Photographer J. Ahn, who has chronicled the changing scenery along the Cheonggyecheon Stream with her camera, is exhibiting her work at the Sejong Art Center’s Museum of Art starting Wednesday.Though she has photographed cities such as New York, Paris and Havana, Ahn said, she has always been fascinated by the back alleys of the belatedly redeveloped section of downtown Seoul. “The back alleys of Cheonggycheon had many beautiful and profound colors. A single color isn’t enough to depict them. I’

PerformanceMarch 17, 2014

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Street racers couldn’t catch a time-traveling dog and his son at the multiplex last weekend. Though Disney’s “Need for Speed” was expected to take the No. 1 position at the box office, DreamWorks’ “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” took the lead, with the action film in third place. The animated movie, about the adventures of a genius dog and the human son he adopted, earned $21.2 million, according to studio estimates released Sunday. Debuting on March 9 at No. 2, the 3-D kiddie-jaunt f

FilmMarch 17, 2014

American musician Pauline Oliveros first picked up the accordion when she was only 9 years old. Now, more than 70 years later, she still hasn’t put it down. Oliveros’ love of the accordion had not transcended into her love of music, but her curiosity of sound and how people hear and process noise. When she was 16, she discovered her inner hearing abilities as a musician and decided to become a composer. This became the launching point for her new love affair with listening. “It became clear to m

CultureMarch 17, 2014

CHICAGO (AP) ― Oprah Winfrey is selling Harpo Studios in Chicago to a developer, but the studio will remain on the property for another two years. Winfrey filmed “The Oprah Winfrey Show” at the studio from 1990 to 2011, when she ended the talk show to start the Oprah Winfrey Network on cable. “We have entered into a purchasing agreement with Sterling Bay for the four-building Harpo Studios campus in Chicago’s West Loop,” Harpo told Crain’s Chicago Business in a statement. “We expect the transact

TelevisionMarch 17, 2014

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ― Rapper ScHoolboy Q had a great time at his first South By Southwest a few years ago, but found himself getting angry this year as he played a series of shows at the annual music conference and festival. Everywhere he turned, his fans were standing outside venues festooned with corporate branding, unable to enter because they didn’t have a formal invite. “It’s stupid. They changed it all up. It’s corporate,” he said as he prepared for a show Saturday. “I don’t ever want to co

PerformanceMarch 17, 2014

On a dimly-lit stage in the Baekyang Concert Hall at Yonsei University in Seoul, American singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata charmed hundreds of fans with her captivating vocals and witty jokes on Friday night.As the concert was focused on a “live acoustic” sound, the stage featured only a piano and a simple instrumental set occupied by Yamagata’s accompanying musician and one-man-band Michael Chaves.Opening with a performance by New York-based, pop-jazz artist Emi Meyer, Yamagata’s concert was

PerformanceMarch 17, 2014

W Seoul Walkerhill has appointed Indian veteran hotelier Vikram Mujumdar as its new general manager, the hotel said on Monday. Prior to joining the W Hotel in Seoul, Mujumdar held managerial positions at Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Phuket and Bangkok for four years. Mujumdar has spent two decades in hotel management since starting as a front office worker. He first joined Marriott International, and then moved to Starwood Hotels and Resorts, where he was in charge of revenue management for th

PeopleMarch 17, 2014

Perenna Kei, a 24-year-old woman from Hong Kong, topped the 2014 World’s Youngest Billionaires list recently unveiled by Forbes, unseating the 29-year-old Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. The youngest billionaire, also known by the name Ji Peili, reportedly has an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion and owns 85 percent of Logan Property Holdings through various companies and a family trust. Kei’s wealth was inherited, not self-made. Her father, Ji Haipeng, is the chairman and CEO of Logan P

PeopleMarch 17, 2014

Actress Kim Go-eun made an impressive breakthrough film debut back in 2012, with filmmaker Jung Ji-woo’s critically acclaimed sensual drama “Eungyo (A Muse).” The 22-year-old is best known by the name of her first-ever film character, Eungyo, a lively teenager who becomes the object of desire for a renowned elderly poet. Many expected her to continue her professional career after finishing “Eungyo” ― which received much attention for its subject matter and sexually explicit scenes ― and nabbing

