Kim Hee-chul out for laughs in detective comedy

Super Junior member Kim Hee-chul is no stranger to television, having starred in a small screen series before making his major boy band debut in 2005. Now, the singer-actor returns to the television drama as a detective in tvN’s upcoming “Flower Grandpas Investigators.” Kim revealed at the drama’s press conference in Seoul on Wednesday that several years have passed since he last starred in a Korean TV series, adding that he is fully invested in his new role. The cast of tvN’s “Flower Grandpas I

May 8, 2014

Film fest promotes promising projects

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province ― Aside from film screenings and talk sessions with cineastes from all over the world, one of the most exciting events at Jeonju International Film Festival is Jeonju Project Market, during which local filmmakers pitch their latest film projects to potential investors and distributors.On May 3, a total of 10 selected filmmakers made presentations at the Jeonju Digital Independent Cinema in Jeonju, with some 300 industry figures attending, including those from Lotte

FilmMay 8, 2014

No longer stuck in a box

This is the second in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the various facets of the Korean entertainment industry. ― Ed.South African Bronwyn Mullen, 30, is grateful for how far she’s come in the Korean TV industry, but she’s the first to admit that it wasn’t easy and no one ever gave her a “golden ticket.”She said that things were a lot different when she started out.“Eight years ago, when I first came to Korea, there were no female-dominated TV shows. Within eight years of

TelevisionMay 8, 2014

Reunited idol group g.o.d. releases new single

g.o.d.’s new single “The Lone Duckling.” (sidusHQ)The rumors have at last come true. All five members of veteran K-pop idol group g.o.d. have officially reunited and made a full comeback after 12 years apart with the single “The Lone Duckling.”“The Lone Duckling,” written by renowned Korean producer duo Double Kick, is a slow, sentimental ballad that compares oneself, who is going through heartache, to a lost ugly duckling. g.o.d. is slated to showcase its signature vocals and harmonies in the n

May 8, 2014

How Mormonism affected 2 U.S. towns

American Crucifixion: The Murder of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon ChurchBy Alex Beam (PublicAffairs)It didn’t last long, but for a short time in the 1840s the Mississippi River town of Nauvoo was the largest city in Illinois. While most municipalities thrived on trade, Nauvoo’s propelling force was something much less tangible: faith. And that would also be the city’s downfall.Before the fledgling Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ― the Mormons ― made Salt Lake City the cente

BooksMay 8, 2014

A campaign biography with a twist

Elizabeth Warren’s ninth book is a campaign biography with a twist.Warren, who emerged as a national figure during the early days of the financial crisis, rapidly became a star of the Democratic Party’s liberal-populist wing. Her 2012 Senate campaign in Massachusetts attracted so much money and attention that admirers began talking her up as a presidential candidate even before she won.“A Fighting Chance” could easily fit as the next step toward that goal. It weaves her life story and political

BooksMay 8, 2014

You say you want a revolution?

Russian Roulette: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin’s Plot for Global RevolutionBy Giles Milton (Bloomsbury Press, N.Y.)If you want some wonderful spy stories, and a lesson in 20th century revolution, try “Russian Roulette” by Giles Milton.Just under a century ago, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ― better known today as Lenin ― returned to Russia and swept away the old Czarist regime. His first speech to his followers was at a train station on April 16, 1917, and was monitored by three British spies.Only

BooksMay 8, 2014

Shirley Temple and the Great Depression

If ever a performer came along at just the right time, it was Shirley Temple. The cherubic face and unbreakable spirit she displayed in her cinematic confections of the 1930s were the perfect spoonfuls of sugar to help the bitter medicine of the Depression go down easier for millions of Americans.The timing also couldn’t be better for John F. Kasson’s “The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression,” which arrives just two months after Temple’s death at age 85. The book is a wonderful epilogue

BooksMay 8, 2014

Daniel Henney reveals his ideal type of woman

Actor and model Daniel Henney appeared on SBS' "TV Entertainment at Midnight" and bore his heart in a one-on-one interview on Wednesday.When asked about his ideal type of woman, Henney confessed that he is into funny ladies."Of course, I do like beautiful women but I prefer the one whom I am attracted to," Henney said.The actor, who is actively shooting in both South Korea and the United States, also confessed his hardships in the film industry."I am still miles away from success, but I am tryin

May 8, 2014

‘My Love from the Star’ to be released as movie in China

 Korea’s popular drama “My Love from the Star” will be released this summer as a movie in China, according to Chinese news reports on Wednesday.Meng Jiang Wei, a Chinese movie production company, bought the publication rights for the drama. The movie will compact the 21 episodes for a two-hour run time. The film will include not only key scenes but also unreleased footage and scenes, according to the reports.“My Love from the Star” features the love between a female movie star named Cheon Song-y

