitched
The unclued lights, all but one being two or more words and some could include a hyphen, are of a kind. Across 6 Powers which followed BL in Texas (6) 12 Loathed nerd having left one-armed bandit damaged (10) 13 Blackwood, bridge player, rather gaunt (5) 15 Graham is on manoeuvres with NZ crime writer (5,5) 16 Continued to travel, we hear, to city on the Ribble (7) 20 Ride the waves and scan (4) 22 Typical – upset USA twice – then left (2,5) 23 Iberia and TWA losing heart with airlines cartel (4) 24 Whence Tennyson's Lady who has toppled Pixie (7) 30 Approving sounds coming out of Soho (4) 31 Muffs and gloves for fighting by French waters (7) 34 Half of the boss's hearing in a law court (4) 36 Branch officers initially anger cabinet (7) 39 Public room at spa or seaside amusement park (7) 40 Former Norwegian PM trimmed bristly artificial fly (5) 42 Doc, surrounded by duties; prepares for takeoff (6) 43 Ms Price, soprano, at Spanish city by river (8) Down 2 Wintry hail blowing around Swiss city (8) 3 Soldiers' pipes (5) 5 Measure shallows and protects from floods (7) 6 They are not free of charge (6) 7 Pinches lass's rear and ducks (6) 8 Some of what Kohli destroyed, that is to say (2,3) 9 Settling her in reviewing Armistead Maupin's roman à clef (5,8) 11 National parks' workers supporting compounds (9) 17 Some ultra-high jubilant shout (3) 19 Instructive sessions spilled out into tests (9) 21 In more ways than one, they may make a fine spray (5) 27 Doctrine embraced by Afghanis methodically (3) 28 Publicity broadcast that is plain (7) 29 Rent trouble, quite a blow (7) 32 Mule is slaughtered for food (6) 33 Asprey somehow manages debts (6) 35 Donuts regularly consumed during Sunday afternoon, as starters by composer (5) 37 Love god taking books to praying figure (5) Download a printable version here. A first prize of a £30 John Lewis voucher and two runners-up prizes of £20 vouchers for the first correct solutions opened on 23 June.
Hype Malaysia
04-06-2025
- Business
- Hype Malaysia
Thai Star Jeff Satur Announces 'Red Giant Concert' Tour; Malaysia & Singapore Included
Over the years, many Thai artists have made special appearances in Kuala Lumpur, and the reception from fans has been overwhelming, with crowds gathering for hours at events just to catch a glimpse of their favourite celebrities. That said, it's surprisingly rare for them to hold full concerts in Malaysia, but that's all about to change with Jeff Satur (เจฟ ซาเตอร์)! Last Friday (30th May), Warner Music Thailand announced that singer-actor Jeff Satur will be embarking on a world tour across Asia and Latin America later this year, and Malaysian fans were thrilled to learn that our country is one of his confirmed stops. Here are the details so far: Thai superstar Jeff Satur made his music industry debut with the release of his song 'Broken World' in 2013. His follow-up singles, 'Miss You Like Crazy' and 'Afraid to Say', earned him recognition among Thai audiences, but it wasn't until he starred in the BL drama 'KinnPorsche' that he gained international fame. Since then, the artist has achieved multiple milestones, including becoming a mentor on the singing contest, 'Chuang Asia: Thailand'. The 30-year-old kicked off his 'Red Giant' tour with a two-day performance in early May at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani, and will soon take the show to countries across Latin America and Asia. Without further ado, here are the confirmed details for his Malaysia and Singapore shows so far: JEFF SATUR 'RED GIANT TOUR 2025' in Malaysia: Date: 15th November 2025 (Saturday) 15th November 2025 (Saturday) Venue: TBA JEFF SATUR 'RED GIANT TOUR 2025' in Singapore: Date: 12th October 2025 (Sunday) 12th October 2025 (Sunday) Venue: TBA Other stops include Tokyo, Jakarta, Hong Kong and Taipei. Details on venue and ticket sales are yet to be announced, so be sure to follow Warner Music Thailand's social media pages for updates! While we wait, let's enjoy Jeff Satur's latest single 'Lost and Found': Source: Instagram What's your Reaction? +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0