FilmMarch 16, 2014

A group of Korean-Americans have started an online petition asking U.S. President Barack Obama to bring a set of Korean national treasures ― apparently stolen by U.S. nationals and currently under the custody of U.S. authorities ― to Korea when he visits the country in April. The motion, posted March 13 on We the People, an online petition site of the White House, calls for the retrieval of a total of 11 national seals and royal court signets from the Joseon era (1392-1910), Korea’s last ruling

CultureMarch 16, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) ― It’s still chilly in much of the U.S., but stores are clearing out coats and sweaters to make way for spring’s bright colors and lighter clothing. And if you’re looking to update your wardrobe this season, you’ll need to know about a few key trends: crop tops, high waists and wider pant legs.But don’t panic just yet about the idea of wearing a top that may not reach your navel. There are several ways to pull off the potentially midriff-baring trend ― whether or not you have great

Arts & DesignMarch 16, 2014

This summer, Korean music will have its moment in London. A series of events showcasing Korean classical music, pop and gugak are planned throughout the city as part of the annual City of London Festival, which will take place June 22-July 17. It is a brand new project that the festival is starting since a new director ― Paul Gudgin who led the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 1999 to 2007 ― took charge in April last year. “We are creating a strand in the 2014 City of London Festival called ‘Seoul

CultureMarch 16, 2014

As the Korean music market is beginning to receive more international recognition, the local scene is looking to rise up and represent the next generation of Korean music. This is the third installment of a series of interviews with Korean rock, acoustic and alternative bands. ― Ed.Known for going wild and their notorious antics both on and off stage, the rock stars of Galaxy Express started from humble beginnings. They then took their garage band sound further than any of the members had ever p

PerformanceMarch 16, 2014

Classical musicAndras Schiff recital: Virtuoso pianist, pedagogue and lecturer Andras Schiff will hold a recital on March 25 at Seoul Arts Center. Although he is known here for his interpretations of the music of Beethoven and Bach, the Hungarian-born musician’s repertoire also covers Mozart, Schubert and Schumann. At the Seoul concert, he will play works by two Romantic Era composers, Mendelssohn and Schumann. Tickets range from 50,000 won to 130,000 won. For details, call (02) 541-3184.  “Shos

PerformanceMarch 14, 2014

CN Blue shows maturity on ‘Can’t Stop’CN Blue“Can’t Stop”(CJ E&M)Equipped with a more mature and polished sound, Korean boy band CN Blue has made a strong return to the music scene with its fifth EP, “Can’t Stop.” And indeed, it is difficult to stop listening to the new album.Featuring six tracks written and composed by the group’s leader and vocalist Jung Yong-hwa and guitarist Lee Jong-hyun, “Can’t Stop” is filled with eloquent vocals and impressive instrumentals, overcoming the comparatively

PerformanceMarch 14, 2014

Stories We Tell (Canada)Opened March 14Documentary. Directed by Sarah PolleyCanadian filmmaker Sarah Polley discovered in 2007, at age 28, that her father was not her biological father and that she was the result of an extramarital affair. Her personal documentary “Stories We Tell” follows her shocking discovery and family secrets, consisting of interviews with her siblings from her mother’s two marriages, as well as Michael Polley, the man who raised her, and her biological father Harry Gulkin.

FilmMarch 14, 2014

“The Monuments Men” is the “Last Vegas” of World War II movies. A roughly true, fictionally embellished account of the efforts of American arts scholars ― drafted into the Army ― to preserve the artistic patrimony of Europe from the scourge of combat and theft by the Germans, it is a cute but clunky ensemble piece that director George Clooney rarely bestows with the gravitas and jauntiness this material demanded.They changed the names ― well, of almost everyone ― from the historic “Monuments Men

FilmMarch 14, 2014