Boutique gyms offer workout alternative

It’s a Wednesday evening at the Pop Physique studio in downtown Baltimore, and a dozen women ― most clad in leggings, T-shirts and socks ― are rotating their hips while trying to hold an exercise ball between their thighs.“Great job, guys!” says instructor Smithy Onattu, directing her students via a headset as a playlist with songs such as Lana Del Rey’s “Florida Kilos” and “Tumblr Girls” by rapper G-Eazy pumps through the art-filled space.Over the course of an hour, the group will tackle a seri

CultureJuly 30, 2014

2PM selected as honorary ambassador for ‘K-Pop Expo in Asia’

Boy band 2PM was selected as the honorary ambassador for “K-Pop Expo in Asia.”One member, Wooyoung, attended the appointment ceremony held on Tuesday and received the honorary tablet. “The members and I are deeply honored to be the honorary ambassadors for such a big event. We will try our best,” Wooyoung was quoted as saying.The expo is to hold culture exhibitions from 43 countries participating in the Asian Games. Also, various programs including a star audition, DJ club party and concerts are

July 30, 2014

Yoochun says ‘the new album is like a gift’

JYJ member Yoochun shared his thoughts about the group’s new album “Just Us” during an interview with local news organizations on Wednesday.“I especially enjoyed working with our members. The process of album production was very enjoyable,” Park was quoted as saying.“Jaejoong was busy with the drama and Junsu with the musical. All three of us were caught up with work, but we tried to meet as much as possible,” he added. “Even though it was something that we always did, it still made my heard pou

July 30, 2014

Big Bang's Choi Seung-hyun promises to kiss his fans

Choi Seung-hyun, actor and member of idol group Big Bang, has promised to kiss 50 fans if his movie reaches 5 million viewers.During a press conference held on Wednesday for the movie “Tazza: The High Rollers 2,” a question was given to Choi, the male lead, asking if he has any pledges for the success of the movie. “If the viewers reach more than 5 million, I will kiss 50 female viewers on the forehead,” Choi answered.The female lead, Shin Sae-kyung also pledged to kiss 70 male viewers on the fo

July 30, 2014

Koo Hye-sun reveals high school photo

Actress Koo Hye-sun (Twitter)Actress Koo Hye-sun on Tuesday wowed fans by revealing a photo of herself from when she was a high school senior on her Twitter account. With the photo the actress wrote, “While cleaning up the house I found my … high school senior photo.” The actress flaunted her trademark smile and pale skin in the photo. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

July 30, 2014

SM’s Red Velvet to stage debut Aug. 1

SM Entertainment’s new girl group Red Velvet will make their first appearance on TV on Aug. 1.The four-member group will launch their official debut with an onstage performance of their song “Happiness” on the KBS-2TV music show “Music Bank.” Red Velvet is the agency’s first launch since idol group f(x) five years ago. The new group consists of Seulgi, Irene and Wendy, all from SM’s predebut team “SM Rookies,” and a new member Joy, who has also trained under the agency.  Red Velvet will drop its

July 30, 2014

TVXQ’s Yun-ho eager to show Korea in ‘The Night Watchman’

Actor and TVXQ singer Jung Yun-ho said “The Night Watchman” is a good means of showing more of Korean culture to his global fans. Jung said, “I realized that the drama gives me more time to have an impact on international fans,” during a press conference for MBC’s upcoming fantasy historical drama in Seoul on Tuesday. In the drama he plays the cold, laconic royal swordsman Moosuk. He also noted that as a singer, he has often felt the three minute on-stage time limit was not long enough to intera

July 30, 2014

Gwangju’s Alleycon promises bigger, better

The Alleycon comic-con in Gwangju kicked off to such success last year that organizers have found an even bigger venue for the second edition of the event, to be held in September. This year, the convention will be moved to Kwangju Women’s University. Alleycon’s organizing team ― which calls itself the Grey Council, after a group of wizards in Jim Butcher’s “Dresden Files series” ― has been working for several months to bring the Gwangju community a weekend of artistic enrichment. “There will be

