January 2, 2026<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR<\/strong> \u2013 As we usher in the new year, it\u2019s worth pausing to revisit the stories that made 2025 such a year.<\/p>\n From a fictional K-pop group and the engagement of \u201cyour English teacher and gym teacher\u201d to Blue Origin\u2019s tone-deaf space stunt and the shocking death of Barbie Hsu, these were the headlines that made our jaws drop, and, sometimes, had us shaking our heads in disbelief.<\/p>\n Kiss cam gone wrong<\/strong><\/p>\n No couple went as viral in the history of viral than Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot in July 2025.<\/p>\n What was supposed to be a routine show for Coldplay in Massachusetts, the United States, turned into one of the biggest pop culture scandals of the year.<\/p>\n Midway through the British band\u2019s set, the kiss cam zoomed in on a couple who, at first, was locked in an embrace, enjoying the show.<\/p>\n True to Rockwell\u2019s 1983 hit, somebody\u2019s always watching. PHOTO: TIKTOK SCREENGRAB\/THE STAR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But once they spotted themselves on the Jumbotron, the couple immediately recoiled and ducked, prompting Coldplay\u2019s frontman Chris Martin to, jokingly, quip: \u201cEither they\u2019re having an affair or they\u2019re just very shy.\u201d<\/p>\n The fallout was swift.<\/p>\n Within weeks, both had stepped down from their high- flying jobs \u2013 a reminder that in the age of viral clips, you better behave accordingly in public.<\/p>\n TNT engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n Now here\u2019s another couple that the Internet couldn\u2019t get enough of in 2025\u2026 but in a good way.<\/p>\n After dating for two years, Taylor Swift announced her highly anticipated engagement to football superstar Travis Kelce.<\/p>\n And the announcement couldn\u2019t be cuter.<\/p>\n Travis Kelce took Beyonce\u2019s advice and put a ring on Taylor Swift. PHOTO: TAYLOR SWIFT\u2019S INSTAGRAM\/THE STAR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The couple shared the big news in a joint Instagram post on Aug 26, cheekily captioned: \u201cYour English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.\u201d<\/p>\n The post was accompanied with a carousel of photos which included Kelce on one knee in a lush garden setting and a close-up of Swift\u2019s knocker of a ring.<\/p>\n The couple is said to marry in summer this year.<\/p>\n Body by Ozempic?<\/strong><\/p>\n 2025 was the year Hollywood went from embracing every body type to being thin-obsessed all over again.<\/p>\n Almost overnight, red carpets were filled with visibly slimmer stars, their transformations sparking the question: \u201cCould it be Ozempic?\u201d<\/p>\n It is not about the bass anymore with Meghan Trainor. PHOTO: MEGHAN TRAINOR\u2019S INSTAGRAM\/THE STAR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ozempic, a prescription drug designed to treat type 2 diabetes, gained fame especially in Tinseltown for its side effect: weight loss.<\/p>\n While some celebrities \u2013 including Oprah Winfrey \u2013 openly spoke about their use of weight-loss medication, many others credited clean eating, discipline and, erm, \u201clifestyle changes\u201d for their dramatic makeovers.<\/p>\n Even stars such as Lizzo and Meghan Trainor, who once built their public personas around celebrating curves, appeared to pivot, now sporting slimmer figures.<\/p>\n Namewee arrested<\/strong><\/p>\n The Malaysian entertainment scene was rocked in November when controversial rapper Namewee was arrested.<\/p>\n The 42-year-old found himself at the centre of a high-profile police investigation after Taiwanese social media influencer Iris Hsieh, better known as Nurse Goddess, was found dead in a Kuala Lumpur hotel on Oct 22, and Namewee was said to be the last person seen with her.<\/p>\n He was then arrested over alleged drug possession and use but was released after pleading not guilty to the charges at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate\u2019s Court on Oct 24.<\/p>\n Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, was detained by police in connection with Hsieh\u2019s death on Nov 5.<\/p>\n On Nov 12, Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar stated that there was no evidence linking Namewee to Hsieh\u2019s death, and he would be released on police bail.<\/p>\n On Dec 22, he was acquitted of drug usage.<\/p>\n The unwanted spotlight has taken a toll on the rapper.<\/p>\n In a social media post, he said that all of his work through the end of 2026 have been axed.<\/p>\n Space oddity<\/strong><\/p>\n As the gap between the ultra-rich and the rest of us widens, pushback against celebrity multi-millionaires become more apparent.<\/p>\n But what\u2019s worse is how tone-deaf they can be. Case in point: the all-female crew to the edge of space.<\/p>\n Katy Perry kissed the ground and she liked it. PHOTO: BLUE ORIGIN\/INSTAGRAM\/THE STAR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In April 2025, pop star Katy Perry joined journalist Gayle King, entrepreneur Lauren Sanchez, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn on Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin NS\u201131 flight \u2013 a 10-minute suborbital ride that made headlines as much for its star power as for its disconnect from reality.<\/p>\n Perry sang What A Wonderful World <\/em>in zero gravity and kissed the ground upon landing \u2013 a sight that made much of the world collectively groan.<\/p>\n Lots of Labubu<\/strong><\/p>\n No inanimate object has divided the world so much in 2025 than Pop Mart\u2019s Labubu. While the craze started in 2024, it was in 2025 that Labubu went into overdrive.<\/p>\n Digest these figures: Labubu\u2011 related products helped drive the company to the tune of US$1.9bil (RM7.68bil) in revenue in the first half of 2025, up more than 200% year\u2011on\u2011year!<\/p>\n Detractors couldn\u2019t fathom the long queues outside Pop Mart outlets for the blind boxes, or the amount of money fans splurge on these dolls, the brainchild of Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung.