‘Parasite’ Actor’s Death Prompts Criticism of Police, Media

 Mourners carrying a coffin and portrait of South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun leave after his funeral in Seoul, South Korea, December 29, 2023. (Reuters)
Mourners carrying a coffin and portrait of South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun leave after his funeral in Seoul, South Korea, December 29, 2023. (Reuters)
TT

‘Parasite’ Actor’s Death Prompts Criticism of Police, Media

 Mourners carrying a coffin and portrait of South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun leave after his funeral in Seoul, South Korea, December 29, 2023. (Reuters)
Mourners carrying a coffin and portrait of South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun leave after his funeral in Seoul, South Korea, December 29, 2023. (Reuters)

As late South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun's family and friends gather to mourn his death, public criticism of police and media conduct during his investigation for suspected drug use is growing.

Lee, best known globally for his starring role in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite", was found dead inside a car in Seoul this week, with media reporting he left a note "that reads like a will".

Lee's reputation had suffered a significant blow when South Korean authorities launched an investigation into his alleged drug use in October.

The celebrity was dropped from television, film and commercial projects, incurring damages media reports estimated at up to 10 billion won ($7.8 million).

Police were accused of leaking confidential investigation details to the press, fanning malicious coverage and fueling the spread of unverified content online.

Lee's death has prompted public criticism of the media and police, who questioned him for 19 hours a few days before his death.

"There was no need to name the suspect in the investigation", Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korea studies at the University of Oslo, told AFP.

"In South Korea -- to a much larger degree than in any European country with higher degrees of tolerance for the use of psychotropic stuffs -- being named as a suspect in a drug investigation is a punishment per se, by social ostracism."

Yu Hyun-jae, a communications professor at Sogang University, told a local broadcaster that Lee's case can be considered a "social murder", with the media, police, and the public sharing responsibility.

Incheon Metropolitan Police chief Kim Hui-jung defended the "entire investigation process", which he said was conducted "in compliance with legal procedures".

"There was no leakage (to media) of investigation details as raised by some," he told reporters Thursday.

South Korea has tough laws on illegal drugs, with President Yoon Suk Yeol declaring a "war on drugs" after taking office last year.

Grief and goodbyes

A private ceremony for the actor was held at the Seoul National University Hospital on Friday, after which his body was taken to a crematorium.

The ceremony was attended by his wife and fellow actor Jeon Hye-jin, his two sons, and many of the actor's colleagues, including Gong Hyo-jin, Ryu Seung-ryong and Lee Sung-min.

"Parasite" director Bong Joon-ho and co-stars Park So-dam and Park Myung-hoon visited the funeral home on Thursday, as did acclaimed auteur Park Chan-wook and actors Jung Woo-sung and Lee Jung-jae.

Grieving fans stuck handwritten notes to the front of the hospital.

One wrote: "Thank you for being Lee Sun-kyun.

"The works you have created with your efforts and sincerity have saved countless people."

"We're sorry we couldn't do anything for you when you were having a hard time," the note said.

A series of entertainment industry events in South Korea were cancelled so that people could pay condolences to the late actor.

Gangnam in focus

Seoul's Gangnam district -- known for expensive apartments, high-end bars, clubs and a cluster of plastic surgery clinics -- has been at the center of a series of high-profile drug scandals.

Lee had been suspected of using illicit drugs at the residence of a hostess employed at a high-end bar in the glamorous district.

The late actor had denied knowingly taking the drugs, saying he was "tricked" into doing so by the hostess, against whom he had filed a complaint for blackmail and extortion, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

Lee had tested negative for drugs twice, once during police investigations and again in a lab last month, Yonhap reported.

Police said Friday they had transferred a plastic surgeon, who operates a clinic in Gangnam, to the prosecution for the alleged illegal supply of drugs to the bar hostess.

Among the drugs that Lee allegedly took was ketamine, which was involved in a 2018 date-rape scandal at Gangnam's Burning Sun nightclub, then run by the now-disgraced and convicted K-pop star Seungri.

This year, a man was sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating a kidnapping and murder that involved ketamine also illicitly obtained from a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam.



How the Coveted Bronze BAFTA Mask Trophies Are Made

Completed British Academy Film Awards masks at the FSE Foundry in Braintree, England on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)
Completed British Academy Film Awards masks at the FSE Foundry in Braintree, England on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)
TT

How the Coveted Bronze BAFTA Mask Trophies Are Made

Completed British Academy Film Awards masks at the FSE Foundry in Braintree, England on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)
Completed British Academy Film Awards masks at the FSE Foundry in Braintree, England on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)

Those winning a prize at the upcoming British Academy Film Awards will bag a coveted bronze mask trophy — and get a bit of an arm workout taking it home.

Along with the honor of being named the best of the year in the industry, winners at the BAFTA ceremony on Feb. 22 will be awarded one of the dozens of the 3-kilogram (6.6-pound) prizes.

This year the cast and crew of “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” and “Sentimental Value” are in the running for the trophies at the EE BAFTA ceremony, to be held at London's Royal Festival Hall.

As with many things in show business, all that glitters is not gold. The BAFTA masks are made of phosphor bronze, polished to a mirror finish that will reflect the happy face of its new owner.

Craftsmen at the AATi Foundry in Braintree, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of London, use a sandcasting technique to make about 350 bronze trophies each year for all the BAFTA ceremonies — covering the film, television and gaming industries.

They are created in batches, and making one from start to finish takes around a week, the foundry's director Hugh Bisset said Tuesday.

