YG Entertainment looks to U.S. with ‘YG Land’

(YG Entertainment)YG Entertainment, home to several k-pop musicians including Psy and Big Bang, announced Friday that it would establish a base in the United States for its artists as part of efforts to strengthen its presence in North America. The entertainment powerhouse plans to partner up with the U.S. real estate developer M+D Properties to open “YG Land” in the multi-entertainment space “The Source.” The building complex, currently under construction, is set to open in Orange County, Calif

March 10, 2014

Why can‘t China make 'My Love from Star'?

  With the hit Korean drama “My Love from the Star” sweeping China, its government is keeping a wary eye on the frenzy the drama has created in the nation. 　 The U.S. daily Washington Post reported Friday that the Chinese government officials discussed the popular Korean drama’s success with envy at the ongoing China‘s National People’s Congress, where the country‘s highest governing bodies meet annually to discuss legislative issues. 　 In a committee of China’s political advisory body

March 10, 2014

Three operas, three different charms

The arrival of spring means the opening of an opera season. Kicking off this spring opera lineup are three classic operas, each with a different color and charm: comedy, tragedy and something in between. ‘Don Giovanni’The National Opera Company of Korea brings an experimental, small-scale production of Mozart’s classic opera “Don Giovanni” to Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. Taking place at a 1,000-seat CJ Towol Theater at the center, which opens this spring after renovation, the production

CultureMarch 9, 2014

Nam June Paik works join Tate’s permanent collection

Key works of Korean-born media art pioneer Nam June Paik have been included in the permanent art collection of Britain’s Tate galleries with the sponsorship of Hyundai Motor Co. The prestigious Tate Modern museum of art will hold an exhibition of Paik’s works in the latter half of the year. As part of the 11-year partnership deal with Hyundai Motor, Tate purchased nine important works by the renowned media artist, including his video and painting works and installations. The artworks spanning Pa

PerformanceMarch 9, 2014

‘Gravity’ director Cuaron turns to TV

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron was looking for an anti-“Gravity” follow up to his blockbuster space film, and he found it with a rare excursion into television.Cuaron and sci-fi auteur J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” the “Star Trek” movies) are executive producers of “Believe,” a drama about a child whose supernatural powers put her and the world at risk.The premise came to him while he waited during “the endless process of special effects” on “Gravity,” Cuaron said at a media eve

TelevisionMarch 9, 2014

[Band Uprising] Monni feeds its greed with ‘Follow My Voice’

As the Korean music market is beginning to receive more international recognition, the local band scene is looking to rise up and represent the next generation of Korean music. This is the second installment of a series of interviews with Korean rock, acoustic and alternative bands. ― Ed. The band name itself says all about the four members of rock band Monni ― the musicians all have an insatiable thirst for quality music. Monni derives from a Korean term for greed, and is representative of the

March 9, 2014

[Weekender] Deja vu

The 1990s were a culturally vibrant decade that saw the birth of the legendary boy band Seo Taiji and Boys and first-generation idols like H.O.T. and Sechs Kies. It was the beginning of what we now call K-pop, and a period when Korean popular culture, especially movies and TV dramas, made great strides both in style and content. The decade is often hailed as Korea’s cultural heyday and continues to inspire popular culture. The culture of the ’90s first re-entered the Korean mainstream with the m

TelevisionMarch 7, 2014

[Weekender] Old music bridges generations

In a popular cartoon on the Internet, a man in his early 40s holds a floppy disk and asks a young boy, “Have you seen one of these before?” to which the boy exclaims, “Wow, you made a 3-D model of the save icon!”Poking fun at the generational gap between the youth of today and the middle-aged, the cartoon is a reminder of the inevitable differences in culture and shared memories between different generations.However, at a small bar-club in Hongdae ― decorated with shelves full of old LP records,

PerformanceMarch 7, 2014

[Weekender] Reliving good old days

When 41-year-old housewife Kim Soo-yeon recalls the early 1990s, it is with dreamy eyes and a hint of excitement in her voice. Her hero, late singer Kim Kwang-seok still roamed the stage, job prospects were bright as Korea’s economy continued to grow, and she was ready to enjoy what the world had to offer. “Those were my golden days. Back then, I felt like I could achieve anything,” Kim said. By the time she finished college in the late 1990s, however, the Asian financial crisis had struck and s

