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Top celebrities and influencers in the workplace and corporate culture. Our favorite Journal advocates.

He Was Warned. Then He Brought Black Dog Blood to a Video Game Match.
From match-fixing to glutinous rice and black dog blood: Wayward’s self-exile and a doomed internal war On the night of September 14, Wayward said two things on stream.
By Jina day ago in Journal
The Factory Is Gone. The Debt Isn’t. The Court Just Sealed the Door.
A Seal on the Door: The Hulin Wahaha Factory and the Housing Provident Fund Arrears Case I On August 20, 2026, a court seizure notice from the Jiguan District People’s Court of Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province, was pasted on the door of the office building of Hulin Hongsheng Beverage Co., Ltd.
By Jin2 days ago in Journal
The High-End Lie: You Can’t Buy Real Service With Marble
Low Pay, No High-End I Last winter, I was waiting in the lobby of a hotel that called itself the "city's living room." The marble floor was polished enough to reflect the ceiling. A crystal chandelier hung above like frozen rain. The sofa was leather, and when you sat in it, it let out a soft sigh. A waiter passed with a tray. On the tray were two glasses of sparkling water. He set one in front of me. Condensation slid down the glass and left a dark ring on the coaster. He smiled. The curve of his mouth looked measured with a ruler. Then he turned and walked away, back straight, steps even. At the corner, his shoulders dropped. He raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck.
By Jin3 days ago in Journal
The Last Hurdle: Liu Xiang’s “Third Path” Was Never a Path
The last hurdle, eleven years late: Liu Xiang and the "third path" that was never there I. A number bib On August 26, 2026, Liu Xiang posted a photograph on Weibo. The 2004 Athens Olympics, men's 110-meter hurdles final. The number bib pinned to his chest. White background, black numbers: 1363.
By Jin3 days ago in Journal
The Letter Was Dated September 3. The Applause Came on September 8.
A letter dated September 3, and a trial that premiered early On September 8, on the Lido in Venice, in the Sala Grande, the last of the four-hour credits rolled and the lights came up. The audience stood. The applause lasted five minutes. At the same moment, in a Los Angeles law office, a printer pushed out its final page. The date on the paper was September 3. The recipient: Jigsaw Productions. The sender: Alex Spiro. Above the signature was a line: if the content is not revised, HBO, Bleecker Street, and Universal Pictures will be sued.
By Jin3 days ago in Journal
The Ancient System That Was Too Efficient to Survive
The Paradox of the Grand Council: The Emperor Present, the Institution Absent In the seventh year of Yongzheng, war with the Dzungars in the northwest was pressing. Yongzheng established the Grand Council, originally the Military Planning Office. It had no formal office, no fixed membership, and no independent authority. Grand councillors were appointed by the emperor from grand secretaries, ministers, and vice ministers. Their work was to receive edicts, draft edicts, deliberate, and supervise implementation. The Grand Council bypassed the outer court and connected directly to the emperor. Memorials came in. Vermilion rescripts went out. Court letters went straight to provincial governors. It was fast, secret, and controlled.
By Jin4 days ago in Journal
She Hosted Focus Interview for 20 Years. Then She Bowed and Said Nothing.
Jing Yidan: the gentle and resolute one has gone She hosted Focus Interview for more than 20 years and Touching China for 19.
By Jin5 days ago in Journal
Venice 2026: Where Award Season Begins and Clooney’s Legacy Comes Full Circle
The Venice Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, officially ending the annual purgatory of “too early to talk awards” and ushering in the most consequential stretch of the cinematic calendar. With Telluride and TIFF following in rapid succession, Venice serves as the first true litmus test for this year’s prestige slate, transforming speculation into tangible discourse. This year’s lineup promises immediate fireworks: Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard , reuniting Kate and Rooney Mara in what is sure to be a haunting sibling drama; Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine , assembling John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Buscemi in a darkly comedic ensemble piece already dominating early Oscar predictions; and Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime , a provocative dramatization of Chris Hansen and To Catch a Predator starring Robert Pattinson. The internet has been in near-constant meltdown over Pattinson’s performance since the trailer dropped, and combined with his other 2026 releases ( The Drama and The Odyssey ), the narrative of his “generational run” has reached fever pitch. While such hyperbole often outpaces reality, there’s no denying that Venice will serve as the crucible where these performances are either validated or recalibrated by critics and industry insiders alike.
