ISEO, Italy (AP) -- It’s taken nearly 2,000 years, but regular folks will soon get to feel what it is like to walk on water thanks to a project by the artist Christo, who may or may not have had his namesake in mind when envisioning his latest project: “The Floating Piers.” “Any interpretation is legitimate,” Christo, 80, allowed graciously in an interview Tuesday with the Associated Press at the picturesque Lake Iseo in northern Italy where his 23rd large-scale installation is just a week and a

PerformanceJune 8, 2016

K-pop boy band EXO was set to release its third full-length studio album “EX’ACT” at midnight on Wednesday, announced the group’s agency SM Entertainment.　All nine members of the group were present at the press conference at SMTOWN@coexartium in Samseong-dong on Wednesday, where they introduced their upcoming album.　The album consists of nine tracks including two lead songs -- “Monster” and “Lucky One” -- featuring various genres including pop, electronic and progressive rhythm and blues. World-

PerformanceJune 8, 2016

Actor Park Hae-jin will become the object of an autobiographical web cartoon series set to launch next month, his talent agency said Wednesday.The series, whose title roughly translates to “The Private Life of a Major Actor You Don't Know about,” will be created by up-and-coming cartoonist Hyesso, Mountain Movement Entertainment said. (Mountain Movement Entertainment)Only the founding members of Park’s official fan club CLUB Jin’s will gain access to the exclusive series.A teaser will be release

PeopleJune 8, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Filmmaker Duncan Jones spoke emotionally Monday about how his rock legend father David Bowie would have been proud of his new movie “Warcraft” at its worldwide premiere in Los Angeles. The 45-year-old Londoner was among a host of stars at the TCL Chinese Theatre for the screening as hundreds of fans, many dressed in costumes from the film, lined Hollywood Boulevard, clapping and cheering.“I think he’d be incredibly happy that I followed my passion which he always told me to

FilmJune 8, 2016

This year’s Seoul International Book Fair, set to take place next week at Coex Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul will highlight French and Italian books, the annual book fair organizers said at a press conference Wednesday.　France, invited as the “Culture Focus” country, will introduce a new generation of French writers, said Anthony Chaumuzeau, director of the French Institute in Seoul. From left: French writer Antoine Laurain (Philippe Matsas/Seoul International Book Fair), French cook a

BooksJune 8, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- Another Trump book is in the works -- this time by daughter Ivanka.The publisher Portfolio told the Associated Press on Monday that it had acquired Ivanka Trump’s “Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules of Success.” Financial details weren’t disclosed for the book, scheduled for next spring.According to Portfolio, a business imprint of Penguin Random House, the book will advocate an “inclusive and celebratory” vision for working women and help them “create the lives they want to li

BooksJune 8, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- An online resource for literary content is hoping to create the publishing equivalent of Rotten Tomatoes.Literary Hub (lithub.com) announced Tuesday the launch of Book Marks, compiling reviews from more than 70 outlets ranging from the New York Times to the Las Vegas Weekly. Reviews will include links to the original publications, and individual books will be assigned composite letter grades by Lit Hub editors. Any work that has been reviewed three or more times will be listed i

BooksJune 8, 2016

“Ink and Bone” 　By Lisa Unger　Touchstone (352 pages, $24.99)　The Hollows, an idyllic sounding town in upstate New York, keeps calling to author Lisa Unger. This fictional town that attracts those seeing a respite from New York City or want a smaller community to call home also has a dark side that rears its head and takes residents on emotional roller-coasters that test their mettle and moral compass.　Each of Unger’s novels set in The Hollows follows a different set of characters with the town a

BooksJune 8, 2016

“Becoming Wise” 　By Krista Tippett　The Penguin Press (288 pages, $28)　Most of us can only dream of the dinner parties Krista Tippett could put together. We’re lucky, then, that her new book is the next best thing to an invitation to sit down, make ourselves at home and prepare for a mind-expanding exploration of what it means to be human.　With “Becoming Wise: An Inquiry Into the Mystery and Art of Living,” Tippett expands on interviews that became fascinating fodder for her award-winning NPR pro

BooksJune 8, 2016

“Dear Mr. You” 　By Mary-Louise Parker　Scribner (228 pages, $25)　In the imaginative and evocative “Dear Mr. You,” sexy “Weeds” actress Mary-Louise Parker hints at her compelling life story through a series of love letters to key men in her life.　Each letter is a chapter, addressed to figures she mostly names only as Yacqui Indian Boy, Blue, Big Feet, Little Owl and the like. (You may find yourself googling her to try to suss out details.) As she explains in the titular first chapter, she’s writin

BooksJune 8, 2016

In an era when music has become so heavily dependent on technology to lend futuristic and computerized sounds, there’s a local Korean group that has its mind set on turning back the clock to the good old days of mom-and-pop stores, jukeboxes and barbershop quartets -- The Barberettes.　The female doo-wop musical trio is one of the fastest growing nonmainstream groups in the Korean music industry today. With their covers of popular hits from the past like “Mr. Sandman” and “Lollipop” as well as or

PerformanceJune 7, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- In a surprise appearance, Beyonce delighted a glittery fashion crowd Monday evening, showing up unannounced to accept the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Fashion Icon award.Usually, organizers announce the name of the Fashion Icon winner well in advance, but this year they kept it under wraps until the end of the ceremony, when designer Diane von Furstenberg took the stage to introduce the pop superstar, saying she was everything women aspire to be. Designer Calvin Kle

Arts & DesignJune 7, 2016

Online videos are rapidly evolving into independent cultural content covering topics ranging from beauty, food and online games to news, increasingly replacing conventional media. 　In line with such trends, a festival shedding light on emerging Web-based content will be held from June 23-26 in Gwangju, inviting some of the most popular YouTube channel content creators. 　“Web-based content has been expanding to the point where it challenges existing traditional media such as television programs,

CultureJune 7, 2016

Ultra Korea, also known as Ultra Music Festival Korea, has come around again this year, offering partygoers and music fans in Korea a rare chance to see some of the world’s most acclaimed electronic musicians. 　In celebration of its fifth anniversary this year, the festival will go on for three days instead of the usual two, at Seoul’s Olympic Stadium from Friday until Sunday. 　Headliners will include world-class acts such as Avicii, Afrojack and Armin van Buuren, all of whom previously took to

PerformanceJune 7, 2016