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Japan Hails 100M Champ Lyles as ‘World’s Fastest Anime Fan’ 

Noah Lyles of the USA celebrates after winning the Men 100m final of the Athletics competitions in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis, France, 04 August 2024. (EPA)
Noah Lyles of the USA celebrates after winning the Men 100m final of the Athletics competitions in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis, France, 04 August 2024. (EPA)
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Japan Hails 100M Champ Lyles as ‘World’s Fastest Anime Fan’ 

Noah Lyles of the USA celebrates after winning the Men 100m final of the Athletics competitions in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis, France, 04 August 2024. (EPA)
Noah Lyles of the USA celebrates after winning the Men 100m final of the Athletics competitions in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis, France, 04 August 2024. (EPA)

Japanese media hailed Olympic 100m gold medalist Noah Lyles as the world's fastest anime fan after the American celebrated his win by miming an attack from "Dragon Ball".

Just five thousandths of a second separated the American champion from Jamaica's Kishane Thompson -- a thrilling finish that was the event's closest in modern history.

Wrapped in a US flag after the race, an over-the-moon Lyles thrust his hands forward, fingers splayed, imitating the "kamehamaha" attack used to unleash a powerful burst of energy in the Japanese manga and anime franchise.

The 27-year-old Lyles has made no secret of his love for Japanese pop culture, including comics and cartoons such as the global 1990s megahit "Dragon Ball".

At the Olympic trials in June, he delighted fellow anime enthusiasts by whipping out his "Yu-Gi-Oh" cards and showing them off to the cameras.

"Yu-Gi-Oh!" ran in the Japanese weekly comic magazine Shonen Jump between 1996 and 2004 and gave rise to a media franchise including a trading card game.

"Mankind's fastest otaku", blared a headline in Japanese sports newspaper Daily Sports -- using the term for hardcore superfans in a new nickname also used by other outlets.

Anime fans on social media also recalled how Lyles had paid tribute to "Dragon Ball" creator Akira Toriyama after his death aged 68 earlier this year.

"So sad to lose a legend Akira Toriyama... his work has forever affected my life," Lyles wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, in March.

"I'm sure this kamehameha didn't go unnoticed by Toriyama-sensei," one fan said on X in response to his victory on Sunday.

The French men's fencing team also paid homage to "Dragon Ball" when they made "kamehameha" gestures in unison after winning bronze.

But it isn't the only anime that has inspired Olympians.

Brazilian volleyball player Darlan Ferreira Souza was seen in Paris with a tattoo on his arm featuring a slogan from "Haikyu!!", a series about high-school volleyball clubs.

The tattoo, saying "omoide nanka iran (We don't need memories)", elated "Haikyu!!" fans in Japan who saw the ink as proof of the anime's reach and impact.

"So happy to know 'Haikyu!' is travelling worldwide. Hope it will continue to inspire volleyball players across the world", one X post said.

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Entertainment

It’s-a-Hit: ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Box Office Blasts off with $372.5 Million Globally

This image released by Universal Pictures shows, from left, Luigi, voiced by Charlie Day, Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt, Yoshi, voiced by Donald Glover, and Princess Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, in a scene from "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." (Nintendo and Illumination/Universal Pictures via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures shows, from left, Luigi, voiced by Charlie Day, Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt, Yoshi, voiced by Donald Glover, and Princess Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, in a scene from "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." (Nintendo and Illumination/Universal Pictures via AP)
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It’s-a-Hit: ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Box Office Blasts off with $372.5 Million Globally

This image released by Universal Pictures shows, from left, Luigi, voiced by Charlie Day, Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt, Yoshi, voiced by Donald Glover, and Princess Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, in a scene from "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." (Nintendo and Illumination/Universal Pictures via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures shows, from left, Luigi, voiced by Charlie Day, Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt, Yoshi, voiced by Donald Glover, and Princess Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, in a scene from "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." (Nintendo and Illumination/Universal Pictures via AP)

Mixed reviews didn’t dissuade mass audiences from buying tickets to the “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which scored the biggest opening of the year for a Hollywood movie. The Illumination and Nintendo co-production earned $130.9 million over the weekend and a massive $190.1 million in its first five days in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Universal Pictures released the sequel globally on Wednesday, capitalizing on kids’ spring break vacations in the week leading up to the Easter holiday. With an estimated $182.4 million from 80 overseas markets, the film is looking at an astronomical $372.5 million debut — the latest hit for the PG rating. Mexico is leading the international bunch with $29.1 million from 5,136 screens, followed by the UK and Ireland with $19.7 million.

The animated sequel is the industry’s biggest debut since “Avatar: Fire and Ash” launched over Christmas. The Chinese movie “Pegasus 3,” which was not a Motion Picture Association release, has the slight edge for the 2026 global record, however.

It’s also a dip from the first film, which opened to $204 million domestically during the same five-day time frame in 2023 ($147 of that was from Friday, Saturday and Sunday). “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” went on to be the second biggest movie of 2023, with over $1.3 billion in box office receipts.

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which features returning voice actors Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlie Day, had a massive footprint in the US and Canada, where it played in 4,252 theaters, including 421 IMAX and 1,345 premium large format screens. It also cost around $110 million to make, not including marketing and promotion expenses. But it arrived on a wave of less-than-stellar reviews. Its Rotten Tomatoes score is currently sitting at a lousy 40%. Ticket buyers were more enthusiastic, however.

