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India Today
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
BLACKPINK's Jennie cries for help on HotOnes, says Jisoo should've done it
Global K-pop star Jennie was the third member of BLACKPINK, who arrived for the 'HotOnes Challenge' by First We Feast. 'HotOnes' is a talk show that challenges its guests to answer questions while eating spicy chicken wings. The spice level increases after every unlike the other two, she left the challenge in tears. The K-pop star appeared confident, dressed in a sleek white outfit with her hair in a ponytail, but quickly found herself jumping out of her seat, calling for help, sniffling, and gasping for air as the heat took took her first bite with a smug grin, saying that she was disappointed, and the wings looked too easy, even for someone who doesn't even like spicy food. However, it all changed when she moved onto the next wing. The singer half-joked that she might be allergic to spice now. When asked about her latest album 'RUBY', the singer shared that the album was inspired by Shakespeare. She also mentioned that she has incorporated her seven years in the band. 'I've had my ups and downs. I've had my roller-coaster emotions of when I loved music, and when I hated music. And every moment in between was the important thing that got me here. So, I started just breaking myself down, and I guess it just inspired me to look at myself differently and really dive into what got me here and who I am,' she said. advertisementWhen asked whether there were any songs she had to fight for, Jennie admitted she did not just fight for individual tracks, but also for the overall message of the album. She explained, 'We didn't have to forcefully make the music easy for people to like this album. Let me try and do what I like and what I convince myself to do to get to people.'She highlighted songs like 'Zen' and 'Starlight', explaining that their concept and message might not click immediately, but they leave a lasting impression. 'I knew that it would touch the people that I want to touch,' she from the Q&A segment where she completely blanked out after trying the No. 8 sauce, Da Bomb, Jennie exclaimed, 'This is no joke,' as she finally reached for the milk, grabbed some ice cream, and continued coughing. She joked with her crew, 'See, I warned you!' while fanning herself with a napkin, saying she couldn't hear anything any more, visibly shaken by the is all set to join her bandmates Lisa, Jisoo, and Rose on stage for BLACKPINK's 'DEADLINE' world tour. The tour is scheduled to start on July 5 this Watch
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
BLACKPINK's Jennie tells crew ‘I warned you' as she cries for help, says Jisoo should've done HotOnes instead: Watch
After Lisa and Rosé, it was BLACKPINK's Jennie who arrived for the HotOnes challenge, but unlike the previous two, this one was chaotic enough to leave the singer in tears. The K-pop star arrived confident, dressed in a white silhouette with her hair tied in a ponytail, but was soon seen leaping off her seat, crying for help, sniffing, and struggling to breathe as the heat kicked in. She took her first bite with a smug grin, even saying she was disappointed, the wings looked too easy, especially for someone who doesn't even like spicy food. That changed fast. Things got so intense, Jennie half-joked she might now be allergic to spice. During the segment, the Ruby singer also answered questions about her Coachella experience, the songs she fought for, and whether Jisoo would survive the challenge better than the rest. Meanwhile, host Sean Evans couldn't stop hyping her up for braving the madness. Also read: BTS loses brand value ranking to K-pop's rising superstars despite major military comeback in June: Check out the Top 20 The K-pop artist, who last year went solo with her agency ODDATELIER after terminating her individual contract with YG Entertainment, released her latest album RUBY. The album is said to have been inspired by the iconic English playwright Shakespeare. The singer reacted to the fact that the play was broken down into seven parts for her to understand, and that's when things kicked in; it was her time to show the seven years in BLACKPINK through her style. 'I've had my ups and downs. I've had my rollercoaster emotions of when I loved music, and when I hated music. And every moment in between was the important thing that got me here. So, I started just breaking myself down, and I guess it just inspired me to look at myself in a different way and really dive into what got me here and who I am,' she said. When asked if there were any songs that she fought for, she admitted she did — and not just the songs, but even the core message of the album. 'We didn't have to forcefully make the music easy for people to like this album. Let me try and do what I like and what I convince myself to do to get to people,' she said. Jennie mentioned songs like Zen and Starlight to describe how the idea of the songs and even the theme wouldn't instantly kick in, but once it does, it stays with people. 