Jeff Bernat returning to Seoul for concerts

Up-and-coming R&B singer-songwriter and producer Jeff Bernat is making his way back to Korea with a special three-day concert series to be held in Seoul next month. Bernat is slated to perform three live shows on Oct. 17-19 at the Lotte Card Art Center. This will be the artist’s second time to Seoul this year after performing a sold-out show at Uniqlo AX Hall earlier in January. The 24-year-old artist from Reno, Nevada, is slowly starting to gain recognition as a soulful R&B artist and has garne

PerformanceSept. 10, 2014

Groceryships: Women find nutrition feeds conversations about life’s ups and downs

LOS ANGELES ― Every Wednesday evening, the women sit in a circle of folding chairs in a bungalow at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in South L.A. There’s always a box of tissues in the center; it rarely goes unused.They come to talk about food.They talk about how to make brown rice or cut back on salt. They talk about neighborhoods filled with fried chicken, barbecue, pizza and burger places.And they talk about how hard it has been, working the overnight shift at Target, to dig yourself and six boys

CultureSept. 10, 2014

Fab 50th: Friends say 1964 Beatles concert changed their lives

BALTIMORE ― It was important to look your best. After all, The Beatles were in town.For four 15-year-old girls preparing to head into downtown Baltimore for a rock concert, such matters were vital. Who knew what could happen?“In my mind, I thought for sure that Paul’s gonna love me, he’s gonna see me ― in my little-girl fantasies, he’ll know that eventually he’ll marry me,” explains Judy Comotto, now 65 and recently retired from running the continuing education program at Roland Park Country Sch

PerformanceSept. 10, 2014

Movement born out of childbirth trauma

ST. LOUIS, Missouri ― At first, Erin Shetler was angry the doctor had performed the procedures without her knowing. He had cut her vaginal opening, used vacuum extraction to deliver her baby and reached into her uterus to remove the placenta ― all of which carry risks.A month after the birth of her daughter, Shetler started to withdraw. She had nightmares and flashbacks, unable to stop replaying what happened.Everyone told her that she had a healthy baby, that nothing else mattered. But that jus

CultureSept. 10, 2014

‘Mommy’s boy‘ MBLAQ Lee Joon spotted in cinema with mother

Lee Joon from the boy group MBLAQ recently went on a “movie date” with his mother.A fan on Tuesday uploaded a photo of Lee Joon and his mother having a good time at a theater in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul. The two went to see “My Brilliant Life,” the fan wrote. According to the uploader, Lee Joon escorted his mother to a cafe after the film. Lee was wearing a cap, a hoody and glasses, but did not conceal himself with a huge mask as many celebrities do, the fan said. He seemed to be having a good day

Sept. 10, 2014

Fans go crazy over 2PM’s ‘Go Crazy’ M/V

“Go Crazy,” the title track of 2PM’s latest album, has gained massive popularity since its release on Wednesday.The music video was revealed on the official Facebook and Twitter accounts of 2PM and JYP Entertainment.In the music video, 2PM members dance under a disco light. Then they move into a warehouse and continue to dance frantically.The boy band’s energetic and powerful dance moves, including a move nicknamed “the motorcycle dance,” were more than enough to excite the viewers.“Go Crazy” wa

Sept. 10, 2014

David Oh grieves for ‘We Got Married’ partner RiSe

David Oh and Ladies' Code Kwon RiSe appear on MBC's reality show "We Got Married."Singer David Oh grieved at the funeral of Ladies’ Code Kwon RiSe on Tuesday, mourning the death of his fictional wife from MBC’s reality show “We Got Married.”Oh bid farewell to Kwon at the funeral at Korea University Hospital with fellow singer Lee Tae-gon. In 2010, Oh and Kwon appeared on MBC’s singing survival show “The Great Birth.” Two years later, the two became the perfect pseudo husband and wife on popular

Sept. 10, 2014

Park Si-yeon to play star anchorwoman

Actress Park Si-yeon plays star anchorwoman in the upcoming TV Chosun drama “The Best Marriage.” (TV Chosun)Still-cuts of actress Park Si-yeon were released on Wednesday, giving audiences a peep into the upcoming TV Chosun drama “The Best Marriage.” The photos show the actress elegantly dressed as star anchorwoman Cha Gi-young, the show’s heroine.The Saturday-Sunday drama kicks off on Sept. 27.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Sept. 10, 2014

Yunho, Jung Il-woo signal alliance to save Joseon

Actors Yunho (top) and Jung Il-woo (center). (MBC)Lead actor Jung Il-woo and actor-singer Yunho of TVXQ set off to become night watchmen in the latest episode of MBC’s epic television series “The Night Watchman,” aired on Tuesday. In the show, Prince Yi Lin (Jung) begins persuading swordsman Moo-suk (Yunho) to join him in fighting off the demon that has been spreading a fatal disease throughout the country. Moo-suk is skeptical about Yi Lin’s ghostbuster project at first, but is persuaded when h

