Katy Perry dazzles at Super Bowl halftime show

GLENDALE, Arizona (AFP) ― Singer Katy Perry dazzled at Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show in a dizzying performance that featured dancing land sharks, a prowling metallic lion and a levitating star that shot sparkles into the Arizona night.Perry stalked into the University of Phoenix Stadium field in Glendale, Arizona, riding the huge, fiery-eyed lion as she sang her megahit “Roar” while wearing a flame-festooned dress. Katy Perry performs on stage during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show a

PerformanceFeb. 2, 2015

Timberlake shares baby news on his 34th birthday

NEW YORK (AP) ― It’s Justin Timberlake’s birthday, but it’s another birth date that’s on his mind ― that of his future son or daughter. Justin Timberlake (left) and Jessica Biel. (AP)The superstar shared a picture of a bulging belly ― presumably belonging to wife Jessica Biel ― on Instagram on Saturday, his 34th birthday. He wrote that he was getting the greatest gift ever this year and added: “CAN’T WAIT.”The sex of the baby is not yet known; the actor-singer joked that the couple is taking bet

PerformanceFeb. 2, 2015

Entomologist wins Sam-il cultural award

Park Kyu-tekPark Kyu-tek, one of Korea’s leading entomologists, will receive the 56th annual Sam-il Cultural Award for his contributions to natural science, Sam-il Cultural Foundation said Monday.The 70-year-old former professor of Kangwon National University is well-known for his research on moths and butterflies, and has contributed to the country’s entomological taxonomy by discovering more than 500 new types of moths, the foundation said.Sam-il Cultural Foundation, named after the March 1 In

PeopleFeb. 2, 2015

Yoon Sang-hyun, Maybee unveil wedding portraits

(RARI PHOTOS)Actor Yoon Sang-hyun and singer-songwriter Maybee revealed their wedding portraits. The couple will tie the knot next week.After confirming their intimate relationship to a local news outlet last November, they are tying the knot after 11 months of dating. In the wedding portraits, Maybee is wearing a white see-through lace dress, standing close to her groom with a big smile. Yoon is in a black luxe tuxedo, holding her in his arm.According to Yoon’s agency, the couple will keep thei

Feb. 2, 2015

K-pop girls dazzle at Gaon Awards

With K-pop stylists holding fast to the monochromatic red carpet trend, girl groups vied for attention with varied textures, daring cuts and lots of leg-show at the 2014 Gaon Chart K-pop Awards on Wednesday.The annual music awards ceremony, which took place at Seoul's Olympic Gymnastics Arena, was a star-studded event attended by veteran bands like g.o.d and newer faces like Winner.   Kara (OSEN)Kara oozed confidence in silver-embellished black outfits, complete with patent leather lace-up platf

Feb. 2, 2015

Kim Woo-bin first East Asian model for Calvin Klein Watches

Korean actor Kim Woo-bin is Calvin Klein Watches + Jewelry’s first East Asian model, it was revealed Sunday. (Harper's Bazaar)The ad campaign with Kim will begin this month.The 25-year-old is the face of domestic fashion brands such as Giordano and SIEG Fahrenheit and international labels like Merrell.The campaign was shot in Hong Kong by world-renowned fashion photographer Karim Sadli and also features Polish model Anna Jagodzinska.Kim models the new Calvin Klein Infinite and Calvin Klein Allia

Feb. 2, 2015

Suzy’s twisted charms: lovely vs. sexy

Suzy, a member of Korean-Chinese K-pop girl group Miss A, has wowed her fans with her glamorous charms. The 20-year-old singer and actress posted a close-up selfie on her Instagram account on Saturday.(INSTAGRAM)In the photo, she is wearing red lipstick and heavy eye makeup, exuding a seductive vibe. Her unique accessories and black jacket complement her chic makeup.Along with the picture, she wrote, “Hello.” The singer sent a greeting to her fans as she will be leaving for China to attend an ev

Feb. 2, 2015

Son Ye-jin to star in Chinese flick

South Korean actress Son Ye-jin will star in “Bad Guy Must Die (working title),” a Chinese film directed by Peng Xiaogang, a 56-year-old renowned director, according to Son’s agency. (OSEN)In her first Chinese movie, she will co-star with Jin Baek Rim, an up-and-coming Taiwanese actor who won the Best Actor award at Dauville Film Festival in 2012.“We recognize that Son has a solid track record with many box office hits in Korea. We are deeply grateful to her for choosing us for her first movie i

Feb. 2, 2015

Jaejoong thanks his fans in Harper's Bazaar

Fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar on Tuesday released editorial photos and interview snippets of singer-actor Jaejoong, ahead of its February issue.The K-pop star, who is a member of idol group JYJ, exuded "mysterious sex appeal" and "provocative charisma" in the black-and-white photo shoot.(Harper's Bazaar)Jaejoong thanked his fans in the accompanying interview, saying, "Sometimes, I don't like myself, so I'm really touched by all the fans who embrace me unconditionally."When I receive all their

