K-pop superstars BTS have gone viral again -- thanks to fan fiction. Not just any fan fiction, though. Outcast is a horror fanfic that doubled as an interactive game on Twitter. The cross-genre phenomenon is the latest peg in the domination of the boy band’s fandom, called ARMY, on Twitter. Outcast incorporates a fandom-wide choose-your-own-adventure storyline, as fans were encouraged to vote on a poll every night for five nights (along with a bonus storyline on a sixth night), deciding how each cliffhanger resolves itself. It’s like Twitch for fan fiction. The game started on Jan. 3, and the bonus night wrapped up on Jan. 8. Main rapper Suga is the protagonist who, along with best friend J-Hope, downloads a game called Outcast. The two control characters suspiciously named after missing persons (who just happen to be BTS members), and their objective is to get them through each of the five nights alive. The five-night survival structure recalls the wildly popular horror game franchise Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The stars of controversial Bollywood film, Padmaavat, have confirmed its release date: January 25. In tweets shared by Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor with their character posters featuring a changed title, the actors finally put the rumours behind the release date to an end. The film, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was earlier titled Padmavati and drew the ire of organisations like Karni Sena the Kshatriya Mahasabha. It still banned from releasing in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Citi has secured Eminem, Dave Matthews, Childish Gambino and The Roots for the second Grammy iteration of its intimate Sound Vault series, presented in conjunction with Live Nation Jan. 24-28 in New York. Thirty Seconds to Mars and The National round out the Citi Sound Vault at Irving Plaza, where Matthews caps five nights of festivity joined by guitarist Tim Reynolds.
Irish singer-songwriter Dolores O’Riordan, frontwoman of the multi-million selling rock band The Cranberries, died suddenly in London on Monday, aged 46, her publicist said. “Irish and international singer Dolores O’Riordan has died suddenly in London today, family members are devastated,” Lindsey Holmes said in a statement. “The lead singer...was in London for a short recording session,” she added.
Fantasy film The Shape of Water gained 12 nominations at this year’s BAFTAs. Mirroring the Golden Globes’ picks, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) showered crime drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri with nine nominations after the movie picked up four trophies on Sunday. Matching such BAFTA hopes was Darkest Hour, about British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, also with nine nominations ahead of the February 18 ceremony. The three most-nominated movies all feature in the best film category, along with coming-of-age romance Call Me by Your Name and World War II film Dunkirk. The BAFTA ceremony will be held at London’s Royal Albert Hall, two weeks ahead of the hotly anticipated Oscars on March 4.
Spotify executives Daniel Ek and Troy Carter have been named “Music Visionaries of the Year” by the influential philanthropic group UJA-Federation of New York. UJA will honor the pair for their commitment to philanthropy at the annual Music Visionary of the Year Award Luncheon, being held on June 13, 2018.
105 days, 19 contestants and umpteen tasks later, Bigg Boss 11 finally has a winner and the winner is Shilpa Shinde.
-Compiled by Mariam Nihal