Expat LivingJuly 29, 2014

‘View from Here’ a mirror to the human condition

After months of crowdfunding, editing and slogging through Korean mudflats, expat filmmaker Kevin Lambert screened his full-length feature “The View from Here” and short comedy “Caliban’s” at Seoul Cinema on Friday.Providing insights into expat life in Korea while exploring the topic of porn addiction, “The View from Here” provides an accurate representation of the human condition, Lambert says.Lambert said he wanted to avoid portraying any of his characters in a positive light.“I don’t think it

Expat LivingJuly 29, 2014

‘Dokdo has a masculine charm’

Acclaimed photographer Kim Jung-man has returned with an exhibition portraying the beauty of Dokdo, the easternmost islets of the Korean Peninsula.He is presenting 55 Dokdo photographs he took from 2012 to 2013 with cooperation and support from the Northeast Asian History Foundation and the Korea Coast Guard. Kim has donated the copyrights of the photographs to the foundation, which will use his works to promote Dokdo as a Korean territory. Kim is well-known for his fashion photography, photos o

PerformanceJuly 29, 2014

[Herald Interview] Kim Nam-gil returns in perfectly tailored role

When people think of Kim Nam-gil ― a 33-year-old actor with a lean, masculine physique ― they often describe him as coldhearted and intense with sad, mysterious eyes, thanks to the revenge-seeking characters he played in 2010 TV drama “Bad Guys” and recent show “Shark.”But little has been shown of what lies beneath his dark and weighty roles: a hilarious, talkative, laid-back man who at times “has some screws loose,” he said at the press premiere of his new movie. It seems as though the actor fo

FilmJuly 29, 2014

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ irreverent but not enough

At the height of their powers, our overlords at Marvel have deigned to prove, like an emperor tolerating a court jester, that they do, in fact, have a sense of humor. The Marvel universe, of course, isn’t entirely lacking comedy, as we’ve seen in “Iron Man” and “The Avengers.” But on the whole, the Marvel kingdom is built on an unshakable foundation of self-seriousness. The comic book studio seems to fear that if the solemnity of its fiction isn’t diligently guarded, people might start questioni

FilmJuly 29, 2014

Gaga on Bennett duet CD: Jazz comes easier than pop

NEW YORK (AP) ― Lady Gaga is a bonafide pop star, but the singer says recording jazz music was easier than pop. Gaga has spent two years recording an album of jazz standards with Tony Bennett called “Cheek to Cheek,” to be released this fall. “You know, it’s funny, but jazz comes a little more comfortable for me than pop music, than R&B music,” Gaga said in an interview Monday. “I’ve sang jazz since I was 13 years old, which is kind of like my little secret that Tony found out. So this is almost

PerformanceJuly 29, 2014

JYJ’s single ‘Back Seat’ tops charts

JYJ. (C-JeS Entertainment)Popular K-pop trio JYJ, who has kept fans waiting patiently for nearly three years, has returned with its newest album “Just Us” on Tuesday. JYJ’s “Just Us” is only the second full album for the trio following its 2011 “In Heaven” studio album. The new album’s lead single “Back Seat” topped all nine major online real-time music singles charts ― Naver Music, MelOn, Daum, Mnet, Soribada, Bugs, Genie, Olleh and Cyworld Music ― within hours of its release. The group’s new a

July 29, 2014

HyunA twerks her way to ‘Red’ solo return

The sexy K-pop starlet HyunA of 4Minute has made her solo return after nearly two years with the EP “A Talk,” featuring the lead single “Red.” The singer-rapper is certainly no stranger to risque choreography and lyrical innuendos, and her solo return on Monday has proven to be no different. HyunA. (Cube Entertainment)The album’s electro-pop lead track is an adult parody of the popular Korean children’s song “The Monkey’s Butt is Red,” which is the main line of the song’s chorus. The official mu

July 29, 2014

Lee Teuk makes low-key military discharge

Lee Teuk. (Yonhap)Super Junior member Lee Teuk has been released from his mandatory military service, after enlisting in the army in October 2012. Despite around 1,000 fans showing up and waiting outside the base in Gangwon Province to greet and welcome him back, Lee did not turn his discharge into a media spectacle. Rather he made a very quiet and low-key departure. “We did not hold any kind of interview or fan event in light of his discharge,” said a statement made by SM Entertainment. “It was

July 29, 2014