Feb. 2, 2015

Bridal trend: Girl groups arrive for awards night

Fashion choices by K-pop girl groups at Thursday's Seoul Music Awards rang similar notes that sounded distinctly like wedding bells.Apink arrived looking like they were ready to tie the knot, wearing all-white dresses in lace, satin, chiffon and tulle. The singers completed their bridal-inspired outfits with silver jewelry and white pumps.Apink (OSEN)Apink's Son Na-eun (OSEN)Apink's Oh Ha-young (OSEN)If Apink was Odette, Girls' Generation subgroup TaeTiSeo was Odile. The trio wore black outfits,

Feb. 2, 2015

Feasting eyes on Jung Yong-hwa’s abs

K-pop idol group CNBLUE’s lead singer Jung Yong-hwa, who recently kicked off his solo career, showed off his abdominal muscles on Thursday.(Twitter)The singer uploaded a shirtless photo of himself on Twitter, saying “One Fine Day,” a reference to his newly released single.Fans were pleasantly surprised at his defined abs, posting, “When did Jung Yong-hwa build up this much muscle?,” “This is a piece of art,” “Jung now joins in the fit bodies group.”By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)

Feb. 2, 2015

Fashion battle of the boy bands

K-pop boy groups EXO, BEAST, GOT7, B1A4 and Infinite fought over the style stakes at the idol-packed 24th Seoul Music Awards on Thursday.While B1A4, GOT7 and Infinite looked remarkably similar with their monochromatic fashion choices, B1A4 took a more formal spin on the look with houndstooth suit jackets, white shirts and pants. The singers topped off their look with ribbon bowties and black combat boots.     B1A4 (OSEN)B1A4 members Sandeul and Jinyoung (OSEN)Rookie boy group GOT7 also sported h

Feb. 2, 2015

Behind tourism boom, a growing mismatch

 This is the first in a series of articles on Korea’s hospitality industry. The second will appear next week. ― Ed. Korean tourism is booming, with Chinese visitors flooding the streets of Seoul, lavish department stores and sightseeing spots. But whether the Chinese influx has been a boon to the hotel business depends on who you ask. While mid- and low-rated hotels rejoice at the surging demand, luxury hotels in Seoul are struggling to fill their rooms. “Four- to five-star hotels have been suff

TravelFeb. 1, 2015

A million rare documents damaged in Moscow library blaze

MOSCOW (AFP) ― A fire that ripped through one of Russia’s largest university libraries is believed to have damaged over one million historic documents, with some describing the fire as a cultural “Chernobyl.”The blaze, which started Friday and was still not completely out on Saturday evening, ravaged 2,000 square meters of the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences in Moscow, which was created in 1918 and holds 10 million documents with some dating back to the 16th century.  Fire

CultureFeb. 1, 2015

Late Poongsan Group founder’s wife dies at 87

Bae Jun-young, wife of the late Poongsan Group founder Ryu Chan-u, died Saturday after suffering from a chronic disease. She was 87.Bae is widely known for her passion in educating and supporting Korean women in sports.She has devoted herself to developing young talented players and supporting them with financial assistance, and worked to promote exchange programs with China and Japan. Bae Jun-young, wife of late Poongsan Group founder Ryu Chan-u. (Poongsan Group)For the past 15 years, she spons

PeopleFeb. 1, 2015

Cancer movie wins top prize at Sundance Film Festival

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” a moving drama about a teenager who befriends a classmate with cancer, won the top prize at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday.The U.S. documentary award meanwhile went to “The Wolfpack,” while in the non-U.S. categories the main prizes went to a Scottish filmmaker and a movie about Ukraine’s ongoing struggle in the shadow of its former Soviet masters. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.” (Sundance Film Festival)Sundance winners regularly go

FilmFeb. 1, 2015

McCartney likely to perform in Korea this May

Paul McCartney performs in Brazil in July. (Official Website)Paul McCartney may be performing his first in-Korea concert on May 2 at Jamsil Sports Complex, reports said. Though official announcements are yet to be made, according to industry insiders, final negotiations on concert details are well underway. McCartney was originally slated to perform in Seoul last year on May 28 in the Super Concert series organized by Hyundai Card. However, the 73-year-old musician canceled what would have been

PerformanceFeb. 1, 2015

Jay Z to acquire Wimp music service

OSLO (AFP) ― U.S. rap star Jay Z made a $56 million foray into the music streaming business Friday, buying Norway’s Wimp in a bid to compete with giants like Spotify and Apple.The platinum-selling artist and businessman used his controlling stake in Project Panther Bidco to launch a 464 million-kronor ($56 million) bid for Aspiro, the Swedish-listed company that owns Norwegian streaming service Wimp.Jay Z’s company confirmed the bid in a statement on Friday as competition heats up in the music s

PerformanceFeb. 1, 2015