By Mark Lim 7 days ago in Journal
Beyond Language: Angèle, Global Pop, And The Beauty Of Staying True
The history of pop music has been written overwhelmingly in English. Success on the world stage, for so long, meant singing in English, conforming to English-language expectations, and adjusting your sound to fit what audiences in the Anglophone world were believed to want. To release music primarily in another language was, for the most part, to accept a ceiling on how far you could go. But that is changing. We are living through a remarkable shift, one where artists can conquer the world on their own terms, in their own voice, and in their own language. Bad Bunny proved that Spanish-language music could dominate global charts without compromise. And now, Belgian pop star Angèle is showing the world that French pop can be just as universal, just as irresistible, and just as successful while remaining unapologetically itself.
By Mark Lim 7 days ago in Journal
Céline Dion’s Return: A Decade That Changed Everything And The One Thing That Remains
Ten years ago, in July 2016, Céline Dion descended upon Paris Fashion Week and transformed a routine series of runway shows into one of the most beloved, unforgettable chapters in modern celebrity culture. With stylist Law Roach by her side, she stepped out each morning in breathtaking, headline-making ensembles, bold, dramatic, and gloriously unapologetic. She didn’t just wear high fashion; she performed it. She walked with confidence, waved to crowds like royalty, and stood beaming through the sunroof of her car as if leading a parade in her own honour. And then, of course, there was the Titanic hoodie — casual, iconic, and instantly legendary. It was a moment of pure, uncomplicated joy, a reminder that Céline Dion is not just a singer but a force of nature. Today, a decade later, she has returned to Paris. And in the years between, everything has changed except her spirit.
By Mark Lim 7 days ago in Journal
Miley’s Strategic Silence: Why Skipping Coachella Might Be the Loudest Move Yet
Miley Cyrus has officially announced her new album, BASS PERSUADES , slated for release on September 18, marking her first project under a new label following the commercially respectable but culturally muted reception of Something Beautiful . While “Flowers” remains an impossible benchmark, a global phenomenon that redefined her career and set expectations sky-high, the anticipation for this next chapter is palpable, not just for the music itself, but for what her rollout strategy reveals about her evolving relationship with fame, performance, and artistic sustainability. The all-caps styling of the title (at least in early announcements) feels less like aesthetic rebellion and more like a deliberate sonic metaphor: bass persuades not through sheer volume or constant noise, but through deep, resonant frequency that lingers long after the sound fades. And in true Miley fashion, her promotional choices are already embodying that principle. Most notably, she has reportedly turned down a headlining slot at Coachella 2027, despite being a natural fit for the festival circuit and having the catalog to command such a stage. This isn’t avoidance or disinterest; it’s precision. In an era where artists are expected to be everywhere at once streaming, touring, posting, collaborating, performing — Miley’s selectivity suggests a mature understanding that legacy isn’t built on ubiquity, but on moments that land with intention, authenticity, and emotional weight.
By Mark Lim 7 days ago in Journal
Alchemizing Scandal: How Ariana Madix Turned Reality TV Trauma Into Emmy-Nominated Authenticity
Ariana Madix’s conversation with Vanity Fair isn’t merely a post-scandal victory lap; it’s a masterclass in transformation. Within three years of becoming the unwitting epicenter of reality TV’s most sensational betrayal, she has alchemized personal devastation into professional triumph: a Broadway run that broke 30-year box office records, billboards across Los Angeles, a Love Island USA hosting gig, and now an Emmy nomination. Yet to attribute this renaissance solely to “Scandoval” is to miss the point entirely. The scandal was a catalyst, not the cause. What propelled Madix forward was something far more durable: the hard-won authenticity of someone who had already survived cancer, financial precarity, disordered eating, and the suffocating performance demands of reality TV long before cameras caught her ex in flagrante delicto. Her current success isn’t redemption; it’s revelation.
By Mark Lim 7 days ago in Journal