Guilty Pleasures
By NewsPress Now
‘Dragon Ball’ creator Akira Toriyama dies
TOKYO | Akira Toriyama, the creator of the best-selling Dragon Ball and other popular anime who influenced Japanese comics, has died, his studio said Friday. He was 68.
Toriyama’s Dragon Ball manga series, which started in 1984, has sold millions of copies globally and was adapted into hugely popular animated TV shows, video games and films.
Toriyama died March 1 of a blood clot in his brain, Bird Studio said in a statement.
“He was working enthusiastically on many projects, and there was still much he was looking forward to accomplishing,” the studio wrote.
A new TV adaptation of Toriyama’s “Sand Land,” a desert adventure story released in 2000 and later adapted into a 2023 anime movie, is due to be released on Disney+ in the spring.
Messages of condolences and grief from fellow creators and fans filled social media.
Eiichiro Oda, creator of the blockbuster manga “One Piece,” said Toriyama’s presence was like a “big tree” to younger artists.
“He showed us all these things manga can do, a dream of going to another world,” Oda said in a statement. His death leaves “a hole too big to fill,” Oda added.
Bird Studio thanked fans for more than 40 years of support. “We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.”
Born in Aichi prefecture in central Japan in 1955, Toriyama made his manga debut in 1978 with the adventure comic “Wonder Island,” published in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. His Dr. Slump series, which started in 1980, was his first major hit.
It made him a celebrity, but Toriyama avoided the spotlight. In 1982, he told Japanese public broadcast NHK: “I just want to keep writing manga.”
Dragon Ball, the story of a boy named Son Goku and his quest for seven magical balls that can make wishes come true, has sold 260 million copies altogether, according to the studio.
Toriyama also designed characters for the video game series Dragon Quest. He received awards in the manga industry and beyond, including France’s Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Report and letter signed by ‘Opie’ attract auction interest
MEREDITH, N.H. | Interest in the late scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer has extended beyond the Oscars this weekend to a historic signed report and letter.
RR Auction in Boston is taking bids on the rare 1945 report, as well as a letter signed by “Opie” that describes the nuclear bomb as a “weapon for aggressors.” By Saturday, bids for the report had topped $35,000 while the letter was closing in on $5,000. The auction ends Wednesday.
The movie “Oppenheimer” is a favorite to win best picture and other accolades at the Academy Awards on Sunday after winning many other awards in the runup. Directed and produced by Christopher Nolan, the film is the most successful biopic in history, after raking in nearly $1 billion at the box office.
The report details the development of the bomb and is signed by Oppenheimer and 23 other scientists and administrators involved in the Manhattan Project, including Enrico Fermi, Ernest Lawrence, James Chadwick and Harold Urey.
RR Auction said the report of about 200 pages was written prior to the testing of the first bomb at the Trinity Site in New Mexico and was released to news media days after the 1945 attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Called the “Smyth Report” after author Henry Smyth, the full title is “Atomic Bombs: A General Account of the Development of Methods of Using Atomic Energy for Military Purposes Under the Auspices of the United States Government, 1940-1945.”
Also up for auction is a one-page typed letter signed by “Opie” to Stephen White of Look magazine in 1952. Oppenheimer is commenting on a draft article that White sent him, which details Russia’s growing stockpile of nuclear weapons.
Oppenheimer tells White he should “print it” and refers him to a previous written quote in which he says the methods of delivery and strategy for the bomb may differ if it is ever used again.
“But it is a weapon for aggressors, and the elements of surprise and of terror are as intrinsic to it as are the fissionable nuclei,” Oppenheimer writes.
WWE strikes deal with Logan Paul
and KSI’s Prime
WWE has struck a deal with YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI’s beverage brand Prime that will see its logo featured on the center of a WWE wrestling ring mat. Its a first for the sports entertainment company. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. As part of the deal, Prime Hydration will become the exclusive official hydration drink partner of the WWE.
WWE has struck a deal with Prime, the beverage brand of YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI, that will see its logo featured on the center of a WWE wrestling ring mat, a first for the sports entertainment company.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
As part of the deal, Prime Hydration will become the exclusive official hydration drink partner of the WWE.
Prime Hydration will have center mat branding at WWE premium live events including WrestleMania and Money In The Bank. The deal also gives it match sponsorships, co-presenter designations at future premium live events, and social support from WWE personalities.
The agreement further strengthens Paul’s relationship with TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE. In January 2023, UFC, which is also part of TKO, announced that it struck a multiyear global marketing partnership with Prime, making it the official sports drink of the mixed martial arts organization.
Paul has also been wrestling for WWE since 2022. Two months ago, the social media personality, who currently holds the WWE’s United States Championship, announced on Instagram that he renewed his contract with the sports entertainment company.
Paul initially became known to many people through YouTube, where he has 23.5 million subscribers. WWE is a powerhouse on the social media platform, surpassing 100 million subscribers.
Krystyna Pyszková from Czech Republic crowned Miss World
MUMBAI, India | Krystyna Pyszkova of the Czech Republic was crowned Miss World at a glittering contest held in India on Saturday night.
Yasmina Zaytoun of Lebanon was the first runner-up among 112 contestants in the competition held in Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital.
“Being crowned Miss World is a dream come true. I am deeply honored to represent my country and the values of ‘beauty with a purpose’ on a global platform,” Pyszkova said.
After the reigning Miss World, Karoline Bielawska of Poland, passed the crown to her, Pyszková waved to the large crowd at the Jio World Convention Center and hugged some of the other contestants.
The event showcased the rich tapestry of India’s culture, traditions, heritage, arts and crafts, and textiles to a massive global audience. The participants wore heavily embroidered skirts and blouses and danced to popular Bollywood songs.
The beauty competition returned to India for the first time in 28 years.
India’s Sini Shetty exited after making it to the final eight. Six Indian women have won the title, including Reita Faria (1966), Aishwarya Rai (1994), Diana Hayden (1997), Yukta Mookhey (1999), Priyanka Chopra (2000) and Manushi Chillar (2017).
The 71st Miss World beauty pageant was hosted by Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar and Miss World 2013 Megan Young from the Philippines.
—From AP reports