The process starts with a pattern by the tooling team, often out of timber or 3D printing. That tool moves to the molding team which uses sand to make two recessed impressions of the mask, one each side. They are then closed together, ready for molten hot bronze — up to 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,192 Fahrenheit) — to be poured into it.

The metal takes about three or four hours to cool down, when it can then be removed from the sand. The masks' surfaces look dull and a bit rough around the edges at this stage, but after fettling, threading and polishing they are ready to be assembled before being checked over extremely carefully.

Bisset says it’s important that the masks are shiny and have no polish left on them.

“The thing I’m always conscious of is that these amazing actors and actresses, they pick up their awards and my big concern is that a smudge of polish will end up over their lovely, beautiful white dress,” he said. “There’s lots of things we need to think about.”

Bisset reckons the diligence and care that his skilled team puts into the making of the masks reflects the hard work of the winning filmmakers and movie stars.

While it’s still unknown if favorites Jessie Buckley, Timothée Chalamet and Teyana Taylor will get the glory on Sunday, whoever does win will take home something worth more than its heavy weight in bronze.

“There’s a lot of metal in it,” but each mask also has “a lot of time and love being put into it,” Bisset said.


Britney Spears Sells Rights to Music Catalogue

FILE PHOTO: Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, August 28, 2016.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo/File Photo
TT

Britney Spears Sells Rights to Music Catalogue

FILE PHOTO: Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, August 28, 2016.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo/File Photo

Pop star ‌Britney Spears has sold her rights to her music catalogue to independent music publisher Primary Wave, the ​latest artist to strike a deal for her work.

Entertainment site TMZ, citing legal documents it had obtained, first reported the news, saying the "Oops!... I Did It Again" and "Toxic" singer had signed the deal on December 30.

According to Reuters, it quoted sources as saying it ‌was "in the ‌ballpark" of Canadian singer Justin ​Bieber's ‌reported $200 ⁠million ​agreement to sell ⁠his music rights to Hipgnosis in 2023.

A person familiar with the situation said news of the Spears and Primary Wave deal was accurate. No further details were given.

Primary Wave, which is home to artists ⁠including Whitney Houston, Prince and Stevie ‌Nicks, did not ‌immediately respond to a request for ​comment. Spears has ‌not commented publicly.

The 44-year-old, one of ‌the most successful pop artists of all time, has topped charts around the world, starting off with "...Baby One More Time" in 1998. The ‌deal includes her songs such as "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Circus", "Gimme More" and "I'm a Slave ⁠4 ⁠U", TMZ said.

Spears' ninth and last studio album, "Glory", came out in 2016.

In 2021, she was released from a 13-year court-ordered conservatorship set up and controlled by her father, Jamie Spears. The arrangement had governed Spears' personal life, career and $60 million estate from 2008 until it was terminated in November 2021.

Spears follows artists such as Sting, ​Bruce Springsteen and Justin ​Timberlake who have struck deals to cash in on their work.


Glitzy Oscar Nominees Luncheon Back One Year After LA Fires 

Brazilian actor Wagner Moura arrives to The Hollywood Reporter's Nominees Night held at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian actor Wagner Moura arrives to The Hollywood Reporter's Nominees Night held at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2026. (AFP)
TT

Glitzy Oscar Nominees Luncheon Back One Year After LA Fires 

Brazilian actor Wagner Moura arrives to The Hollywood Reporter's Nominees Night held at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian actor Wagner Moura arrives to The Hollywood Reporter's Nominees Night held at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2026. (AFP)

Hollywood stars embraced at this year's Oscars nominee lunch, the glamorous pre-show gathering that was canceled amid last year's devastating Los Angeles wildfires.

Timothee Chalamet, nominated for best actor in "Marty Supreme," flashed a smile while fellow Best Actor contenders Micahel B. Jordan and Ethan Hawke also flitted around the annual luncheon in Beverly Hills.

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro chatted with his tablemates as Wagner Moura, the Brazilian star of "The Secret Agent," enthusiastically embraced Stellan Skarsgard and Oliver Laxe -- the latter of whom has his film "Sirat" up for best international feature film.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Lynette Howell Taylor praised the diversity of this year's nominees.

"Ballots were cast from 88 countries and regions," the British producer said, adding that "the mission of the Academy is to amplify your art, movies and your voices."

The more than 200 nominees enjoyed a buzzy afternoon, all the more energetic after last year's lunch was canceled as huge fires razed whole communities around Los Angeles. That year the lunch was replaced with a smaller dinner at the Academy's museum.

"This is a recognition of Brazilian cinema, and of the cinema of our region," Moura told AFP.

Nearby, "The Secret Agent" director Kleber Mendonca Filho joked he was feeling animated -- "like a generator."

Skarsgard said that the impact of international films is growing, as evidenced by his historic nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Norwegian film "Sentimental Value."

Foreign films and their stars typically notch nominations in the international categories, but Skarsgard is competing against nominees from US blockbusters, including Benicio del Toro in "One Battle After Another" and Delroy Lindo in "Sinners."

Benicio del Toro meanwhile told AFP he was doubly thrilled after watching fellow Puerto Rican Bad Bunny perform at the Super Bowl halftime show over the weekend.

"I got goosebumps," he told AFP, adding: "It was beautiful."

The luncheon's other legendary del Toro, the director Guillermo, meanwhile said he was "calm."

While his "Frankenstein" is nominated for Best Picture, del Toro himself is off the hook for Best Director, which he said took the pressure off him and meant he could focus on promoting his team.

"I'm happy because nine nominations don't happen every day," he said.

Lanky heartthrob Jacob Elordi, up for best supporting actor, offered a similarly toned down vibe at an impromptu photo shoot.

"I'm chilling," he said. "It's all good."