Martin Lawrence on his "Ride or die, for real" friendship with Will Smith

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence – cinema’s bad boys of action-comedy – are back again in Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 27: Martin Lawrence and Will Smith attend the European premiere of BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE at Zoo Palast on May 27, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gerald Matzka/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)

“It’s magical to see them both together,” says Bilall Fallah, who directs with his partner Adil El Arbi, and are best-known as simply Adil & Bilall. “It’s unbelievable, the chemistry they have. It’s always surprising when you’re behind the monitors directing the scene and they come up with this genius golden humor – you sit back, relax, and see them perform.” When that magic happens, he says, his job is easy. “They’re the best duo on the big screen, and very unique.”

BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 27: Bilall, Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Adil attend the European premiere of BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE at Zoo Palast on May 27, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)

Smith says that his chemistry with Lawrence comes out of 30 years of respect for each other’s craft. “We both have grown and experienced a lot of life,” he says. “So, when we come together, the amount of respect and care, and concern for each other – it’s the only way to work.”

In the mid-1990s, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith did not know each other before Lawrence cold- called Smith to see if the star of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air would be interested in teaming with the star of Martin for an R-rated buddy cop movie. Lawrence had the script, and his sister, who was a fan of Fresh Prince, suggested that her brother call Smith. The result was not only one of the great pairings in movie history that changed their lives, but a real-life friendship too. “It’s the best phone call I ever made,” says Lawrence. “We had known of each other’s work, but we’d never met. When we did meet, there was a mutual respect and it was clear we had a connection. Even now, 30 years later, we are close friends. Even when it has been a minute since we’ve seen each other, we know we can always count on each other. Ride or die, for real.”

“Isn’t that what we all want? Someone we can count on no matter what?” adds Smith. “That’s part of the joy of these movies – bad boys for life is truly for life.”

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - MAY 24: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence attend the Riyadh Premiere of Columbia Pictures BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE in Riyadh on May 24, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Bad Boys: Ride or Die sees Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) in the biggest jam they’ve ever faced: when new evidence comes to light implicating the late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) in a lifetime of drug-related crimes, the Bad Boys vow to clear his name… even if it means coming in the crosshairs of the cartel and the cops.

Adil & Bilall return to the helm of the movie after also directing Bad Boys for Life and notching the franchise’s best reviews from critics and audiences alike. “When we were 19 and studying in Brussels in film school, we were always dreaming of one day being part of Hollywood, and we were always joking that if one day we would be getting the chance to go to Hollywood, we’d want to make a Bad Boys movie – a Bad Boys 3,” Bilall laughs. “But obviously, we never really believed that it would happen up until we got to ask Jerry [Bruckheimer, producer] and Will. And we’re still pinching ourselves. We are fanboys, so it’s still a very surreal feeling.”

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - MAY 22: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence attend the Dubai Premiere of Columbia Pictures BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Clint Egbert)

Don’t miss out on explosive action and laugh-out-loud humor Bad Boys style when Bad Boys: Ride or Die, distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International, opens in cinemas June 5.

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LG Expands Its HVAC Business through Targeting B2B Customers in Key Asian Markets

Company Reinforces Industry Leadership with Summit for Technical Consultants from Across Asia

LG Electronics (LG) is currently hosting the inaugural LG HVAC Consultant Leaders’ Summit – LG Alumni Event – in Seoul, South Korea (May 28-31). The summit provides heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) consultants from across Asia, with the valuable opportunity to benefit from LG’s extensive industry insight and to learn more about its advanced technologies. The first-of-its-kind event is expected to bolster the company’s leadership in the Asia region, which is now the world’s most rapidly-expanding HVAC market.

Attending the summit were 46 consultants from five Asian countries: Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. Technical consultants play a vital role in the HVAC business, supporting customers in important areas including system design, installation guidance and maintenance support. By collaborating closely with consultants in each market, LG is able to provide a differentiated customer experience that adds significant value to its industry-leading HVAC solutions.

With its high-growth potential, Asia has emerged as a key market for the expansion of LG’s HVAC business. Driven by an increase in commercial construction and stricter government energy-saving policies, the region is experiencing escalating demand for smart HVAC systems offering integrated IoT control, building automation and real-time performance monitoring. A respected provider of high-efficiency residential and commercial HVAC solutions based on innovative heat pump technology, LG is working with universities and research institutes to develop the next generation of cutting-edge heat pump systems.

In 2023, LG announced its plan to more than double the sales volume of its residential and commercial HVAC business by 2030 – an ambitious goal that will secure the company’s position as a global top-tier HVAC solutions provider.

