Amid THAAD spat, 'Saimdang' director hopes to bring the show to China

Director of the highly-anticipated Lee Young-ae drama "Saimdang, Memoir of Colors' on Tuesday asked Beijing to approve his show's Chinese broadcast amid a reported Korean culture ban sparked by diplomatic tension between the two countries."About the subject of simultaneous airing in China, its true that Korea-China (cultural) relation was better before (the Korean pop culture ban). But the fact is 'Saimdang' approval (byregulators) remains pending," Director Yoon Sang-ho said during a press conf

TelevisionJan. 17, 2017

Suzy sweeps music charts with solo track, beats Seohyun

Suzy of MissA topped major Korean music charts with a new solo track Tuesday, emerging triumphant in a highly anticipated face-off with Seohyun of Girls’ Generation.Suzy’s “Pretend” was the No. 1 song as of 8 a.m. on eight streaming services, including Melon, Mnet, Genie, Olleh Music and Naver Music. Her full EP album will be released on Jan. 24.Seohyun’s “Don’t Say No,” which also came out Tuesday, stood in second place on Mnet and Olleh Music, third on Bugs Music and 19th on Melon. Both releas

PerformanceJan. 17, 2017

Sundance to ‘engage and provoke’ with focus on climate

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The Sundance Film Festival opens in Utah Thursday, promising to set the agenda for independent cinema and starting the 2018 Oscars buzz a month before this year‘s statuettes are awarded.The annual gathering, founded in 1985 by iconic screen outlaw Robert Redford, turns the lens on 118 independent features, as Hollywood descends on the ski resort of Park City for the 33rd edition.“From the passion and chaos of creativity, independent filmmakers make decisions to harness that e

FilmJan. 17, 2017

Rain to wed actress Kim Tae-hee

Singer Rain announced Tuesday he plans to marry Kim Tae-hee, an actress he has dated for over four years. “I am going to be a good husband and man as a head of one family,” he said in a handwritten letter posted on his Instagram account earlier in the day. “She has always kept her place beside me whenever I am in hard times or happy and showed affection in many ways,” he said. Singer Rain Actress Kim Tae-heeThe date of marriage was not given, with Rain only saying, “Regarding the time and the we

PerformanceJan. 17, 2017

Quaker group marks centennial with ‘Waging Peace’ exhibit

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The American Friends Service Committee is celebrating 100 years of nonviolent activism with an exhibition, “Waging Peace,” that showcases the group’s accomplishments while also illustrating work that remains to be done.General Secretary Shan Cretin hopes both aspects of the exhibit inspire visitors.“We don’t want to just be looking backward, (but) a lot of the issues that are so urgent today -- how we treat immigrants, racial justice issues -- are issues we have been working

CultureJan. 17, 2017

‘Blacklist’ actors perform against government oppression

Artists on the government’s blacklist of anti-Park Geun-hye cultural figures were placed at a disadvantage in competing for state funding, as they were labelled by the Park administration as left-wing biased. Now, they have set up a stage of their own in Gwanghwamun Square in the heart of downtown Seoul to hit back at the government by performing precisely what it did not want to see. Black Tent is a makeshift theater inside a giant tent that hosts plays and performances dealing with social issu

CultureJan. 17, 2017

Coming of age for Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun

Twenty-six is hardly an age fit to be called “a girl” but Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun has always been associated with youth, as the star was most widely-known for being the youngest member of the K-pop behemoth.“I’ve always shown myself (to the public) as the youngest among the Girls’ Generation. Now I wish to show what I can offer as a singer, and as a person,” she said in the showcase for “Don’t Say No,” her first album as a solo artist.The baby-faced singer has had more than her share of expe

PerformanceJan. 17, 2017

Artists seek legal action against government

A group of cultural figures in Korea on Monday announced it would file a lawsuit against the Park Geun-hye administration for the “blacklist” it kept of anti-government artists. Comprised of groups including Cultural Action, Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) and others in the culture circle, the association for legal action on the blacklist held a press conference to publicly invite fellow artists as plaintiffs in its lawsuit.“The Park administration abused the inherent disadvantage of

CultureJan. 16, 2017

Where have all the women gone?