Sept. 10, 2014

Psy, BigBang to end Asiad's opening, closing ceremonies

 South Korean rapper Psy and boy band BigBang will perform the finales of the opening and closing ceremonies, respectively, at the Asian Games later this month, their management agency said Sunday.The 2014 Asian Games will kick off on Sept. 19 for a 16-day run in Incheon, a metropolitan city west of Seoul.Psy, whose music video "Gangnam Style" catapulted him to global stardom in 2012, will stage the last act of the opening ceremony on Sept. 19, while BigBang will perform the last act of the clos

Sept. 7, 2014

Ladies’ Code RiSe dies after surgery: agency

Singer Kwon Ri-sae, also known as Rise (Osen)RiSe of the Ladies’ Code died Sunday, failing to recover from a car accident last week that claimed the life of another member of the K-pop group.The 23-year-old singer, whose real name is Kwon Ri-sae, had sustained a severe injury to the head after the van she was in skidded off the road and crashed into a protective wall early Wednesday. Fellow group member Koh EunB died shortly after the accident, while three other members suffered injuries.“RiSe p

Sept. 7, 2014

Sweden’s Andersson wins Golden Lion at Venice fest

Director Roy Andersson poses for photographers with his Golden Lion for Best Film for his movie A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence following the awards ceremony of the 71th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday (AP-Yonhap News)VENICE, Italy (AP) _ Swedish director Roy Andersson won the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion on Saturday for his absurdist drama “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence.” That counts as a feel-good ending to a contest whos

FilmSept. 7, 2014

[Weekender] Chuseok for modern Korean families

Family members dressed in traditional hanbok gather for the ancestral rite early in the morning on Chuseok, which falls on Aug. 15 on the lunar calendar. Dozens of dishes are laid out on the table for the rite, prepared by female family members over several days. After the ceremony, family members eat breakfast together. They make up for living apart in different regions by spending time together making songpyeong, a half-moon-shaped rice cake eaten during Chuseok. Such typical Chuseok scenes ar

CultureSept. 5, 2014

[Weekender] Early Chuseok advances harvesttime

JANGSU, North Jeolla Province ― This year’s Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day, falls in the second week of September, the earliest in 38 years. Chuseok, one of the major traditional Korean holidays, celebrates the fall harvest and abundance on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. The moon is said to look fuller on Chuseok than on any other day.But the early Chuseok this year has advanced the harvesttime and delivery start for products and gifts by two weeks to a month. Chuseok

TravelSept. 5, 2014

[Weekender] Chuseok’s diverse culinary traditions

In kitchens across the nation, families gather together to make traditional Korean dishes for Chuseok, one of South Korea’s largest annual holidays. This Sunday, households will be busy crafting songpyeon, half-moon-shaped rice cakes, and other delicacies to offer up to ancestors in appreciation of a good harvest this coming Monday morning. Those ceremonial tables, loaded to bursting with carefully prepared food, will vary from home to home, serving as edible symbols of the foodways of each fami

FoodSept. 5, 2014

[Weekender] Parks, folk villages offer variety of festive choices

Chuseok, oftentimes referred to as Korean Thanksgiving, is one of the country’s most celebrated holidays and ushers in the fall season. Traditionally a time to spend at home with family members and loved ones, Chuseok is all about sharing in the riches of good company and good eats. However, for those looking for ways to spend the upcoming holiday outside the home, Seoul has countless destinations that are offering wide-ranging events and activities for both locals and expats alike. These opport

CultureSept. 5, 2014

[Weekender] Substitute holiday system in force

This year’s exceptionally early Chuseok holidays mark the first time the “substitute holiday system,” which guarantees an extra day off in lieu of public holidays that fall on a Sunday, will be implemented. As expected, all government organizations and most large companies will observe the extra holiday, whereas many small and medium-sized businesses cannot afford to offer a day off, to the dismay of their employees.The departure terminal of Incheon International Airport is crowded with travelle

CultureSept. 5, 2014

Finding beauty in ancestral rites

As the Chuseok holiday approaches, the life of Cho Gwi-bun is beginning to resemble that of a student preparing for an important exam. From a long to-do list, which mostly consists of grocery shopping, preparing the ingredients and cooking, she prioritizes and organizes daily tasks and gets her act together according to her plan. She tries to stay fit for the big day, avoiding any chance of catching a cold or flu.All of her endeavors will culminate in the setting of a table on Chuseok morning. T

CultureSept. 5, 2014

Calendar

Pop music“Let’s Rock Festival”: The upcoming “Let’s Rock Festival” is gearing up to feature some of the country’s most notable indie bands in a two-day outdoor rock fest. The festival will include headlining acts Clazziquai Project, Peppertones, Zitten, Sister’s Barbershop, Crying Nut, No Brain, Guckkasten and Rose Motel as well as more than 30 other acts. The two-day indie music festival will be held at the Nanji Hangang Park on Sept. 20 and 21. Ticket prices are listed at 66,000 won for a one-

CultureSept. 5, 2014