Through a series of engaging seminars being led by industry experts, the consultants participating in the LG HVAC Consultant Leaders’ Summit – LG Alumni Event will come away with new insight into the trends and technologies shaping the HVAC landscape in Asia and worldwide. Key topics include zero-carbon buildings and HVAC in the era of Artificial Intelligence.

With Asia as the starting point, LG aims to strategically expand its consultant network around the globe, extending its outreach efforts to regions with high-growth potential, such as Central and South America.

“It’s a pleasure to be sharing our cutting-edge technologies and industry insights with professional HVAC consultants from some of Asia’s most dynamic markets,” said James Lee, head of the Air Solution Business Unit at LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company. “We will continue to collaborate closely with our consultant network to ensure the best customer outcomes and to grow our influence throughout the Asia region.”

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LG Launches Global Campaign ‘OPTIMISM YOUR FEED’ to Help Bring More Balance to Social Media Feeds

‘Optimism your feed’ Playlist Curated by Global Influencers Will Enable Users to Engage With Optimistic and Inspiring Content on Their Social Media Feeds

LG Electronics (LG) today launched a global campaign called ‘Optimism your feed,’ which aims to help users bring more optimism to their social media experience by inviting them to proactively engage with positive and inspiring content on their feeds.

“As a customer-focused brand, LG is a passionate champion of optimism. We aim to create positive changes in people’s lives by being intentional with our positive activities both online and in the real world,” said Kim Hyo-eun, vice president and head of LG’s Brand Management Division. “In the AI era, LG remains committed to our unwavering promise of ‘Life’s Good.’ We will continue to enhance our customers’ lives with a human-centric approach, fostering hope for a better future.”

A new global survey commissioned by LG found that social media is both a source of anxiety and a place where people turn to be entertained, keep up with friends and family, and stay informed about news and current events. According to the survey, almost half of respondents (45 percent) report their social media feeds consist of an equal or greater amount of negative content than positive content. One in four respondents (28 percent) claimed negative content on their social media feeds has increased their anxiety and one in five (20 percent) said it has made them unhappy. Other studies also suggest that algorithms often promote negative and niche conversations.

The global survey sought to understand the triggers that affect how algorithms work and how to increase your feed’s positive content. The result is the ‘Optimism your feed’ playlist of original content that, when interacted with, will pull more optimistic content into your feed.[i] ‘Optimism your feed’ is part of LG’s global Life’s Good campaign, introduced last year to inspire and encourage people to approach life with an optimistic attitude.

Created in collaboration with global influencers renowned for their optimistic influences including Tina Choi, Victoria Browne, Josh Harmon and more, the ‘Optimism your feed’ playlist includes over 20 short-form videos ranging from motivation to feel-good content.

Additionally, LG is consulting with social media experts including Professor Casey Fiesler, an information scientist and technology ethicist, with a PhD in Human Centered Computing. Fiesler researches and teaches in the areas of technology ethics, internet policy, and online communities, and has published on topics such as social media content moderation and recommender systems. She also educates the public on these topics as a content creator.

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and algorithms play a significant role in the content that we see in these spaces. LG’s global playlist and campaign gives users the opportunity to see more positive and uplifting posts. By being more conscious about what we choose to engage with, we can bring stronger optimism, balance and happiness to our lives.

According to Fiesler, “Recommendation algorithms determine what we see on social media by predicting what content we are likely to engage with. These algorithms can therefore send us down ever more specific niches – for good and for bad. Research has shown that left unchecked, users can go down negative rabbit holes and encounter harmful content quite quickly. One of our first lines of defense needs to be improving our digital literacy, and paying more attention to how algorithms influence our online experiences. And the good news is that we do have some control over the input for these algorithmic predictions; if we choose to engage with optimistic content, there’s a good possibility we will see more of it.”

Victoria Browne, a global influencer and TEDx Talk speaker, said, “The algorithms on our social channel can have a big impact on the content we see online, which impacts our mental health. That’s why I’m passionate about ‘Optimism your feed’, and I hope that people use this playlist as a foundation to retrain their algorithm and encourage positivity in all aspects of their lives. So much of the stigma and difficulty of tackling mental health is that it is unseen. With this campaign, we are saying you should reach out to your friends, and that we can help each other. Our algorithm should recommend content that makes us feel more connected to people, not less.”

The ‘Optimism your feed’ playlist can be found on LG’s global TikTok channel (@lge_lifesgood) and global YouTube channel (@LGGlobal), and will later spread to various social media platforms through collaborations with influencers around the world. More details can be found on the campaign page on lg.com (lg.com/lifesgood).

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