Female-led films and storylines will likely be a rarity on the big screen in 2017. Korean cinema this year, similar to previous years, seems set to be rife with political thrillers that critique its players’ individual greed and ambition, while focusing on male characters. According to tentative schedules released by some of Korea’s major film distributors CJ Entertainment, Lotte Entertainment, Showbox and Next Entertainment World, the majority of films awaiting release in the upcoming months ar

FilmJan. 16, 2017

Dolce&Gabbana courts millennials, Plein launches activewear

MILAN (AP) -- If turmoil brings innovation and renovation, Italian menswear is in for a creative burst.Fashion houses are continuing their reboot of Milan Fashion Week menswear offerings, with notables like Bottega Veneta and Gucci sitting out this round, preferring to combine menswear and womenswear previews next month. That is making room for a plethora of newcomers.The data indicates that menswear is worth the rethink. Euromonitor market research forecasts that between now and 2020, growth in

Arts & DesignJan. 16, 2017

Prada goes in search of the naive, Missoni bursts with color

MILAN (AP) -- This is the season of renewal, with new faces at some of Milan’s top fashion brands.New creative directors made their debuts Sunday during the second day of Milan Fashion Week at Salvatore Ferragamo and Dirk Bikkembergs, days after Marni and Zegna set off in a new direction. Roberto Cavalli and Brioni, meanwhile, took a runway break this season as they worked out what their future creative directions would be after parting ways with their stylists.Here are some highlights of menswe

Arts & DesignJan. 16, 2017

Repaired and ready: Venue where young Dylan played reopens

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (AP) -- Bob Dylan would surely still recognize the low-ceilinged room in Caffe Lena where he played a couple of gigs almost 60 years ago. But just about everything else about a venue that bills itself as the nation’s oldest continuously operating coffeehouse has undergone some major upgrades as part of a $2 million renovation project bankrolled in part by folk music performers themselves. Dylan performed twice there early in his career, when the young singer born in Mi

PeopleJan. 16, 2017

Singer Rain back with ‘Best Present’

Rain is back with the release of his single “Best Present” after a three-year break in his singing career.The single was released midnight Sunday. It garnered a solid response from the public, reaching No. 13 on Genie’s daily music chart, while marking No. 2 on Mnet’s. “Thank you for all the attention, even though it has been three years. I will be releasing a dance number, soon,” the singer said via Twitter. Co-written and produced by Psy and Yoo Gun-hyung, the R&B song has lyrics depicting a c

PerformanceJan. 16, 2017

Milan’s Brera protects artworks after humidity system fails

MILAN (AP) - Restorers at Milan’s famous Brera Art Gallery have taken measures to protect the collection after its humidity control system failed during a “once-in-a-decade” dry, cold spell that moved through Milan last weekend, officials said.　 Donato Bramante’s “Christ at the Column” and a Bastiani piece were removed from their exhibit spaces for immediate stabilization and 40 other artworks were patched with protective Japanese rice paper to ensure their paint surfaces didn’t crack under the

PerformanceJan. 16, 2017

‘Reality TV’ campaigning is part of new political world

NEW YORK (AP) -- Donald Trump proved you could ride reality TV fame to the White House. Former US Rep. Anthony Weiner proved that having a film crew around can just compound the embarrassment of a political free fall.Now, a young Republican is following in their footsteps by allowing a documentary film crew to shadow him as he considers a run this year to unseat New York City’s mayor, Democrat Bill de Blasio.Eric Ulrich, a 31-year-old city councilman who favors rights to abortion and gay marriag

TelevisionJan. 16, 2017

No digital Carrie Fisher planned for future Star Wars

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- The producers behind Star Wars said they will not digitally recreate the late Carrie Fisher’s likeness in future episodes of the film franchise.In July, “Star Wars: Episode VIII” wrapped up shooting with Fisher reprising her role as the character initially known as Princess Leia she first performed in the first installment of the franchise released in 1977. Fisher, who died last month days after suffering from cardiac arrest, had been expected to have a role in Episode IX, e

FilmJan. 16, 2017

[Herald Interview] Yoo Hae-jin still finds each film set ‘new’

The public perception of actor Yoo Hae-jin has changed over the years. In the early years of his career, he was regarded primarily as a comical sidekick before being recognized as a colorful supporting actor in Korean cinema. Last year, Yoo nabbed his first lead role after 24 years in show business. He starred in the action-comedy flick “Luck-Key” as an assassin-turned-struggling actor, and the film was a box office success here, selling over 6.5 million tickets and marking a breakthrough for Yo

FilmJan. 15, 2017

Exo, Twice grab top honors at Golden Disc awards

K-pop sensations Exo and Twice scooped up the grand prizes for the best album and best song of the year at the 31st annual Golden Disc Awards.The annual award show has been decorating the most prominent artists in Korea since 1986. Since 2006, it has been holding separate ceremonies for best album and best song categories. Exo’s third studio album “Ex’Act” landed the boy band its fourth consecutive grand prize in the album category. The accolade wrapped up another impressive year for the K-pop j

PerformanceJan. 15, 2017