Ang Lee predicts China box office to dwarf Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Taiwanese-born filmmaker Ang Lee predicted Friday that the Chinese film market was about to explode, not only overtaking but dwarfing the American box office in a matter of years.The two-time Oscar winner said executives in the world‘s second economy used to rely on him as a bridge to Hollywood, but the newly-confident Chinese film industry no longer finds it necessary.“It’s huge, it‘s going to be bigger in a few years,” the 62-year-old told reporters on the red carpet at th

FilmOct. 30, 2016

Jennifer Lopez set for NBC’s ‘Bye Bye Birdie Live!’ in 2017

NEW YORK (AP) -- Say hello to Jennifer Lopez in NBC‘s forthcoming “Bye Bye Birdie.”NBC says the actress-singer will headline its 2017 live holiday musical. She will play Rosie, the role originated on Broadway in 1960 by Chita Rivera.Tony Award-winning Harvey Fierstein will write the script.“Bye Bye Birdie Live!” airs a year from now as the next in NBC’s annual live-musical tradition. “Hairspray Live!,” starring newcomer Maddie Baillio, is set to air on Dec. 7. Jennifer Lopez performs at a Get Ou

PerformanceOct. 30, 2016

Tongyeong Int’l Music Fest 2017 to celebrate Yun I-sang on composer’s centennial

Tickets sales for the annual Tongyeong International Music Festival 2017 have officially opened. Next year’s TIMF is of particular importance as it celebrates the centennial year of the birth of the late Tongyeong composer Yun I-sang. The event will be held from March 31 to April 9 under the theme, “From Asia to the World.” “A 100th anniversary is important. Maybe more important than any other anniversary,” said Florian Riem, CEO of Tongyeong International Music Festival Foundation, during a pre

PerformanceOct. 30, 2016

AfreecaTV unveils new profit-sharing plans after stock plunges

AfreecaTV, South Korea’s biggest video-streaming platform, has pledged to offer a fair profit-sharing scheme to streamers after its shares plummeted. The move came after four of its top streamers decided to leave AfreecaTV in favor of YouTube over profit-sharing issues. Investors took the departure of heavyweights as a bad sign. Shares of AfreecaTV went down by as much as 14 percent over the past two weeks to trade at 25,150 won in early Friday trading on the KOSDAQ. AfreecaTV lost about 44 bill

CultureOct. 28, 2016

B1A4 signs with Universal Music Japan

B1A4 is expanding its presence in Japan.　The K-pop boy band recently signed to Universal Music Japan in an effort to increase its popularity in the country, according to the group’s local management agency WM Entertainment on Friday. 　“We decided to work with B1A4 for the group’s appeal, shown by each member’s limitless potential and their abilities as singers and producers,” said Universal Music Japan in a statement. “We will be actively overseeing and managing the group’s Japanese releases.”Ot

PerformanceOct. 28, 2016

[The Palate] The art of steam cooking, seiro-mushi style

The health benefits of steamed food are boundless. The steam cooking method is a popular style in which many health food practitioners enjoy the maximum nutrition of the food they cook.The absence of any flavoring or cooking agitators, such as oil or salt creates, a dish prepared in a true purist style. Steaming food through vaporized water contained within the cooking vessel results in a clean tasting and healthy meal that can be enjoyed by even the most pretentious eaters. Seiro-mushi, the Jap

FoodOct. 28, 2016

Rainbow breaks up after 7 years

Members of girl group Rainbow are heading in different directions, the group’s management agency DSP Entertainment announced Friday.　“After a long discussion about their futures, Rainbow’s Kim Jae-kyung, Go Woo-ri, Kim Ji-sook, Noeul, Oh Seung-ah, Jung Yoon-hye and Jo Hyun-young unfortunately decided to go their separate ways,” the agency said in a statement. 　The group’s contract with company is scheduled to come to an end on Nov. 12. 　 “We are sincerely grateful for all of the fans who have su

PerformanceOct. 28, 2016

[Album Review] Lady Gaga’s powerful voice stars on uneven ‘Joanne’

Lady Gaga“Joanne”(Universal)Lady Gaga has spent the last few years proving her vocal chops -- the Grammy-winning album with Tony Bennett, the show-stopping “Sound of Music” tribute at last year’s Academy Awards, her performance of “Till it Happens to You” for her Oscar nomination this year -- and her strong voice is the star of the promising but uneven “Joanne.”Those performances may have hinted at what this album could be: a stylistic departure from her dance-pop past. “Joanne” is more like a r

PerformanceOct. 28, 2016

[Album Review] Chrissie Hynde revives Pretenders on soulful ‘Alone’

The Pretenders“Alone” (BMG)Chrissie Hynde reverts to her Pretenders moniker on “Alone,” a soulful production helmed by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and starring her tough-as-nails vulnerability. Hynde’s wonderful voice, one of rock’s best, can weaken knees even by reading a phone book. While the album sports all kinds of modern-retro sounds, her vocals propel the fast ones and elevate the ballads with her usual empathy and authority.Opening with the declarative title track, which has a piano rif

PerformanceOct. 28, 2016

[Album Review] Leonard Cohen old and wise on ‘You Want It Darker’