'I knew that it would touch the people that I want to touch.' #Jennie's reaction to every wing on 'Hot Ones'. — Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) June 19, 2025 BLACKPINK's rise to prominence in a normally boy group-dominated K-pop landscape is a trailblazing revolution in the industry that opened gates for other girl K-pop groups to expand their aura overseas. The group holds countless records, one of them being headlining Coachella, both as a group and individually. This year, both Jennie and Lisa performed solo. Sean asked how much it means to her when fans sing the lyrics of her lesser-known songs, to which the singer replied that it's not even the lesser-known songs, it's the ones that never made it to the album, the B-side tracks, that fans know by heart and even scream out loud in the crowd. 'They're just screaming the lyrics from the top to the end, and that's when you really feel like — oh, they really do listen to your album. They really do listen to your music.' Other than the questioning round where she completely blanked out after the No. 8 sauce, Da Bomb, kicked in, she said, 'This is no joke,' as she finally gulped down the milk, grabbed some ice cream, and yet kept coughing, joking with her crew playfully, 'See, I warned you!' She fanned herself with a napkin, said she couldn't hear anything anymore, and looked fully shaken. Also read: BLACKPINK's Rosé Joins Brad Pitt's F1 team with her debut movie soundtrack; Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, Burna Boy part of the lineup When the host asked if she could convince Jisoo to join, she said, '100%, because she's the one who taught me spicy and she's the other you. Like, she made me eat spicy food with her ever since we were trainees. So, I think [Jisoo] should come on this show. You're gonna love it.' Signing off, the singer added, 'Whatever ROSÉ and LISA did — this is the real reaction. Because I watched their episode and they were so chill about it, so I was like, if they're doing it, maybe I can do it too. But I can't!'
AsiaOne
a day ago
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
Zen Chong looks back on 'stuck' showbiz career, says without luck, 'no matter how hard you try, you also cannot get it', Entertainment News
Many would regard ruthless businessman Robert Zhang from The Little Nyonya (2008) as an iconic Singapore drama villain. But despite his popularity, the same cannot be said of Singapore-based Malaysian actor Zen Chong who brought him to life. The 46-year-old, who is nominated for Star Awards 2025 Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, told AsiaOne in an interview recently that while he enjoys acting very much, sometimes it's takes more than just passion and talent to make it a career. "It's all about luck and I think it really plays a very important role. It's like, if fate doesn't align at the moment and it (an acting opportunity) doesn't belong to you, no matter how hard you try, you also cannot get it," he said. Zen made his Singapore showbiz debut in 2001 after he finished third place in the Malaysian edition of Star Search that year. Besides playing Robert in The Little Nyonya, he's also known for playing convenient store staff Hong Daji in local Mandarin sitcom Lobang King (2003), which stars Chew Chor Meng and the late Huang Wenyong. Zen told us that luck was what helped him land the role of Robert, a character so iconic that people on the streets — even in China — still call him by that name. However, despite the success of the drama and his role, he found that his acting career became stagnant. "My career got stuck after The Little Nyonya. It wasn't booming despite what others thought. So, I decided to take a part-time job as a property agent. I felt insecure [about my showbiz career], so I needed to do something else," Zen shared. He elaborated: "There wasn't an increase in my salary and acting opportunities. I thought to myself that it was time to assess my acting career." Zen became a part-time property agent in 2012, juggling his acting career until his contract with Mediacorp ended in 2014. Despite being a public figure, Zen said he went "all in" in his new career: "I didn't care that I was an artiste and needed to protect my image. When working in the estate market, I really ' chiong ' (go for it)." He was involved in many aspects of the job including showroom sales, distributing flyers in malls and meeting potential buyers, who frequently recognised him. "I was still young then, so I had to try everything," he added. Zen now owns his own company Crescere Asset Management, where he is involved in financial management, including assets and funds. When asked if he had felt it was a pity that his acting career didn't flourish, he said: "Whether it's a pity or not, it's not my call. I like to act, but luck plays a very important part. My social skills weren't so good in the past." Zen still acts on a project basis nowadays, including as swimming coach Yan Qingheng in sports-romance drama Hope Afloat (2024) and upcoming dystopian-crime series The Leftovers (2026). He shared: "Acting is a platform for me to destress, because I am very stressed in my other career. When I am acting, I can play another person and unload my emotions through the character." Voting for Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Male and Female Artistes is now available till July 6, 7.30pm on the Mediacorp website. Voters can make up to 10 votes per account, per award category, per day. On July 6 from 12am to 7.30pm, voters can make unlimited votes for each category. Star Awards 2025 will be presented on July 6, starting from Backstage Live at 3.30pm to 10.30pm, Walk of Fame from 5pm to 6.30pm, the awards show from 7pm to 10pm and Post-Party from 10pm to 10.30pm. The awards show and Walk of Fame will air on Channel 8, Channel U, Mewatch and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube channel, Post-Party will air on Channel U, Mewatch and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube channel, while Backstage Live will air on the latter two platforms. [[nid:719173]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Letters to the Editor: property, cycling and Zen
Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including overseas purchases for properties over $5m, cyclists on Albany St, and Zen and the art of climate management. Economics lesson on foreign buyer proposal I was surprised by South Island Minister James Meager's assertion that non-residents should be allowed to buy properties over $5 million because, "Look at the kind of people who are looking to move here. I mean, [Hollywood actor] Jason Momoa basically lives here, right?" James needs an economics lesson. Value is relative. Allowing overseas purchases for properties over $5m will instantly create inflation; properties valued at $3-4m will rise to $5m. Those valued at $1m-2m will rise to the fill the gap. Before 2018 investors and realtors gleefully rubbed their hands as overseas buyers looking for an investment as opposed to a home used cheap money to price out Kiwis in their own country. In the United Kingdom unlimited overseas access to the property market means people born in London can no longer afford to live there. Properties in that city that once have housed young professionals are now luxury hotels and apartments worth millions. Everyone else has departed on a decade long route march to depressing cookie-cutter homes blanketing a once green and pleasant land. Even worse is that many investment properties in London are empty: over 35,000 empty homes in London mean high rents due to a lack of supply. If Jason Mamoa wants to own a property in New Zealand then he can do what everyone else in his position has done: apply for residency. I am sure he would be welcome to join our beautiful nation to contribute as an equal. Where are the cyclists? Re a cycling and walking bridge across Albany St. I believe this was originally costed at about $20 million, which seems a bit extravagant considering there is already a footpath and road. A frequent shopper at that end of town I have yet to see more than one or two cyclists. Lots of students are already managing to walk on already paved footpaths. What I don't see is work starting in South Dunedin, especially urgent work in Surrey St. This work should be top of DCC to-do list. Who are the councillors pushing for this vanity project? We need councillors focused on projects based on urgent need. Not some airy-fairy nice-to-have. In fact no need at all. Throttled streets The current noise about the Albany St "improvements" makes me reflect on the makeup of Dunedin's planning and transport departments. The last council elections clearly showed that Dunedin ratepayers rejected the Greens' anti car, pro-cyclist agenda. Council is now made up of a more balanced cross-section of views. However it is clear that while anti-car councillors were cleared out, no change has occurred in the council's planning and transport departments. The idea that streets be throttled and parking removed to make areas supposedly more pedestrian and bike "friendly" still pervades council. The Caversham/Wingatui tunnels fiasco is another, where council staff want to spend millions that ratepayers can't afford and most don't want. All to appease a cycling at all costs ideology. It is even seemingly insulting to council staff if any councillor questions staff attitudes or intentions. DCC staff need to wake up. They work for ratepayers. They need to implement policies and planning that represent the balance of councillor and ratepayer preferences. Not their own ideological preferences. Cataclysmic events and how to save millions The Otago Regional Council's Zen Room could allow councillors to rest their minds from the hurly-burly of current fads and fashions, and to contemplate life from a broader perspective. They might reflect that Otago once had a much warmer climate, as evidenced by the warm-temperate to subtropical biota from 23 million years ago preserved in Foulden Maar. They might reflect that nature has always had, and will continue to have, its cataclysmic events. Deadly cyclones, typhoons, flooding and droughts did not begin, or even increase, with the industrial revolution. In fact, annual climate-related deaths worldwide have fallen dramatically in the last century. Regarding the control of introduced species, they might reflect that current biomes in New Zealand are already irreversibly changed from the pre-human period. It may now be more cost-effective, and beneficial in other ways, to regard species such as wallabies, possums, and lagarosiphon as benign or positive additions to present day ecosystems. These reflections made in equanimity could save ratepayers tens of millions of dollars. Feature hailed as timely as war rages on The Weekend Mix (14.6.25) carries an article "Never Again" by Tom McKinlay. It's an interview with Emir Hadzic who survived a genocide in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Unfortunately what happened there is still happening today in other countries. I don't need to spell them out but strongly recommend you read the article. In the words of George Orwell: "A society becomes totalitarian when its