5 CULTURE THINGS TO KNOW

• Avatar sequel to be released in China: Avatar: The Way of Water, the long-awaited sequel to director James Cameron’s blockbuster, will become one of the few foreign films to be released recently in mainland Chinese cinemas, with the first screenings set for the Dec. 16 global release date. China has introduced increasingly strict quotas on the number of international films allowed to show.

• Eurovision introduces voting system changes: The European Broadcasting Union announced major voting system changes for next year’s Eurovision song contest, including the fact that the semi-final qualifiers will be chosen by the public instead of a professional jury and that online voting will be open to viewers in non-participating countries.

• Murakami and Post Malone collaborate on merch collection: Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and U.S. rapper Post Malone have come together to design “TMKK x Post Malone” collection that includes T-shirts, hoodies, trucker hats and drinking items featuring the artist’s signature colorful flowers.

• In memoriam: The cultural world is mourning this week Grammy-winning Cuban singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés, who died at 79, Erasmo Carlos, an icon of Brazilian rock and U.S. actor and mixed martial artist Jason David Frank, best known for his role as the green power ranger in the 90s TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

• Celtic gold coins worth millions stolen from German museum: Thieves have stolen a hoard of 450 Celtic gold coins dating back to around 100 B.C. and worth several million euros from a museum in southern Germany, after apparently disrupting local telephone and internet connections. “As a testament to our history, the gold coins are irreplaceable,” said Bavaria’s Minister of Science and Arts Markus Blume.