We take an in-depth look at trending issues in entertainment, broadcasting, film, OTT, performances, and sports, focusing on the latest verified facts and official schedules and viewing information.
HYBE and Geffen Records’ “Next Global Girl Group Audition” is accepting online applications until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on August 31, 2026. According to the official page, applicants must be ages 15–21 and use She/Her or They/Them identities; vocal and dance submissions are required, while rap is optional.
Celine Dion Paris 2026 is scheduled to begin at Plenitude Arena in Paris on September 12, 2026. The official concert site lists 16 performance dates from September 12 through October 17, expanding the initial 10-show announcement made in March.
JENNIE’s digital EP ‘Fallen Angel’ was released on August 28, 2026. The digital edition contains three tracks, and the official music video for the title track of the same name was released alongside it. The physical EP, featuring six tracks in total, is scheduled for release on October 30.
The Korean film ‘The Intern,’ starring Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee, will be released on September 16, 2026. Premiere events are scheduled to begin on September 12, with a release-day event reportedly involving key cast members and director Kim Do-young.
Girls’ Generation-HyoriSoo, comprising Hyoyeon, Yuri, and Sooyoung, released its first digital single, ‘Skibidi,’ at 6 p.m. on August 31. The single contains two tracks, the title track ‘Skibidi’ and ‘Lowkey In Love,’ and an official performance video has also been posted.
Kim Min-ha’s comments from a July 2026 interview are circulating again after she said she had lost approximately 16–17 kilograms compared with the time of filming Hana Korea. She said the weight loss took about two years and was primarily part of preparing for the project and her role. Based on the currently verified information, no conclusion can be drawn about any recent additional weight loss or changes in her health.
As of August 30, 2026, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has held the No. 1 spot at the North American box office for five consecutive weeks. Its worldwide gross is approximately $2.3325 billion, depending on the tracking service, a figure analyzed as nearing the record set by “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
HRS, a project unit consisting of Hyoyeon, Yuri, and Sooyoung, is set to release its first digital single, ‘Skibidi,’ at 6 p.m. on August 31. The single includes two tracks: ‘Skibidi’ and ‘Lowkey In Love.’
Ji Yeon-su’s YouTube channel, “Yeonsuropta,” released a video on August 31 featuring her trip to Jeju Island with her son Minsu. According to related reports, Ji Yeon-su appeared completely bare-faced for the first time since beginning her broadcast career and also shared her experiences with life in Jeju and skin care.
Dolly Parton died at age 80 on August 25, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee. Her publicist said she died at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center after a brief battle with cancer, while Dollywood said the park would continue operating and directed people to memorial donations. Official tributes also followed from the music industry and the White House.
ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s second mini album, UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST, recorded first-week sales of 1,139,747 copies on Hanteo Chart from August 24 to 30, 2026. Following their debut mini album EUPHORIA, it is the group’s second album to surpass one million copies in first-week sales.
Dolly Parton died at age 80 in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 25, 2026. Citing Luminate data, the AP reported that streaming of her catalog in the United States increased by 2,458%, while ‘Jolene’ and ‘9 to 5’ also saw major gains.
TAEMIN’s EP ‘PHASE I: Soft Violence’ is scheduled for release at 6 p.m. on August 31, 2026. The album contains 11 tracks, with ‘FLOAT’ and ‘Gooey’ serving as double lead singles. Because the release has not yet occurred, chart rankings, sales, and streaming performance have not been confirmed.
RESCENE ranked first in the August 2026 star brand reputation rankings with a brand reputation index of 10,180,185. BTS ranked second with 9,495,066, while Lim Young-woong ranked third with 7,240,530. The result is a brand reputation ranking based on participation, media, communication, and community indices—not a combined ranking of music charts or album sales.
ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s second mini-album, ‘UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST,’ ranked first on Hanteo Chart’s weekly album chart for the fourth week of August 2026. The tracking period was August 24–30, with sales of 1,139,747 copies. The album was also reported as the group’s second album to surpass 1 million copies in first-week sales.
In a video posted to her YouTube channel NS Yoon-G on August 30, Kim Yoon-ji shared her experiences after four months of living in the United States. Her personal impressions of pediatric care and the pace of handling everyday matters when raising a child, along with Lee Si-an’s reaction calling her “gorgeous in person,” drew attention.
BLACKPINK’s Jennie released her digital EP ‘Fallen Angel’ on global streaming platforms at 1 p.m. KST on August 28, 2026. The digital edition has three tracks, while the separate physical EP is listed with six tracks, so the tracklists for the two editions should be checked separately.
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival will be held from September 2 to 12, 2026, and Danny Boyle’s film ‘Ink’ will have its world premiere as the opening film on September 2. The film dramatizes Rupert Murdoch’s acquisition of the British newspaper The Sun and his appointment of Larry Lamb to run it, with Jack O’Connell and Guy Pearce portraying Lamb and Murdoch, respectively.
BIGBANG opened its ‘XX : COSMOS’ world tour with shows at Goyang Stadium from August 21 to 23, 2026. All three Goyang performances were marked SOLD OUT on the official tour page, and the final show featured the first live performance of the new song ‘BiiiG.’ The world tour is scheduled to continue with 33 shows in 19 cities, with the next official dates set for Auckland on September 4–5.
Kim Joong-yeon won the final round of SBS LoveFM’s ‘Life Is an Audition,’ broadcast on August 28, 2026, taking home the 50 million won prize. The final TOP5 are Kim Joong-yeon, Park Min-su, Choi Dae-seong, Ji Yeong-il, and Jaeha. Concerts are scheduled to begin with a Seoul performance in the second week of October, but the venue, time, and ticket information have not yet been confirmed.