CultureMarch 7, 2014

[Weekender] Retro fever sweeps Korean consumers

Twenty-four-year-old college student Rho Jyong-ho has been all about retro these days.“Lately, I’ve been spending the majority of my weekends watching movies and dramas that are set in the 1990s,” said Rho. “Although I can relate to some things from when I was growing up, there are a lot more things that I can’t recall, probably because I was too young.”Rho is one of many people in Korea who are currently immersed in “retro fever.”The craze over retro products and culture that has been spreading

CultureMarch 7, 2014

Calendar

Classical musicLondon Symphony Orchestra: For the ninth time, the London Symphony Orchestra will be playing in Korea, this time with conductor Daniel Harding. It will hold two concerts at Seoul Arts Center, on March 10 and 11. The first concert will feature works by Mussorgsky, Stravinsky and Schubert. For the second one, the orchestra will play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, with soloist Kim Sun-wook, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan.” Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 300,000 won. F

CultureMarch 7, 2014

Eyelike: Nell delivers quality in 6th album

Nell delivers quality sounds on ‘Newton’s Apple’Nell“Newton’s Apple”(LOEN Entertainment)It seems that Nell never disappoints. Once again proving its musical finesse and sensibilities, Korea’s signature rock band Nell has returned strong with its sixth studio album, “Newton’s Apple,” equipped with original instrumentals and Kim Jong-wan’s yearning vocals.Nell has also completed its “Gravity” trilogy series with the new album featuring two CDs -- the first holding 11 new tracks and the other featu

PerformanceMarch 7, 2014

‘Winter’s Tale’ a bit too chilly for its own good

Mark Helprin’s 30-year-old fantasy novel “Winter’s Tale” saunters onto the screen as a lovely but slow and emotionally austere experience, a romantic weeper that shortchanges the romance and the tears.They threw Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”) and a cast including three Oscar winners at this exercise in magical realism, and yet Helprin’s bulky, honored book leaves them pinned to the mat, its big themes seemingly diminished by the time the credits roll.Colin Farrell

FilmMarch 7, 2014

Box Office

Stories We Tell (Canada)Opening 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 in fact born from her late mother’s 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

FilmMarch 7, 2014

Oklahoma Panhandle: Rural and quirky

KENTON, Oklahoma (AP) ― The Oklahoma Panhandle has never been for the faint of heart. Before becoming a part of Oklahoma Territory, this strip known as No Man’s Land was a haven for outlaws and land squatters. Later, during the Great Depression, severe drought and blinding dust storms turned the region into the Dust Bowl. The strong survived, and today the Panhandle of Oklahoma is made up of dedicated ranchers, a growing Hispanic population and awe-inspiring views of rural life at its finest. Th

TravelMarch 7, 2014

Treasure of the Sierra Madres

First-time visitors to the Philippines sometimes make the mistake of arriving in Manila without any further travel plans. To be fair, there’s some fine sightseeing to be done ― especially in the Intramuros area, site of the original Spanish fort ― and the city has a certain apocalyptic charm to it, especially during the monsoon season. Stay too long in Manila, though, and the Philippines’ jungles, dive sites, highland villages, volcanoes and more than 7,000 islands begin to exercise a magnetic p

TravelMarch 7, 2014

Around the hotels

White Day Gala dinner at Grand Hilton SeoulGrant Hilton Seoul’s buffet is hosting a special White Day Gala dinner on March 14 in celebration of White Day. Following the success of last year’s dinner, the buffet will feature fresh seafood such as king crab, fresh sashimi and abalone. At the buffet’s live corner, roasted abalone, roasted king prawn and tuna will be available. A gourmet lobster dish will be presented to every table as an appetizer. Guests can also enjoy unlimited wine, either Kenwo

FoodMarch 7, 2014

Alpine cuisine at Edelweiss

Edelweiss Swiss Deli and Kitchen co-owner Hans-Bernhard Merforth and his friend opened their small eatery in Seoul’s Haebangchon last May. “I teamed up with an old friend,” Merforth said, explaining how he, a German native, and his partner, who hails from Switzerland, joined hands to bring home-style eats from the Alpine region to Seoul. Merforth elaborated on how the aim was to offer “good quality food at reasonable prices.” “All things here we produce ourselves,” he added. Europe’s Alpine regi

FoodMarch 7, 2014