Bob Dylan can't make Nobel ceremony: Swedish Academy

STOCKHOLM (AFP) -- Music icon Bob Dylan will not attend the Nobel ceremony in December to accept his literature prize because he has “other commitments,” the Swedish Academy said Wednesday. “The Swedish Academy received a personal letter from Bob Dylan yesterday where he explained that he could not make himself available in December,” it said in a statement. “He wishes that he could accept the award personally, but other commitments make it unfortunately impossible. He underlined that he feels i

PerformanceNov. 17, 2016

Pink diamond steals show at Geneva auction, fetches $18m

GENEVA (AP) -- A 17.07-carat pink diamond sold for a hammer price of 18.3 million Swiss francs ($18.3 million) at a Geneva jewelry auction Wednesday, cruising past both its presale estimate and the winning bid for the “Sky Blue” diamond billed as the event’s standout piece. The step-cut pink diamond, set in a ring between triangular white diamonds, had been expected to draw a maximum of 14.76 million francs. Instead, it sold at Sotheby’s for more than the 8.01-carat “Sky Blue” diamond, which car

CultureNov. 17, 2016

Mexican pyramid built like a ‘Russian nesting doll’

MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Experts have discovered a third structure within the Kukulkan pyramid in eastern Mexico, revealing that it was built like a “Russian nesting doll,” experts said Wednesday.A 10-meter tall pyramid was found within another 20-meter structure, which itself is enveloped by the 30-meter pyramid visible at the Mayan archeological complex known as Chichen Itza in Yucatan state.The smallest pyramid was built between the years 550 and 800, engineers and anthropologists said.The middle

CultureNov. 17, 2016

One year after Chopin win, Cho Seong-jin still relaxed

Last year, pianist Cho Seong-jin caused a sensation when he became the first Korean to win the International Chopin Piano Competition at the age of 21. Over 90,000 copies of his two live albums were sold in Korea within a month. Classical music experts around the world lauded the “expressive nuance” of Cho’s interpretations. Naturally, Korean parents wondered how he had been educated.“My parents never pressured me. My mom didn’t even expect I would keep playing the piano. My dad told me to quit

PerformanceNov. 16, 2016

Artist Lee U-fan’s forgery scandal continues

Three people have been arrested for allegedly forging and selling copies of artist Lee U-fan’s paintings, the Seoul Metropolitan Police said Tuesday.　An art dealer only identified by the surname Gu, her husband Kim and painter Park are suspected of having created six of 13 seized paintings thought to be forgeries of works by well-known painter Lee U-fan. Painter Lee maintains that the 13 paintings in questions are his authentic works.Police said Gu and Kim are suspected of distributing some 40 c

PerformanceNov. 16, 2016

K-pop stars return with new ballad releases

K-pop stars behind some of this year’s hit summer tracks are returning with new ballad releases just in time for the cold days ahead. Gearing up to unveil its first EP in over a year is the ballad group SG Wannabe. The trio revealed teaser clips for each of the tracks, including the title single “I am Missing You,” from its upcoming mini album “Our Days” on the group’s official social media channels on Wednesday morning.  Written and produced in part by SG Wannabe members, the five-track album w

PerformanceNov. 16, 2016

Tragedy, hope and a little magic mix in 'Faithful'

“Faithful” By Alice HoffmanSimon & Schuster (272 pages, $26) Shelby is that girl in high school -- the smart one who seems popular and happy when basking in the reflected glow of her best friend, with whom she has glided through life without a care.It all changes in their senior year, when Shelby’s beautiful, bossy friend Helene bullies Shelby into driving to a boy’s house one cold winter night. He wants to break up with Helene, and she wants to get revenge by throwing a brick through his window

BooksNov. 16, 2016

How electric guitar came to dominate music world

“Play It Loud” By Brad Tolinski and Alan di PernaDoubleday (379 pages, $26.95) The scream of the electric guitar was the dominant soundtrack of the 20th century.First developed to provide louder rhythm backup for big bands of the Swing Era, the electric guitar then killed the big bands, feasted on their corpses and looked for its next victim.Like Brando slouching against a jukebox in “The Wild One” -- a movie that came out just as the electric guitar was taking over the music world -- it’s an in

BooksNov. 16, 2016

Portman praises Jackie Kennedy's generosity

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- She is famous for jealously guarding her privacy, favoring a small wedding to a lavish celebrity ceremony and taking her grandmother’s maiden name to shield her family from the limelight.But Natalie Portman said Monday portraying grief-stricken Jacqueline Kennedy had taught her the virtue of celebrities giving more of themselves to the public.“Jackie,” Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain’s first English-language feature, is a searing and intimate portrait of the first lady in th

FilmNov. 16, 2016

Rediscovered Kahlo painting going to auction in NY

NEW YORK (AP) -- A rediscovered painting by Frida Kahlo is going to auction this month in New York.The 1929 portrait, called “Nieuroa con Collar” or “Girl with Necklace,” will be part of Sotheby’s Latin America: Modern Art sale on Nov. 22. Its presale estimate is $1.5 million to $2 million.Kahlo’s husband, artist Diego Rivera, gave the work to her personal assistant in 1955, the year after she died.Until it surfaced over the summer, the only record of the portrait had been a black-and-white phot

PerformanceNov. 16, 2016

Charming stories of English village life in 'Notwithstanding'

“Notwithstanding”By Louis de BernieresVintage (372 pages, $16)“Notwithstanding,” the new collection of 22 short stories from Louis de Bernieres, is utterly charming. And, no, that’s not damning with faint praise.Charming is a quaint, old-fashioned word, and this is a quaint book, originally released in England in 2009, that captures the quirky characters in an old-fashioned English village, called, of course, “Notwithstanding.”But while the stories in this collection are sweet, there’s no treacl

BooksNov. 16, 2016

Short, masterful take on Hitchcock's life and works

“Alfred Hitchcock: A Brief Life” By Peter AckroydDoubleday (276 pages, $26.95)There are days when an 800-page biography of some fascinating person is just what we want to dive into. And then, there are days when we feel less ambitious; when we want to immerse ourselves in someone’s life, but can't quite summon the intestinal fortitude to crack the spine of a doorstop. Behold that very useful literary form: the short biography.The celebrated British biographer Peter Ackroyd has written a handful

BooksNov. 16, 2016

Biggest names in Korean entertainment to attend 2016 Asia Artist Awards

Global Hallyu stars are getting together Wednesday for the 2016 Asia Artist Awards. 　The awards ceremony, in its first iteration this year, aims to recognize Korean entertainers who rose to international fame across Asia this year.　A panel of judges will decide the final winners, but fans have already voted online to determine the finalists for three of the awards’ categories.  Boy band EXO earned 40 percent of votes to emerge as the top candidate for the most popular musician category. Meanwhil

TelevisionNov. 15, 2016