Leonard Cohen“You Want It Darker” (Columbia Records)Leonard Cohen’s late, late career resurgence reaches new heights on “You Want It Darker,” an elegant treatise with deep-felt layers of wisdom and a sense of finality. Produced mostly by son Adam, Cohen’s third studio album in five years puts his most effective musical forms through a filter of restraint. Nothing distracts from the 82-year-old’s haunting lyrics, and his vocals remain both otherworldly and down-to-earth.A physical, naked bass lin

PerformanceOct. 28, 2016

[Highlights] Arts and entertainment calendar

Pop Music“2016 Shinwa Live -- Unchanging”: Shinhwa, a K-pop boy band that has been active since 1998, is holding a concert at the Korea International Exhibition & Convention Center in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 17 and 18 at 4 p.m. Prior to the show, Shinhwa will be releasing its 13th studio album “Unchanging” on Nov. 29. A track on the album titled “She Said” was released on Oct. 22. The six-member veteran boy band has a number of hits under its belt, including “This Love,” “Wild Eyes,” “

PerformanceOct. 28, 2016

[Travel Bits] Travel news from around the world

Gunsan, Seocheon Migratory Bird FestivalThe annual Gunsan and Seocheon Migratory Bird Festival will take place from Nov. 18 to 20. The festival will be held throughout the Geumgang River Migratory Bird Observatory, Geumgang Wetland Ecological Park and the Seocheon Bird Village Exhibition Hall.Held by Gunsan-si and Seocheon-gun, the festival kicks off with an opening ceremony in Gunsan-si and will continue to offer participants a wide a variety of nature-intensive programs such as ecological hand

TravelOct. 28, 2016

[Around the Hotels] Roundup of hotel events and news

Special promotions at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton’s traditional English-style bar, the Oak Room, is offering special promotions in late October and November. The bar will offer beer and margarita sets on Tuesday and Wednesday nights only from Nov. 1. A pitcher of Cass draft beer and a fried chicken can be had for 48,000 won, as well as a pitcher of margarita and a nacho platter for 72,000 won. Every Thursday night between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. starting Oct. 27, ladies can enjoy fr

FoodOct. 28, 2016

Parmesan sage potato gratin is lush without the cream

Two potatoes are better than one.The Kansas City Star’s Parmesan Sage Crusted Sweet Potato Gratin combines slices of Yukon gold with sweet potatoes in a layered, breadcrumb-topped dish known as “au gratin.”Au gratins are typically starchy vegetable dishes napped with cream or milk and liberally topped with cheese. For instance, the Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond’s recipe for Perfect Potato au Gratin uses 3 cups of heavy cream, 1 cup of whole milk and 2 cups of cheddar cheese.Granted, it serves 16, b

FoodOct. 28, 2016

Despite its struggles, Acapulco still sparkles

ACAPULCO, Mexico -- Sorry, but for this story we’ll skip the standard references to Elizabeth Taylor’s third wedding, JFK’s honeymoon and cliff divers.Acapulco. Gorgeous, still -- much of it. But it has problems.First, the news: Grupo Autofin, already a strong tourism-industry presence here, announced plans this summer to invest $1 billion in new construction and upgrades along the Pacific coastline well south of the heart of the city and its famous bay. Included are high-end hotels, renovation

TravelOct. 28, 2016

[Box Office] Latest movie releases

Doctor Strange(US)Opened Oct. 26Superhero, Fantasy. Directed by Scott DerricksonDoctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a genius surgeon who has fallen deep into despair after an unfortunate accident. His last thread of hope leads him to the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who bestows on him unconquerable superpowers that will save the world. Kubo and the Two Strings(US)Opened Oct. 26Animation, Adventure. Directed by Travis KnightKubo (Art Parkinson) is a young boy living on the edge of a cliff wi

FilmOct. 28, 2016

‘Jack Reacher’ is a straight-shooter

While it doesn’t tear up the envelope of the action genre or stray far from the familiar template of mysteries, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” is agreeable middle-of-the-road entertainment.Following up on the successful 2012 original, Tom Cruise returns as the ex-Army officer turned hitchhiking-nomadic-vigilante, inflicting pain and injuries on wrongdoers, henchmen and anybody who gives him too much lip. It’s a change of pace from Cruise’s work as intellectual superspy Ethan Hawk in the “Mission

FilmOct. 28, 2016

‘Into the Inferno’ is a lazy, meandering mess

Just in time for Halloween comes a new documentary focusing on one of Earth's most frightening treats -- volcanos. Even better, swashbuckling director and writer Werner Herzog is the filmmaker, so it’s sure to be a hair-singing descent into the fiery heart of volcanos.But, alas, Herzog has really just pulled a nasty trick on us. The legendary filmmaker's “Into the Inferno” -- not to be confused with the new Tom Hanks film “Inferno” -- is actually a lazy, meandering mess that gives off no heat.He

FilmOct. 28, 2016

H.O.T’s Kangta to return with new album

Singer-songwriter Kangta is returning to the spotlight for the first time in nearly a decade.Best known as part of first-generation K-pop boy band H.O.T, Kangta will unveil a new album next month, according to the artist’s management agency S.M. Entertainment on Thursday. 　This is the singer’s first release since his fourth solo album “Eternity,” which was announced in 2008 before he embarked on his mandatory military service.  Over the years, Kangta has appeared on various television programs i

PerformanceOct. 27, 2016