May 8, 2014

K-pop Star 3’s Jang Han-na joins YG

YG Entertainment said Thursday that it has recruited Jang Han-na, a contestant on the SBS audition program “K-pop Star 3.”“Jang Han-na has joined YG and has been training for about a month,” an YG official said. Jang earned the nickname “Soul Diva” on the show and rose to the top eight, receiving praises throughout the show from YG Entertainment CEO and “K-pop Star 3” judge Yang Hyun-suk. YG Entertainment’s past recruits from the SBS series include Lee Hi, the runner-up from season one, and Akdo

May 8, 2014

Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ auctioned in N.Y. for $27m

NEW YORK (AP) ― Claude Monet’s rarely seen “Water Lilies” sold at auction in New York for just over $27 million. The 1907 painting of his beloved garden in Giverny, France, sold Tuesday at Christie’s to an undisclosed bidder. The work was part of late copper heiress Huguette Clark’s estate. It has not been publicly exhibited since 1926. Christie’s is selling hundreds of items from her collection after a feud over her estate was settled in the fall. “Water Lillies” had been expected to sell for $

PerformanceMay 7, 2014

Eurovision winner says bad planning behind tepid sales

COPENHAGEN (AFP) ― Despite winning hands down at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, Danish singer Emmelie de Forest has struggled to find commercial success in her native Denmark. “I had too much to think about. You have so much to think about when you win Eurovision,” said de Forest, who this year will perform the official Eurovision theme, her latest single “Rainmaker,” at Saturday’s final in Copenhagen. As fans from around the world descend on the Danish capital, the city has converted its

PerformanceMay 7, 2014

Oscar-winner Sally Field gets Hollywood star

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Oscar-winning U.S. actress Sally Field finally got a star on Hollywood’s storied Walk of Fame on Monday, more than three decades after she earned her first Academy Award. The 67-year-old joked about her roller-coaster career spanning five decades, including her Oscar-winning performances in 1979’s “Norma Rae” and 1984’s “Places in the Heart.” “I’ve ridden the highs, and tried to learn from the lows,” she said on Hollywood Boulevard, where her star is the 2,524th on the famous

FilmMay 7, 2014

Science quizzes, political and economic research in art exhibition

An exhibition of young emerging artists underway at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art makes viewers wonder how far the spectrum of contemporary art can go.Artist Song Ho-jun quizzes the audience at the end of his installation. The quizzes about frequencies for satellites put viewers in a state of confusion. The artist then tells them that the answers are in the information he posted on the exhibition wall. The presentation on his satellite launch project that began in 2008 and ended in 2013 offers te

PerformanceMay 7, 2014

X Factor Australia champ Dami Im returns home

Korean-born Australian singer Dami Im, best known as last year’s winner of The X Factor Australia, has returned to Korea for the first time since she was crowned.“I feel extremely grateful that I get to come back to Korea, which is where I was born and raised, where my parents come from,” said Im during a media showcase Wednesday at the Bear Hall in Gangnam-gu. “It’s good to be back to my roots ... I’m genuinely very happy to be here today.” Im opened the showcase with a piano-accompanied rendit

May 7, 2014

Kim named CEO of Lotte Hall

Kim Eui-joon, former chief of the Korea National Opera, took office Wednesday as CEO of Lotte Hall, a classical concert hall being built in Jamsil, Seoul, by the eponymous conglomerate. Kim, 64, filled a seat left vacated for nearly a year by the death of Kim Joo-ho last May. “On May 7, Kim officially began his term as CEO of Lotte Hall,” Lotte Group said in a statement.“Lotte Group will set up a non-profit cultural foundation which will be tasked with the hall’s management,” it said. Kim has 30

PeopleMay 7, 2014

[Herald Review] John Mayer brings warm, groovy performance to Seoul

The internationally renowned singer-songwriter John Mayer delivered a heartfelt performance for more than 12,000 fans in Seoul on Tuesday evening, staging his first concert in South Korea since his debut 13 years ago.Appearing on stage right on time, Mayer was greeted by a large crowd of enthusiastic fans who did not seem to mind the chilly night winds at the outdoor Auxiliary Stadium at Jamsil Sports Complex. Mayer, backed by his seven-piece band, casually kicked off the evening with the folksy

PerformanceMay 7, 2014

In landlocked Sun Valley, a small ship is taking shape

LOS ANGELES ― He grew up on the sea. So maybe it’s only natural that Dillon Griffith still has some salt water in his blood.It would help explain why the 82-year-old retired heavy-duty mechanic has spent the last 37 years ― miles from the ocean ― meticulously assembling a 64-foot boat in the backyard of his Los Angeles home.“The Mystic Rose” has slowly taken shape on quiet Arminta Street, a project so ambitious that it has passed through the generations with his children, in-laws, grandchildren

TravelMay 7, 2014