Lara Feigel’s book tours Germany in the wake of WWII defeat

“The Bitter Taste of Victory: Life, Love, and Art in the Ruins of the Reich” 　By Lara Feigel　Bloomsbury (443 pages, $32)　It wasn’t just grunts and generals who crossed into Germany at the end of the Second World War. Along with Allied forces, a who’s who of writers, journalists, poets and filmmakers came to observe, report and reconstruct a shattered world.　What they saw shocked and bewildered them. Major cities -- Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne -- had been heavily bombed. The plight of ordina

BooksMay 25, 2016

A dark twist to a not-so-fairy tale

Hailed as one of the U.K.’s most popular and successful choreographers and directors, Matthew Bourne will premiere his critically acclaimed “gothic romance” dance reinterpretation of the classic fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty,” at the LG Arts Center in Seoul next month. 　The ballet rendition of the fairy tale was first created by the legendary Marius Petipa in 1890 and the work has since become one of the most famous ballets in classical repertoire. Combining dance, cabaret and circus elements with

PerformanceMay 24, 2016

Mnet to host 'Special M Countdown in China'

Cable music channel Mnet will host the “Special M Countdown in China” at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China on May 28, production company CJ E&M announced Tuesday.　The concert will bring together top Korean and Chinese artistes. Poster for “M Countdown in China” (Mnet)　Korean artistes who are performing include seven-member boy band BTOB, five-member rock band FT Island, six-member girl groups G-Friend and T-ara, Jun Jin of idol band Shinhwa, K-pop quartet Sistar, six-member boy band VIX

PerformanceMay 24, 2016

Ancient Chinese pottery reveals 5,000-year-old beer brew

MIAMI (AFP) - Residue on pottery from an archeological site has revealed the earliest evidence of beer brewing in China left from a 5,000-year-old recipe, researchers said Monday.　The artifacts show that people of the era had already mastered an “advanced beer brewing technique” that contained elements from the East and West, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed U.S. journal.　Yellowish residue gleaned from pottery funnels and wide-mouthed p

CultureMay 24, 2016

Banksy mystery in Rome -- will the artist show up to exhibition of his work?

ROME (AFP) -- A major exhibition of Banksy’s works opens in Rome on Tuesday and, as ever with the secretive British street artist, there is mystery attached.　What will he make of a project he has not been involved in? Will he show up incognito? If he doesn’t approve, will he make his displeasure known on the walls of Rome?　The collection of more than 100 Banksy paintings, prints and sculptures sourced from private collections around the world is being billed by organizers as the first time such

PerformanceMay 24, 2016

Baek A-yeon’s ‘So-so’ sweeps charts

Singer-songwriter Baek A-yeon swept domestic music charts Tuesday with her new single “So-so.”　“So-so,” which was released at midnight on Monday, has emerged top on eight music charts -- MelOn, Genie, Mnet, Naver Music, Olleh Music, Bugs, Soribada and Monkey3.　The new song, written and composed by Baek, is a neo-urban tune speaking for singles who don’t expect dramatic romance, but hope to fall in love with somebody. The music video for Baek A-yeon’s digital single “So-So” (JYP Entertainment)　Th

PerformanceMay 24, 2016

'Fresh Off the Boat' team reflects on breakthrough sitcom

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Television is mostly entertaining, sometimes enlightening and, occasionally, can make a difference.　The sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat” hits all the marks. Because of it, along with ABC siblings “Black-ish” and “Dr. Ken” (and, at CW, “Jane the Virgin”), network TV’s American family photo album is starting to look authentic.　The contribution of “Fresh Off the Boat” is especially notable. It’s the first network prime-time comedy about an Asian-American family since Margaret Cho's “

TelevisionMay 24, 2016

Madonna responds to critics of her Prince tribute

Madonna is dismissing critics of her tribute to Prince at the Billboard Music Awards with style.　A day after her performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U” and duet with Stevie Wonder on “Purple Rain,” the pop singer took to social media Monday and posted a picture of herself in a purple boa with a flower in her teeth.　She wrote that anyone who wants to do a tribute to Prince is welcome to, “whatever your age gender or skin color. If you loved him and he inspired you then show it!!! I love Prince 4 e

PerformanceMay 24, 2016

'Cheese in the Trap' movie to star actor Park Hae-jin

Actor Park Hae-jin, who starred as the lead character in the TV series “Cheese in the Trap,” has been cast for the same role in the upcoming movie adaptation, the film’s publicist said Tuesday.　The movie will be jointly produced by Mountain Movement, a Korean production company, and its Chinese partner in Shanghai, HNS HQ said in a statement. Park Hae-jin stars in tvN’s “Cheese in the Trap” (tvN)　Park, who played the enigmatic male protagonist Yoo Jung in the cable TV series, will stay on for th

FilmMay 24, 2016

Madonna, Stevie Wonder pay tribute to Prince at Billboard

Madonna closed Sunday's Billboard Music Awards paying tribute to Prince with the help of Stevie Wonder, ending the night with “Purple Rain.”　Wearing a shiny purple suit, Madonna kicked off the tribute with a version of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which Prince wrote and Sinead O’Connor recorded. She sat in a large purple chair and was teary-eyed as she sang the song, as videos and photos of Prince were projected behind her.　Wonder, who wore a purple scarf, later joined her for “Purple Rain” as the au

PerformanceMay 23, 2016

Fraud or common practice?

If a painting displayed in a gallery was not painted by the artist who signed it, what are viewers to make of it? 　Such is the controversy that currently surrounds celebrity singer and painter Cho Young-nam, who is in hot water over allegations he hired a ghost painter to create his works for about seven years. 　In face of mounting criticism, Cho canceled his concerts and a solo gallery exhibition scheduled to open last week. 　Last Monday, a 61-year-old painter surnamed Song claimed he had paint

PerformanceMay 23, 2016

Visit Korea Committee removes Seolhyun’s image

Seolhyun’s image promoting 2016-2018 Visit Korea Year was taken down from Visit Korea Committee’s website and Facebook account.　Seolhyun, a member of K-pop girl group AOA, has promoted the Visit Korea Year along with actor Lee Min-ho as honorary ambassadors since last November.　The committee’s website and Facebook account previously displayed both Lee and Seolhyun’s images, but only Lee’s image is now shown. Seolhyun of K-pop girl group AOA (Visit Korea Committee)　Seolhyun and fellow bandmate Ji

PerformanceMay 23, 2016

Vin Diesel, Chanel spark cultural backlash in Cuba

HAVANA (AP) -- “Fast and Furious.” U.S. cruise ships. A star-studded private celebration of Chanel. 　The triple tsunami of global capitalism that pounded socialist Cuba this month has spawned a fierce debate about the downside of detente with the United States.Artists, writers and intellectuals who believe deeply in Cuba’s opening to the world are questioning their government’s management of an onslaught of big-money pop culture.  　On an island that prides itself on egalitarianism, sovereignty a

CultureMay 23, 2016

China’s Weiwei turns Macedonia tear gas into art

ATHENS (AFP) - Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has opened a new show in one of Athens’ top archaeological museums, with Macedonian police tear gas canisters as one of the main exhibits.　The “Ai Weiwei at Cycladic” exhibition, which opened at the Museum of Cycladic Art on Friday, features a number of works inspired by Europe’s migrant crisis.　One of them, “Tear bottle/tear gas canister” -- a display of canisters alongside antique bottles used to collect the tears of mourners -- refers to an in

PerformanceMay 23, 2016