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Jakpost lifestyle and entertainment retrospective for 2018
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The Jakarta Post's website (Shutterstock/File)
T
he year 2018 encompassed several notable happenings in the lifestyle, arts and entertainment scenes. Here are our most-read articles from throughout 2018.
In January, Celine Dion fans were greeted by the news that the diva’s Jakarta concert ticket prices had soared to Rp.12.5 million. However, the concert was held in July to a full house.
In the month of love that is February, The Jakarta Post shared research done by Karel Karsten Himawan, a doctoral candidate from the University of Queensland in Australia. In his study, Karel concluded, “According to preliminary studies, nine out of 10 singles feel pressure from their parents, extended family and friends.” Karl wrote that the majority of singles in Indonesia are that way involuntarily. Heartbreaking as it may be, the study concluded that there is light at the end of the tunnel, as 83.2 percent of the involuntary singles in Indonesia have a positive attitude toward marriage. The lack of possible suitors was also not the main reason for people being single, as Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data in 2010 revealed that the number of men and women aged 20 and above in Indonesia was balanced.
March of 2018 was marked by a highly acclaimed Indonesian film called Tengkorak, which was produced by students and teachers of Gadjah Mada University’s vocational school. It received a warm welcome from the audience at its premiere at the 2018 Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, United States.
Another popular article in March highlighted the sad irony of the selfie culture. Community writer Laila Achmad dug deep into how creating "selfie spots" to increase tourist interest can have its own implications. One popular venue in Bandung famous for its "selfie spots" was blatantly copied from several art venues around the world.
The globally anticipated arrival of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s third child, Prince Louis Arthur Charles, was the highlight of April 2018. In the same month, The Jakarta Post interviewed author Kamila Shamsie about her bestselling book Home Fire, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017.
May marked the promotional milestone of Indonesian action movie Wiro Sableng as the main characters are included in the Deadpool 2 trailer. Producer Lala Timothy said it was a joint promotion for both films as Wiro Sableng was co-produced by 20th Century Fox, like Deadpool 2.
Jakartans celebrated the city’s anniversary in June by visiting the Jakarta Fair held at JIExpo Kemayoran. The Post provided the full guide to the Jakarta Fair 2018 for tourists and locals who wanted to keep traditions alive.
Read also: Data reveals Indonesia's hottest Google searches for 2018
Yuval Noah Harari gave an exclusive interview to the Post’s Devina Heriyanto in July. The author shared his views on several issues including artificial intelligence, the crisis in liberal democracy, the rise of nationalism and isolationism and why he chooses not to have a mobile phone. The Indonesian version of Harari's new book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, was published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama in September.
The Asian Games opening ceremony in August is still arguably one of the best television moments in Indonesian TV history, as industry veteran Wishnutama directed the spectacular show. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo’s carefully choreographed entrance on a motorcycle was one of the notable key moments all night. The act even sparked a debate on social media about whether it was indeed the President or a stuntman who rode the motorcycle.
September was also a good month to be Asian, as the long-awaited movie Crazy Rich Asians finally hit the silver screen. The film, which was adapted from Singaporean author Kevin Kwan’s novel, featured big Hollywood names like Michelle Yeoh, Ken Jeong and Constance Wu. The movie also propelled Henry Golding to become a new Asian leading man and brought rapper Awkwafina into the eyes of the world. Most importantly, Crazy Rich Asians managed to put the first all-Asian-cast movie onto the Hollywood map since 1994’s The Joy Luck Club, which was adapted from a novel by Amy Tan.
As Halloween lurked around the corner, in October we introduced readers to those who make a living from the dead. We also take readers to Surabaya’s Museum of Death.
Harry Potter fans united in November for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Although failing to entertain most Potterheads, the movie was involved in several controversies, including the casting of Johnny Depp as Grindelwald, as the actor had allegedly abused his partner.
December opened with heated social media debates between neighboring Malaysians and Singaporeans over who really owned the traditional cendol dessert. We encouraged Indonesians to not panic as we also have an Indonesian version of cendol. As a toast to end the year on a high note, we are proud to present an exclusive interview with stand-up comedian Sakdiyah Ma’ruf who was included in the BBC's 2018 100 Women list.