The family audience gave the movie five out of five stars according to PostTrak exit polls, while general audiences gave it four stars and an A- on CinemsScore. Audiences skewed male (61%) overall, although when it came to families attending there were slightly more moms (52%) than dads.

Last year, the first weekend in April hosted the launch of another video game blockbuster, “A Minecraft Movie,” which had a bigger three-day debut ($162.8 million) but didn’t have a “Project Hail Mary” in a strong second place, meaning the weekend overall is still up around 5%.

As expected, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” ended the two-week reign of the Ryan Gosling-led sci-fi hit “Project Hail Mary,” which landed in second its third weekend in theaters where it added $29.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $216.3 million.

Third place went to A24’s provocative new movie “The Drama,” starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, which made an estimated $14.4 million from 3,087 theaters. The film’s stars have been on a massive and charming press blitz to promote their R-rated movie about an engaged couple grappling with an unnerving revelation, which cost a reported $28 million to produce. The reveal has drummed up a fair amount of cultural discourse. While reviews have been more positive than not (82% on Rotten Tomatoes), it got a less promising B CinemaScore.

“Hoppers” and “Reminders of Him” rounded out the top five.

Entertainment

Surprise! Zendaya Wears Something Blue, After the Old, New and Borrowed

Zendaya attends a special screening of "The Drama" at Regal Union Square on Thursday, April 2, 2026, in New York. (AP)
Zendaya attends a special screening of "The Drama" at Regal Union Square on Thursday, April 2, 2026, in New York. (AP)
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Surprise! Zendaya Wears Something Blue, After the Old, New and Borrowed

Zendaya attends a special screening of "The Drama" at Regal Union Square on Thursday, April 2, 2026, in New York. (AP)
Zendaya attends a special screening of "The Drama" at Regal Union Square on Thursday, April 2, 2026, in New York. (AP)

Yup, she wore something blue.

Zendaya, surprising precisely nobody on the planet, showed up in dazzling blue at Thursday’s New York premiere of “The Drama,” after teasing the bridal theme for weeks by wearing something old, then something new, then something borrowed.

Her strapless Schiaparelli Haute Couture ball gown, accompanied by sapphire earrings, completed the sartorial series just in time for the opening of her movie — a film that has attracted considerable controversy and mixed reviews. Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play a couple whose wedding plans go seriously awry following a dark revelation.

The high-fashion appearances have also echoed the bridal theme of Zendaya’s own life, with unconfirmed speculation flying — fed in part by rings she’s been wearing — that she’s already married to partner Tom Holland.

The actor and her stylist, Law Roach, saved the most spectacular outfit for last. Schiaparelli posted on its own Instagram that the gown, which took some 8,000 hours of work, was made of blue and black raw silk “feathers” in satin stitch embroidery, and contained 27 shades of blue.

“Something old” came in Los Angeles on March 17, where Zendaya wore the same white, off-the-shoulder Vivienne Westwood Bridal gown that she’d worn to the 2015 Oscars.

She transitioned to “something new” at the March 24 Paris premiere — a white custom Louis Vuitton gown with a huge black bow and train.

“Something borrowed” came two days later in Rome, a black Armani Privé dress previously worn by Cate Blanchett, with a plunging neckline framed with stones.

Finally on Thursday, Zendaya completed the circle. “SomethingBlue,” posted Roach.

In case nobody had noticed.

Entertainment

Travolta Returns to Cannes with Aviation-Inspired Directorial Debut

John Travolta. (AFP)
John Travolta. (AFP)
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Travolta Returns to Cannes with Aviation-Inspired Directorial Debut

John Travolta. (AFP)
John Travolta. (AFP)

US movie legend John Travolta will present his directorial debut "Propeller One-Way Night Coach", about a young boy's journey in the "golden age of aviation", at the Cannes Film Festival in May, organizers said Thursday.

The film, to make its world premiere, is adapted from the 72-year-old star's own 1997 book, inspired by his lifelong passion for aviation, the festival said.

Among the three Travolta films showcased at the Festival de Cannes in the past was "Pulp Fiction" (1994), famed for the actor's two-fingered swipe in its cult dance scene.

"The unforgettable Vince Vega of Pulp Fiction returns to the Croisette for an event as unexpected as it is exciting: his very first film as a director," the festival said.

Travolta wrote the book for his son Jett, who suffered from epileptic seizures and died in 2009 at the age of 16.

The film follows a young airplane enthusiast Jeff and his mother embarking on a one-way journey to Hollywood.

"The story unfolds as a nostalgic journey set in the golden age of aviation," the festival said.

"The journey unfolds in moments both magical and unexpected, charting the course for the boy's future," the statement said, adding that one of the flight attendants is played by the star's only daughter, Ella Bleu, 25.

The actor, who grew up not far from LaGuardia Airport near New York, is a professional pilot and began flying when he was 15.

"Travolta is certified to fly Boeing 707s, 737s, and 747s, Bombardier's Global Express and was the first private pilot to fly an Airbus A380," the festival said.

Travolta has become a pop culture icon, celebrated for his roles in films such as Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978), and Hairspray (2007).

"Propeller One-Way Night Coach" will make its global debut on Apple TV in May.