structure becomes flagrantly artificial: that is when its ruling class has lost its function but succeeds in clinging to power by force or fraud." In my opinion George Orwell's words unfortunately speak loudly and clearly in today's world. Oh no it's not Jenny McNamara claims the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Israel is committing genocide (Letters ODT 7.6.25). That is false. In January, the ICJ merely said South Africa's allegations were plausible — a procedural threshold, not a verdict. No finding of genocidal conduct or intent has been made. Ms McNamara selectively quotes from the Genocide Convention but omits the crucial qualifier: intent. Genocide is not defined by civilian casualties alone, but by a specific intention to destroy a group as such. Israel's actions target Hamas — a group that openly seeks Israel's destruction, embeds itself in civilian areas, and rejects ceasefires — not Palestinians because they are Palestinians. Israel allows entry of aid into Gaza daily. Israel has repeatedly offered truces and humanitarian corridors — none of which are consistent with genocidal intent. To call this a genocide not only misrepresents international law but also insults the memory of real genocides. Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@
Black America Web
2 days ago
- General
- Black America Web
Softness Is Sacred: Why Juneteenth Is A Reminder For Black Women To Rest
Source: Courtesy of Joce Blake / Courtesy of Joce Blake Living in Denver opened my eyes to the true significance of Juneteenth. While it might sound surprising, the Mile High City hosts an extensive Juneteenth celebration in Five Points, a neighborhood with deep Black roots. It was there, amid the vibrant festivities, that I truly began to grasp the holiday's importance. Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, provides a powerful opportunity to examine the vital need for rest and restoration. This observance aligns seamlessly with the burgeoning Black women's wellness movement. It champions self-care, mental health, and spiritual healing as essential tools for resilience and liberation. A growing number of Black women are reclaiming their time and energy through the intentional pursuit of rest. Because the truth is, the 92% is tired. Doulas are guiding mothers with compassionate care. Therapists are providing safe spaces for processing trauma and building emotional strength. Spiritual practitioners are leading individuals towards inner peace and holistic well-being. These practitioners are not simply offering services. They are advocating for a fundamental shift in how Black women approach their lives. They are actively challenging societal expectations of constant productivity and self-sacrifice. Instead, we want to embrace softness, joy, and restorative practices. Above all, the notion of rest as a reparative practice is particularly significant considering the historical and ongoing challenges faced by Black women. Centuries of systemic oppression, coupled with the everyday microaggressions and societal pressures, have taken a toll. Rest, therefore, is not simply leisure. It becomes an act of resistance and a powerful step towards healing. By prioritizing our well-being, Black women are honoring their own needs. We are laying the foundation for a more sustainable and fulfilling future. Juneteenth serves as a poignant reminder of this ongoing journey towards liberation. Markedly, both personal and collective, softness and joy are seen as sacred components of a life well-lived. Ahead, find some brilliant Black women doing the work to make sure we understand that rest is a right and not a reward. First and foremost, the founder of The Nap Ministry, she frames rest as resistance—teaching collective napping workshops and soul-care rituals that challenge burnout culture, especially in Black communities. As the founder of Black Girl Magik, she holds ancestral, spiritually rooted sister-circles for Black women, focused on joy, healing, and communal vulnerability. An ordained Zen priest and author, she leads mindfulness practices through Zen-based meditation and teachings—emphasizing radical self-care, fearlessness, and spiritual softness. Then, we have the founder of Therapy for Black Girls. She offers culturally affirming therapy that normalizes emotional rest, boundary setting, and therapeutic self-reflection for Black women. An Osun priestess and host of A Little Juju, she guides spiritual baths and ancestral rituals, nourishing joy and healing through African Traditional Religions. Next, we have a reproductive justice strategist and health equity researcher. She uplifts rest and joy as essential components of maternal health through writing, advocacy, and modeling restorative practices. Spiritual life coach and author of African Goddess Initiation and Sacred Bombshell . She creates rituals celebrating self-love, pleasure, and spiritual empowerment for women of color. Significantly, this mother of four is a birth/postpartum doula who integrates mental wellness, spiritual guidance, nutrition, and intuitive healing for whole-person care. Last but not least, organizations like Ancient Song Doula Services, Bronx Rebirth, and the Black Coalition for Safe Motherhood integrate rest, dignity, and spiritual joy into prenatal and community care. SEE ALSO Softness Is Sacred: Why Juneteenth Is A Reminder For Black Women To Rest was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