<\/p>\n Just like Michelle Yeoh, Labubu is also everywhere all at once. PHOTO: PLAY\/GROUND\/INSTAGRAM\/THE STAR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Meanwhile, celebrity fans couldn\u2019t get enough of Labubu, too, with stars such as Dua Lipa, Rihanna, Lisa, Cher and even David Beckham spotted with them.<\/p>\n But no one loves Labubu as much as Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh.<\/p>\n The Oscar winner claimed she owns more than 100 of the dolls, celebrated her 63rd birthday with a Labubu-themed cake and now she\u2019s an ambassador for a Labubu\u2011themed luxury collection with French brand Moynat.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been reported that a Labubu film is in the works.<\/p>\n Goodbye Barbie Hsu<\/strong><\/p>\n At the start of the year, the Chinese entertainment scene was shaken by the death of the beloved Barbie Hsu.<\/p>\n At the start of the year, the Chinese entertainment scene was shaken by the death of the beloved Barbie Hsu. PHOTO: COLLECTED\/THE STAR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fondly known as Big S among fans, the Taiwanese star died unexpectedly on Feb 2 at the age of 48 after contracting influenza\u2011 related pneumonia while on a family holiday in Japan.<\/p>\n Her untimely death left fans and co-stars such as Meteor Garden<\/em>\u2019s Ken\u202fChu and Vanness Wu, in shock, prompting an outpouring of grief from across Asia.<\/p>\n Hsu is survived by husband South Korean DJ Koo\u202fJun\u2011yup, and two children from a previous marriage.<\/p>\n KPop Demon Hunters<\/em> craze<\/strong><\/p>\n Who would have thought that the K\u2011pop act making the biggest impact in 2025 would be a fictional one?<\/p>\n That\u2019s saying something, especially in a year when Blackpink reunited for a world tour and all the BTS members completed their military service.<\/p>\n Your K-pop idol of 2025 \u2013 Huntr\/X. PHOTO: HANDOUT\/THE STAR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Yet it was Rumi, Mira and Zoey \u2013 the members who make up Huntr\/X, the fictional girl group in Netflix\u2019s hit animated series KPop Demon Hunters<\/em> \u2013 who commanded our undivided attention.<\/p>\n KPop Demon Hunters<\/em> became the most\u2011watched film in Netflix history, while the earworm Golden<\/em>, performed by Huntr\/X\u2019s voices Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, dominated charts and playlists worldwide.<\/p>\n Talk about blurring the lines between real and imaginary idols!<\/p>\n Brotherly love<\/strong><\/p>\n In February last year, the highly anticipated third season of The White Lotus <\/em>descended upon us, and promptly gave us plenty to talk about.<\/p>\n Where do we even begin?<\/p>\n There was Blackpink\u2019s Lisa making her TV acting debut as a staff member at the luxury resort.<\/p>\n There was the lush setting, with the series shot entirely in Thailand \u2013 from the beaches of Phuket to the rivers of Bangkok.<\/p>\n Then there was Parker Posey, playing a perpetually drugged-out Southern mum and delivering a steady stream of scene- stealing one-liners.<\/p>\n Brotherly bonding has a different meaning in \u2018The White Lotus\u2019. PHOTO: HANDOUT\/THE STAR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But nothing topped the incestuous storyline involving brothers Saxon and Lochlan, played by breakout stars Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola. The plotline left viewers appalled and uncomfortable.<\/p>\n The White Lotus<\/em> once again proved its knack for pushing buttons and keeping the Internet buzzing.<\/p>\n Wicked memes<\/strong><\/p>\n Just like its press tour for the first Wicked<\/em> movie in 2024, the junkets for Wicked: For Good <\/em>delivered a meme feast that had netizens tickled pink.<\/p>\n And it was all thanks to the now-celebrated sisterhood between Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The co-stars, again, showed their affection for one another \u2013 getting touchy-feely, tearing up at the drop of a (witch\u2019s) hat and serving up quotable moments during interviews and red-carpet appearances.<\/p>\n But it was Erivo\u2019s expressive facial reactions and animated body language that truly launched meme after meme, giving the Internet plenty to work with.<\/p>\n Cynthia Erivo auditions for \u2018The Bodyguard\u2019 reboot. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB\/THE STAR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n However, the Wicked<\/em> press tour took a dark turn when the cast stopped over in Singapore on Nov 13.<\/p>\n Johnson Wen, a 26-year-old Australian, jumped the barricade at Universal Studios and rushed towards Grande, flinging his arm roughly around her.<\/p>\n Erivo, ever the fiercely protective co-star, reacted instantly and shoved him away \u2013 a moment that was quickly turned into yet another meme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source asianews.network \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" January 2, 2026 KUALA LUMPUR \u2013 As we usher in the new year, it\u2019s worth pausing to revisit the stories that made 2025 such a year. From a fictional K-pop group and the engagement of \u201cyour English teacher and gym teacher\u201d to Blue Origin\u2019s tone-deaf space stunt and the shocking death of Barbie Hsu, these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2219469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[21741,405654,28927],"class_list":["post-2219468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-the-star","tag-world"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/10-events-that-defined-2025-in-entertainment.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2219468"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2219470,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219468\/revisions\/2219470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2219469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2219468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2219468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2219468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"10](\"https:\/\/asianews.network\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3698989.png\")
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