Asian Film Market advisers announced

Kim Woo-taek, CEO of major Korean film production and distribution company Next Entertainment World, has been named one of the advisors and consultants for the Asian Film Market to be held in October this year.The film market, which is a comprehensive marketplace for an array of industry events at the annual Busan International Film Festival, announced the list of advisors to this year’s edition on Tuesday. The names on the list include Choi Jae-won of Withus Film, who produced this year’s box o

FilmMarch 11, 2014

Refurbished Jackson Pollock masterpiece goes on display

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― “Mural,” the brilliant Jackson Pollock painting that took 20th century American art in a new direction, has re-emerged from seclusion with a stunning face-lift that’s given it a brighter look and an even more towering presence than it had before. The oil-on-canvas masterpiece that measures more than 8 feet tall and nearly 20 feet long has been under wraps at the J. Paul Getty Museum for more than a year, undergoing an extensive restoration. Painted in 1943 for wealthy art coll

PerformanceMarch 11, 2014

Older male K-pop fans inspire artist

There have been flashy, glamorous collaborative projects between K-pop stars and artists, but few have dealt with the fans who cheer on the stars. Artist Jung Yeon-doo examines a fan craze for Korean pop idols in his latest work “Crayon Pop Special.” The group of fans in whom Jung took interest, however, was not teenage girls, but men in their late 30s and 40s. Cheers in low male voices echo across the exhibition hall. The bass sounds come from Jung’s 30-minute video showing about 50 older male

PerformanceMarch 11, 2014

Lil Boosie: Prison term of the 1,000 songs

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ― Rapper Lil Boosie says serving time in a Louisiana prison on drug charges was life changing, has made him a better person and ultimately, he hopes, a better artist. “I feel like I’ve got more stories to tell,” Lil Boosie said during a press event Monday in New Orleans. “I’ve got a lot to say about my life, about what I went through in prison and about what my family went through. “I’m a much better person. I’m much stronger. I know who my real friends are and I know who ain’t.

PerformanceMarch 11, 2014

Boyfriend stages first K-pop concert in Puerto Rico

K-pop boy group Boyfriend has become the first K-pop band to perform independently in Puerto Rico after successfully holding its first solo concert in the South American country last week, said the group’s management agency on Monday.On March 8, the six-member boy group staged its solo concert titled “Boyfriend, fan meeting en Puerto Rico” for 1,700 local fans who gathered at the Centro De Bellas Artes Luis A Ferre in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more than two hours, fans enthusiastically sang alo

March 11, 2014

GOT7 to launch first showcase in Japan next month

Up-and-coming K-pop boy group GOT7 is scheduled to launch its first showcase in Japan in April after signing with Japan’s Sony Music Entertainment.The seven-member act will stage its first overseas concert, titled “GOT7 Showcase 1st Impact in Japan,” on April 4 at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan, where veteran JYP group 2PM had made its first Japan showcase four years ago.Although GOT7, which entered the K-pop music scene with its debut EP “Got It?” on Jan. 20, has yet to make a formal debut in Japan,

March 11, 2014

TVXQ sets new music chart records in Japan

Acclaimed K-pop duo TVXQ is making history in the Japanese music scene, setting fresh records on Japan’s biggest music chart Oricon with its third Japanese studio album “TREE.”Immediately after its release on March 5, “TREE” climbed to the top of Oricon’s daily and weekly album charts, becoming TVXQ’s fourth album to top Oricon after its compilation album “Best Selection 2010” (2010) and two studio albums, “TONE” (2011) and “TIME” (2013).“TREE” has sold roughly 225,000 copies since its release l

March 11, 2014

9 things successful people do before bed

A good night’s sleep is what determines your mood and energy level the next day, hence, strategic bedtime routines are essential for many successful people. According to Business Insider, successful people understand that their success starts and ends with their own mental and physical health, which is mostly achieved by getting enough sleep.“It’s really less about your activities and more about your state of mind,” organizational psychologist Michael Woodward, Ph.D., told BI. To help people fin

Life&CultureMarch 11, 2014

[Newsmaker] ‘My Love’ signals K-drama revival

In China, Korean TV drama “My Love from the Star” seems to have stirred up a syndrome that stands strong even amid a series of national tragedies ― a terrorist attack that left 33 people dead and a flight gone missing with another 152 of its nationals aboard.Kim Soo-hyun, the male lead in the drama, has become the heartthrob of Chinese girls. In the series, he played Do Min-jun, an alien in the form of a perfect male specimen who falls in love with an arrogant A-list actress played by Jun Ji-hyu

TelevisionMarch 10, 2014

‘300’ sequel rules U.S. box office with $45.1m debut

NEW YORK (AP) ― The shirtless warriors of the “300” sequel “Rise of an Empire” ravaged the post-Oscars box-office weekend with a domestic debut of $45.1 million but an even bigger international haul of $87.8 million.Seven years after the original “300” became an unlikely, ultra-stylish, blood-soaked sensation, Warner Bros.’ 3-D follow-up showed considerable might at the box office. While “300: Rise of an Empire” didn’t come close the North American debut of Zack Snyder’s 2007 original ($70.9 mil

FilmMarch 10, 2014

‘Cats’ original production gets first Korean run in 6 years

The original production of famous Broadway musical “Cats” is having its first Korean run in six years, according to Seol & Company.“Cats,” which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2011, is the second-longest-running show in Broadway history. Based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T.S. Eliot, the musical was first performed in Korea in 1994, and was a hit in 2003, 2007 and 2008. The four presentations altogether drew some 1.2 million viewers in the country. The plot of the musical revo

PerformanceMarch 10, 2014

Director Jonathan Demme selling vast art collection

A riot of color greeted Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme the first time he walked into Haitian Corner, an art gallery around the corner from his Manhattan apartment. Instantly transfixed, he left with a $250 painting by Haitian master Wilson Bigaud. The seed was planted. Demme’s appreciation for work by self-taught Haitian painters like Bigaud and Hector Hyppolite flowered into an obsession that he fed with multiple trips to the cash poor but artistically rich island nation, where he learne

PerformanceMarch 10, 2014

Dokdo-themed miniature garden to go on exhibit worldwide

A miniature garden themed around Korea’s easternmost islet of Dokdo will go on a global exhibition tour after being showcased in London last week.The downscaled garden created by Korean designer Hwang Ji-hae features imitations of plants that grow naturally only on Dokdo and its nearest island of Ulleungdo in the East Sea. The artwork of indigenous Korean flora was presented to emphasize Korean sovereignty over the islet, which Japan also claims as Takeshima, according to the designer.  Entitled

Arts & DesignMarch 10, 2014

SHINee gears up for third world tour

Nearly two years since the group’s previous world tour, the five members of SHINee are in full swing once again and will be taking their music and performances across borders on their new tour, “SHINee World III.” “We are about to embark on our next world tour and we are very excited to be performing outside of Korea once again,” said Min-ho during a press conference held in Gymnastics Stadium at the Seoul Olympic Park on Sunday. “The performanc for this tour is very upbeat and a lot more engagi

March 10, 2014

YG to establish U.S. operation

YG Entertainment, one of South Korea’s largest music management companies, is setting up a North American base for its artists.The agency, whose singers include K-pop acts 2NE1, Psy and Big Bang, said Friday that construction was underway in the United States for “YG Land,” an independent space complete with recording infrastructure to support and promote its artists in North America.In partnership with the American real-estate agency MD Properties, “YG Land” will be built inside The Source, a s

March 10, 2014