Hongdae’s ‘Live Club Day’ to resume after long hiatus

Poster for “Live Club Day.” (Yonhap)An iconic Hongdae music festival will start up again after a four-year halt, a music industry official said Wednesday. According to the music agency Company F, the “Live Club Day” festival will resume on Feb. 27 with the participation of 10 live clubs and 40 teams of musicians. Live Club Day, which will be held on the last Friday of every month, will offer music lovers access to different clubs in the Hongdae area with the purchase of a single 20,000 won ($18)

PerformanceJan. 28, 2015

Diversity at Sundance doesn’t carry over to Hollywood

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ― One of the most buzzed-about movies at this year’s Sundance Film Festival is “Dope,” a coming-of-age story about three outcasts in the inner city. Written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa and featuring a diverse cast of actors, the film spawned a bidding war before domestic and international distributions rights were snapped up late Monday.But when Famuyiwa and his producing partners, including Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams, initially shopped the film around to Hollyw

FilmJan. 28, 2015

Domingo to sing in opera directed by Woody Allen

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Placido Domingo will take on his 146th role when he sings the title character of Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” in a Woody Allen production on Sept. 12, the opening night of the Los Angeles Opera 2015-16 season. Allen will return to direct his staging, which premiered in 2008, the company announced Tuesday. Domingo will conduct the second half of the double bill, a revival of Franco Zeffirelli’s 1996 production of Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” featuring Marco Berti as Canio.  Placido

PerformanceJan. 28, 2015

‘Hallyu needs next big thing’

The popularity of Korean culture and entertainment in some Asian countries, namely pop music and TV dramas, has generated much excitement at home over the past few years. The entire country is intent on figuring out the best way to capitalize on it. Yet, for the Korean Wave, or “hallyu,” to continue amid the rising tide of cultural protectionism overseas, Korea must create the next big thing in the near future, said the chief of the Korea Creative Content Agency. “The next three years are crucia

CultureJan. 27, 2015

Joseon-era exam papers to be revealed

More ancient Korean documents will be revealed to the public as part of a project of the Academy of Korean Studies to highlight Korea’s rich history and tradition, said Lee Bae-yong, president of the AKS, at a news conference on Tuesday in Seoul. “The Academy has an extensive archive of valuable ancient materials, but we haven’t been active in sharing the ancient treasures with the public. We plan to bring the valuable resources to people and let their important lessons be told in contemporary s

CultureJan. 27, 2015

South-North duo make TV trip to Japan

Two 31-year-old friends embark on a journey to a Japanese spa town in a new TV travel series, where they try out mackerel sushi and Japanese ramen.Comedian Ahn Young-mi is fascinated with the unique taste of the fish, but North Korean defector Lee Eun-hye can’t stand the fishy taste after taking a bite. In the three-episode travel program, “Hiking Together,” the unusual South-North pair visit Shirahama, Wakayama prefecture, for four days. Comedian Ahn Young-mi (right) and North Korean defector L

TelevisionJan. 27, 2015

Botched repair of Tut mask reversible: German conservator

CAIRO (AFP) ― The damage caused by a botched repair of the mask of Tutankhamun that left dried glue on the priceless relic may be undone with careful treatment, a German conservator said Saturday.The golden funerary mask, one of the main tourist attractions at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, bears the sticky aftermath of what appears to have been overzealous use of glue to fix its beard in place.The beard had fallen off accidently when the mask was removed from its case last year to repair the lig

CultureJan. 26, 2015

When K-pop meets technology

In Korea, one of the world’s most wired and tech-savvy countries, music and entertainment mingles with futuristic gimmicks. Holograms and virtual reality technologies are being increasingly deployed as an alternative to live performances as Seoul seeks to entertain the burgeoning group of K-pop fans visiting the home country of their idols. Although it may sound creepy to some, hologram concerts and virtual spaces where fans can digitally interact with their idols are a real business here, with

PerformanceJan. 26, 2015

‘Birdman’ wins PGA best film ahead of Oscars

LOS ANGELES, (AFP) ― Dark comedy “Birdman” took home best movie at the Producers Guild Awards Saturday, boosting its status ahead of the much-anticipated Oscars next month. The film, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, beat industry favorites and leading Academy Awards contenders including coming-of-age tale “Boyhood,” stylish crime caper “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and World War II code-breaking thriller “The Imitation Game.” “I feel humbled by this. All these films nominated this year have

FilmJan. 26, 2015

Rihanna goes for acoustic sound with McCartney

NEW YORK, (AFP) ― Rihanna, who has topped the charts with a pop-driven R&B sound, has unveiled a new acoustic song in a collaboration with Beatles legend Paul McCartney.Rihanna unexpectedly late Saturday released the new single, “FourFiveSeconds,” which features the Barbados-born singer’s signature robust voice but has a minimal backdrop of McCartney’s guitar strumming without percussion or electronic elements. The song also features verses sung by rapper Kanye West. The track is the latest coll

PerformanceJan. 26, 2015

Busan film fest chief pressured to resign

The organizing committee of the Busan International Film Festival is locking horns with the host city after Busan demanded the resignation of the festival’s chief organizer in what movie industry insiders see as an attempt by the city to undermine the independence of Korea’s most successful festival. Busan City openly called for the resignation of Lee Yong-kwan, the festival’s director since 2010 along with the release of its audit results on the festival organization.  Lee Yong-kwan, director o

FilmJan. 26, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘It was destiny’

When novelist Jeon Kyung-ae watched the first 10 minutes of the recent box-office hit “Ode to My Father,” she was surprised and deeply touched to see the U.S. merchant ship SS Meredith Victory in the flick. The ship, designed to carry only 60 people, evacuated 14,000 civilian refugees fleeing from communist troops, sailing from Heungnam Port in present day North Korea to Geojedo Island, in South Gyeongsang Province, during the Korean War in the rescue effort known as the “Heungnam evacuation” in

BooksJan. 25, 2015

Experts examine bones as Spain hunts for Cervantes’ remains

MADRID (AP) ― Forensic experts began excavating graves and examining bones Saturday in a tiny chapel in Madrid, hoping to solve the centuries-old mystery of exactly where the great Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes was laid to rest.The author of “Don Quixote” was buried in 1616 at the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians in Madrid’s historic Barrio de las Letras, or Literary Quarter, but the exact whereabouts of his grave within the convent chapel are unknown. A team of archaeologists and anthr

CultureJan. 25, 2015