There are many words to describe Kim Ki-soo: beauty creator, makeup artist, comedian, influencer. And now he can add one more to the list — author.

Kim recently published a makeup tutorial book, based on his mobile-centric beauty tutorial show titled “Do You Want to Live Pretty or Not?” produced by SBS.

“It’s the first time that a mobile show has been made into a book. The show’s original target were viewers aged from 18 to 24 years old, but the book’s printing shows, the viewers’ range was wider than we had expected,” producer Ock Jung-ah said.

Kim attributes his success in the beauty industry to his uniqueness. He started out as a comedian but turned to the beauty scene after facing a legal battle for sexual harassment. Although he was found innocent, he had trouble finding work in TV from that point on.

After the setback, he started another life as a beauty creator, uploading tutorials on his YouTube channel. At the time, Kim had been unofficially pursuing male grooming for more than 30 years.

“As a child-actor, I saw people going into vans (makeup stations) and coming out looking beautiful,” Kim said, recalling the beginning of his affection for grooming. “I was intrigued, wondering, ‘What makes them so pretty?'”

His secret obsession finally paid off, offering him a chance to teach makeup techniques to a larger public, cooperating with SBS’s mobile platform. The show, launched in December 2016, has recorded more than 100 million hits in total with its 53 episodes. “From not being ‘chosen,’ now I am a person who ‘chooses,'” Kim said.

Kim is a pursuer of genderless makeup. He is usually referred to as Korea’s Jeffree Star, a sensational male makeup artist in the United States. But Kim underlines that he is different from the global beauty guru.

“Jeffree Star pursues drag-queen makeup, women’s maquillage. But I want a sense of masculinity on my face, to accentuate my facial features while still looking like a man,” he said. “It’s a matter of taste.”

While some cast doubts on learning makeup through a book, Gwak Min-ji scriptwriter of the show, is confident. “To produce the mobile show, we first write a script about how to apply a beauty product based on Kim’s tips. Then reading the script, we do it ourselves,” she said. “Doing makeup by reading about it is definitely possible.”

Kim highlighted that he is not arguing everyone has to apply makeup. He said, “I am a male in his 40s who puts on makeup because I want to. Everyone can live as one wants to and be proud of it.”

Meryl Streep will join the cast of Big Little Lies Season Two, US cable network HBO announced on Jan 24, generating another boost for a hit drama already basking in awards glory.

The triple Oscar winner will star opposite Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman in the second edition of a show that won plaudits for tackling domestic violence at a time when US society is increasingly focused on its treatment of women.

(SPOILER) Streep will play Mary Louise Wright, the grieving mother of Perry, the character played by Alexander Skarsgard, who died at the end of Season One after being unmasked as a wife beater.

Streep’s character will search for answers after her son’s death, HBO announced.

Best known for her work in cinema, she won an Emmy for her performance in HBO miniseries Angels In America in 2003 and also appeared on Showtime’s Web Therapy.

On Jan 23, Streep broke her own Oscar nomination record with her 21st nod for her role as Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham in The Post.Big Little Lies tells the story of three California mothers in the uber-wealthy enclave of Monterey, California, whose seemingly perfect lives disguise behind-the-scenes jealousy, secrets and drama.

A major hit with viewers, it won four Golden Globes, including for Best TV Movie Or Limited Series and three acting gongs for Kidman as an abused wife, Skarsgard and Laura Dern, who plays a mother trying to find out who is bullying her daughter.

It also walked off with eight Emmy awards including Outstanding Limited Series, as well as individual gongs for its Oscar-winning stars Kidman and Witherspoon.

Based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel, it was initially broadcast as a mini-series, and was not intended to run beyond seven episodes shown at the start of 2017.

HBO announced in December that Big Little Lies would be back for a second season, to be directed by Andrea Arnold, who won an Oscar in 2005 for her short film Wasp.

Writer David Kelley, who wrote the first season, will write all seven scripts for the second season

PETALING JAYA – Jacky Cheung fans beware! Those who have bought tickets to the Hong Kong superstar’s Malaysian series of concerts from unauthorised channels will be barred from the venue, the organisers say.

It is learnt that tickets for the three sold-out concerts in Kuala Lumpur this weekend are being resold for as high as RM11,400 ($3,821) on the stubhub.my website.

“Do not buy these tickets,” said Star Planet chief operating officer Carmen Liew.

Liew said if it was proven that the tickets were bought from scalpers, they would be dishonoured and their buyers refused admission. They would also not be reimbursed.

Last year, Star Planet invalidated several tickets to the Mayday Life Tour concert in Kuala Lumpur.

“We received many complaints from fans that the tickets were being resold at a higher price on certain websites. We voided the tickets and those holding them were denied entry to the concert,” said Liew.

It is standard practice for event organisers like Star Planet and PR Worldwide, which organised the recent Ed Sheeran concert in KL, to print the names of the individuals or organisations on the tickets.

Tickets to Sheeran’s show were sold for up to RM8,000 at unauthorised ticketing sites.

Event organisers and ticket sellers are now prohibiting bulk purchases and, depending on the show, even limit the number of tickets per transaction to four, six or 10 at the most.

“Buyers are required to give their names and other details when purchasing tickets.

“The names will be printed on the ticket, and we advise buyers to give the names of all the people they are buying the tickets for. This is especially important for parents who buy tickets for their children,” said PR Worldwide operations manager Kavita Baskaran.

Sometimes, there would only be codes printed under the section marked “Name” on the ticket. Even if it is blank, the barcode on the ticket contains all the information.

Liew gave an assurance that those who bought tickets to Cheung’s concert via the proper channels need not worry about their admission.

Those in doubt may call Star Planet’s hotline at 03-9223 3667 to check the validity of their tickets.

Last year, PR Worldwide turned away about 50 people at the door before Sheeran’s concert.

“We had evidence that those tickets were purchased from scalpers. Some even paid about RM2,000 to RM2,500 for one ticket.

“They admitted that the tickets were not purchased from official sellers but from websites like stubhub.my,” said Kavita.

Websites like stubhub.my are commonly known as “fan-to-fan marketplaces”, platforms for people to sell and buy tickets for football events, festivals and concerts worldwide.

Resellers often jack up prices and because of this, event organisers like Star Planet are voiding tickets bought from such sites.

Tickets to Cheung’s concerts, happening tomorrow and Saturday at the Putra Indoor Stadium-Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, were priced between RM261 and RM991.

These tickets sold out within 24 hours on Oct 21 last year at Quill City Mall in Kuala Lumpur, with fans spending nights sleeping at the mall to be at the head of the line.

Tickets to the third bonus concert on Sunday were sold out within two hours of going on sale in November.

“Ticket details, the appointed ticketing company and designated points of sale are stated on our advertisements,” said Liew.

“We urge fans to only purchase tickets from the organiser or the authorised ticketing company.”

Mark E. Smith, lead singer and songwriter of British post-punk band The Fall, died at home on Wednesday aged 60, the band’s manager said in a statement.

The statement by Pam Van Damned gave no details but said an update would follow in the coming days. In 2017, The Fall cancelled shows due to concerns over the health of Smith who underwent treatment, media reports said.

Smith formed the band in 1976 and remained its only constant presence with many other members changing around him.

Smith also released two solo albums – ‘The Post Nearly Man’in 1998 and ‘Pander! Panda! Panzer!’ in 2002. He is described as a “singular figure in post-punk” by Rolling Stone magazine.