Apink. (Yonhap)Returning to the stage with the group’s new “Pink LUV” EP, the ladies of Apink have knocked the good boys G-Dragon and Taeyang off their throne, topping all the local music charts on Monday with their new lead single, “LUV.”Although the new six-track, EP dropped a week later than originally scheduled due to unforeseen production needs, the album’s lead track “LUV” managed to quickly climb its way to the No. 1 spot just hours after its release on all the major online music charts i

Nov. 24, 2014

Gayoon of 4Minute. (Cube Entertainment)Gayoon of K-pop girl group 4Mintue has taken a stab at showing off her melancholy vocals with her cover of label mates BEAST’s latest chart-topping single “12:30.” Unlike the electro-dance beat and drum heavy original version of the popular BEAST track, on Monday Gayoon released her own solo take of the single, stripping out the pop feel of the song and turning it into a softer, more soulful ballad. The lead single “12:30” was first released by BEAST in Oct

Nov. 24, 2014

The show that launched the careers of Park Ji-min, Lee Hi, brother-sister duo Akdong Musician and Bernard Park has finally returned for its fourth season. The popular reality survival K-pop audition program “K-pop Star 4” aired its first episode on Sunday, and is looking to up the excitement by featuring an all-new guest judges format. A screen capture of the first episode of “K-pop Star 4.” (YouTube)Similar to last year’s show, this season will include the program’s three main judges ― Yang Hyu

Nov. 24, 2014

American girls love British boys: One Direction won artist of the year at the American Music Awards, taking home three honors and was the night’s big winner next to Katy Perry, who didn’t attend the show. One Direction also won favorite band, duo or group ― pop/rock and favorite album ― pop/rock for “Midnight Memories” at the fan-voted show on Sunday night. “This has been a real perfect day. ... America feels like a second home to us,” Liam Payne said onstage with his band mates when they won th

PerformanceNov. 24, 2014

The fourth edition of the Herald Design Forum is bringing together the world’s most prominent designers and industry experts in Seoul to discuss innovations driven by design thinking. Gurus in architecture, product design, fashion, urban design and art toys will give lectures and lead discussions between industry experts and Korean audiences. Here are brief introductions of the key speakers at the 2014 Herald Design Forum, to be held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Nov. 26. Rem Koolha

Arts & DesignNov. 23, 2014

Sustainable design isn’t just about reducing environmental impacts.“It can (also) be about design that tackles some of the world’s big sustainability challenges like climate change, resource shortages, waste and poverty, access to water, poverty and equality,” said British product designer Matthew Cockerill in an email interview.Cockerill, associate design director at Seymourpowell who is taking part as a speaker in the Herald Design Forum 2014, stressed how IT could be more sustainable. Matthew

Arts & DesignNov. 23, 2014

When Kim Sung-nyo began her three-year term as artistic director of the state-run National Changgeuk Company of Korea in March 2012, she had two things in mind. First was to lure younger and livelier audiences to changgeuk, Korean traditional opera based on pansori, a type of folk narrative. The second was to introduce diverse new forms and styles in changgeuk shows in an effort to transform it from an overlooked genre to the heart of the performing arts scene in Korea. “I was shocked when repor

CultureNov. 23, 2014

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― ‘Tis the season when many stars are preparing for months-long campaigns with the distant hope of bringing home an Academy Award come February. But winning isn’t the only way to snag one of the coveted statuettes. Enthusiastic collectors with several hundred thousand to spare can achieve Oscar glory at the right auction house. And they could do it next as soon as the weekend. The latest prize to go under the hammer is James Cagney’s 1942 Best Actor Oscar for his role in “Yankee

FilmNov. 23, 2014

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Church, pickup trucks and dive bars ― the imagery of classic country songs evokes “traditional” small-town American life. Now a rising number of openly gay crooners are testing just how inclusive that vision can be.Two prominent singers came out of the closet within hours of each other on Thursday. Ty Herndon, who rose to stardom in the 1990s with both love ballads and Christian songs, declared himself to be an “out, proud and happy gay man.”Herndon, who at 52 has been married t

PerformanceNov. 23, 2014

MELBOURNE, Florida (AP) ― As Bill Cosby’s standup tour crumbled with shows canceled in six states, the embattled entertainer received standing ovations from a sold-out crowd when he took the stage and when he left it Friday in Florida. Performances in Oklahoma, Nevada, Illinois, Arizona, South Carolina and Washington State, though, were called off as more women come forward accusing the entertainer of sexually assaulting them many years ago. The director of The Broadway Center in Tacoma, Washing

TelevisionNov. 23, 2014

No Hong-chulThe police plan to revoke the driver’s license of TV entertainer No Hong-chul and fine him for driving while drunk, investigators said Sunday. The 35-year-old show host and comedian was caught on Nov. 7 while driving his Mercedes-Benz Smart minicar under the influence in southern Seoul. He apologized after the incident and withdrew from all TV shows.No is one of the six cohosts of the popular entertainment show “Infinite Challenge,” which has aired on MBC since 2006. He is also the s

TelevisionNov. 23, 2014

MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP)--As Bill Cosby's standup tour crumbled with shows canceled in six states, the embattled entertainer received standing ovations from a sold-out crowd when he took the stage and when he left it Friday in Florida. Performances in Oklahoma, Nevada, Illinois, Arizona, South Carolina and Washington State, though, were called off as more women come forward accusing the entertainer of sexually assaulting them many years ago. The director of The Broadway Center in Tacoma, Washington,

TelevisionNov. 22, 2014

A couple asked architect Cho Min-suk to build “the most unique house in the world” in the scenic area of Heyri in Paju, a town near the border with North Korea. The couple believed that the design of their house would affect their children’s behavior and thinking. “The couple told me they didn’t want their kids to grow up in a thicket of identical-looking box-like apartments and look at the same views as others,” said Cho at the press preview of his architecture exhibition on Tuesday. Experts sa

Arts & DesignNov. 21, 2014

Sitting at a dinner table with strangers, it is often hard to avoid the awkward silence.You try to think of what to say but you are not sure what would be appropriate. This is when you turn to the one thing that is always safe as an ice breaker ― food.Everybody is interested in food. Food is the universal medium of communication.Peter Callahan, who is participating as a speaker at the Herald Design Forum that opens on Nov. 26, made his name as a food stylist by reinventing food into a fabulous m

Arts & DesignNov. 21, 2014

This is the sixth in a series that examines the expanding role of design in the run-up to the Herald Design Forum 2014 on Nov. 26. ― Ed.“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works,” said Steve Jobs as he gave a new lease of life to ailing Apple Inc. by transplanting design into its heart.Had its purpose been merely artistic inspiration, design would have remained a subcategory of art.Design, however, plays a functional role in association with products and even

Arts & DesignNov. 21, 2014

“Art has no boundaries. The boundary of art is the boundary of ideas, and ideas have no limits. If you can think it, you can make it happen with lots of hard work. You can create whatever you imagine,” said Chris Riggs, creator of the art toy Dunny, in an email interview.“I plan to use more gold, silver and Barbie dolls in my new paintings and sculptures and I am currently using a Chanel bag with gold and silver bars coming out of it as an installation.”Riggs creates art with a single theme ― lo

Arts & DesignNov. 21, 2014