Taylor Swift Announces ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ at Eras Tour Show in Los Angeles

US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at Sofi stadium in Inglewood, California, August 7, 2023. (AFP)
US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at Sofi stadium in Inglewood, California, August 7, 2023. (AFP)
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Taylor Swift Announces ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ at Eras Tour Show in Los Angeles

US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at Sofi stadium in Inglewood, California, August 7, 2023. (AFP)
US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at Sofi stadium in Inglewood, California, August 7, 2023. (AFP)

Taylor Swift closed the 2023 US leg of her landmark Eras Tour on Wednesday in Los Angeles in a big way, announcing the fourth edition of her re-recording project: “1989 (Taylor’s Version).”

After playing a few tracks from her “1989” era live, the pop superstar approached the center of the stage with an acoustic guitar in hand and suggested to the audience that she had been working on something big.

“Instead of telling you about it, we’ll just show you,” she told the crowd as the screen illuminated behind her. “'1989 (Taylor’s Version)' available Oct. 27!” she cheered.

Just last month, Swift released her re-recording of “Speak Now” and soon claimed the record for the woman with the most No. 1 albums in history. The “Taylor's Version” projects were sparked by music manager Scooter Braun's purchase and subsequent sale of her early catalog.

Aside from breaking some news, across more than three hours at SoFi Stadium, Swift offered fans a bevy of career-spanning tracks — less a greatest hits collection, and more a live celebration of an artist in her veterancy.

Throughout, it was as if the ground shook with the rapturous sound of 70,000 fans scream-singing along to her hits and deep cuts alike. This was Taylor Swift's house — filled with fans in light Taylor Swift cosplay (pink dresses for her 2019 album “Lover,” black leather and snakeskin prints for 2017's “Reputation,” sequins and A-line skirts for 2014's “1989,” and so on).

In a summer stacked with superstar tours celebrating giant new releases — like the larger-than-life experiences of Beyoncé's "Renaissance” World Tour and Drake’s 56-date “It Was All a Blur” tour — Taylor Swift's lookback Eras Tour stands proudly among them.



Hit Japanese Video Game Is Now a Streaming Series Aiming for Global Appeal 

Japanese actors Ryoma Takeuchi (R) and Kento Kaku (L) speak during an interview for Amazon Prime Video’s “Like a Dragon: Yakuza” on the sideline of Comic Con International in San Diego, California, July 27, 2024. (AFP)
Japanese actors Ryoma Takeuchi (R) and Kento Kaku (L) speak during an interview for Amazon Prime Video’s “Like a Dragon: Yakuza” on the sideline of Comic Con International in San Diego, California, July 27, 2024. (AFP)
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Hit Japanese Video Game Is Now a Streaming Series Aiming for Global Appeal 

Japanese actors Ryoma Takeuchi (R) and Kento Kaku (L) speak during an interview for Amazon Prime Video’s “Like a Dragon: Yakuza” on the sideline of Comic Con International in San Diego, California, July 27, 2024. (AFP)
Japanese actors Ryoma Takeuchi (R) and Kento Kaku (L) speak during an interview for Amazon Prime Video’s “Like a Dragon: Yakuza” on the sideline of Comic Con International in San Diego, California, July 27, 2024. (AFP)

Amazon Prime Video’s “Like a Dragon: Yakuza,” which premieres in October, has all the glorious fare of a classic mobster story — bloody fistfights, beautiful women, expensive cars, muscle and flashy suits.

Based on a popular Sega video game that debuted in 2005, the story centers around Kazuma Kiryu, a gangster with a heart of gold. But the latest version has evolved to appeal to global audiences today, according to its stars and production team.

“We weren’t going for another copy of the original but wanted to create it anew, while paying respect to it, but exploring it at a deeper human level,” said Ryoma Takeuchi, who plays Kiryu.

“We’re taking the concept that’s the foundation of the hit game and making a modern human drama people can more easily identify with,” he said.

The role turned out to be the most challenging and time-consuming of his career, including losing weight, preparing for the fight scenes and developing the character, as well as the arduous filming itself.

Masayoshi Yokoyama, executive producer at Sega studios and the game’s screenwriter, hopes longtime fans will be pleasantly surprised at the new twists and turns of the series, while newcomers may gain an interest in his game.

“To look back, the original is like an old samurai movie, while this dramatizes a new kind of sensibility,” he said.

“Like a Dragon,” is the universal coming-of-age saga, except set in a fairytale world of a fictitious Japan. The narration spans two decades, skipping back and forth between 1995 and 2005.

The characters, including Kiryu’s buddy from their orphanage days, Akira Nishikiyama, are filled with a steadfast belief in honor, justice and loyalty, as well as courage in the face of danger.

It’s not designed for the faint-hearted. Each of the six episodes goes from one superbly choreographed violent scene to another, with hardly a moment to take a gasp.

But the innocent love that the heroes, and the heroines, show to each other is the driving force of “Like a Dragon,” despite the yelling, kicks and gunshots.

“The story of ‘Like A Dragon’ contains eternal themes, like love, human relationships and betrayal that everyone can relate to. So rather than its being old or new, it’s really mainstream,” said Kento Kaku who plays Nishikiyama, known as Nishiki.

Retelling the story in an age where streaming entertainment connects audiences worldwide simply translates to perfect timing, said Kaku.

Erik Barmack, the executive producer, stressed the franchise offers something that’s made it enormously successful not only in Japan but elsewhere.

“Our belief is that it’s because the characters themselves have a lot of heart. It’s not some cold existential crime story,” he said.

“It’s about why relationships can go astray, even among people who love each other.”