Less than two months after the release of their debut studio album “Shut Up and Dance,” the musicians of Rock ’N’ Roll Radio Kim Jin-kyu (guitar), Kim Nae-hyun (lead vocals and guitar), Choi Min-kyu (drums) and Lee Min-woo (bass) have already achieved more than they ever thought they would. The band’s 14-track debut album was released on Oct. 21, and not only has the group already nabbed a number of newcomer awards including the EBS 2014 Hello Rookie Award last month, but they have also landed t

PerformanceDec. 16, 2013

WELLINGTON (AFP) ― Director James Cameron announced Monday he will film three sequels to his record-breaking epic “Avatar” in New Zealand after striking a deal with the government for increased production subsidies.Cameron said the movies, with a combined budget of at least NZ$500 million ($415 million), would be shot back-to-back and released from late 2016.Aside from an increased subsidy that will account for up to 25 percent of the films’ budget, Cameron said New Zealand offered highly skille

FilmDec. 16, 2013

HAVANA (AFP) ― For the past three decades, Brazilian telenovelas have helped Cubans forget their litany of woes for an hour a day. But today, dozens of South Korean soap operas are earning wide audiences.Following in the footsteps of South Korean films and K-pop, “doramas” ― South Korean soaps dubbed into Spanish ― first appeared on Cuban televisions earlier this year.  “Queen of Housewives,” “My Fair Lady,” “Dream High” and, for the past month, “Secret Garden,” are all winning fans on the Commu

TelevisionDec. 16, 2013

The number of moviegoers is expected to break the 200 million mark this year, the Korean Film Commission said on Monday. The commission said local movie theaters sold 199.3 million tickets as of Dec. 15 and the figure would likely exceed 200 million by the end of this week, based on the average ticket sales on weekdays. Korean movies performed strongly this year, securing close to a 60 percent share in competition against big-budget Hollywood films.“Miracle in Cell No.7” emerged as the biggest K

FilmDec. 16, 2013

Hwa-young, a former member of K-pop girl group T-ara, has signed an exclusive contract with a new agency named Wellmade STARM on Monday.“We have signed a contract with Hwa-young since we discovered her potential to become an actor,” said Wellmade STARM. “Through her transformation into an actress, she will develop new aspects of her that she hasn’t shown to the public yet.”Other actors the agency represents include Lee Jong-suk, Song Sae-byeok and Oh Yeon-seo.Hwa-young made her debut in 2010 as

Dec. 16, 2013

James Cameron will be returning to New Zealand to film three sequels to ``Avatar,'' his enormously popular movie about the blue inhabitants of Pandora.The director made the announcement Monday in the capital Wellington with producer Jon Landau and Prime Minister John Key. The films will be made by Lightstorm Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox.``Avatar,'' released in 2009 and shot in New Zealand, won three Academy Awards and is the highest-grossing film in history, with an international box

FilmDec. 16, 2013

Choo Sa-rang, an infant starlet who is captivating South Korean TV viewers once again gave a delightful scene: This time, showing her love toward Disney character Tinker Bell.In the episode of the variety TV show “Superman is Back” aired on Sunday, Choo and her father Choo Sung-hoon, went shopping together at a character store in Shibuya, downtown Tokyo.Little Choo, who showed her infinite love toward Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in previous episodes, asked her father to find her an item with T

TelevisionDec. 16, 2013

YG Entertainment announced on Monday that Park Bom of 2NE1 and K-pop starlet Lee Hi will be releasing a digital Christmas single on Tuesday, the first of a series of a collaborative projects dubbed “YG x SAMSUNG MUSIC.”The agency said the special unit “BOM&HI” will release a new interpretation of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” at midnight on Tuesday. “Samsung Music” service, launched in May 2012, will own the exclusive rights to the song for the first three days, before it beco

PerformanceDec. 16, 2013

Jang Beom-jun, vocalist and guitarist in South Korean band Busker Busker, is to get married next spring, his agency said Monday.“We deliver news of Busker Busker member Jang Beom-jun’s marriage with great joy,” Chungchun Music said via its official Twitter page. The company said Jang had been planning to fulfill his mandatory military service, but the unexpected pregnancy of his girlfriend, actress Song Ji-su, led him to get married first.The agency said that Busker Busker decided to suspend the

PerformanceDec. 16, 2013

A residency program at Arts Council Korea has been dispatching artists to some of the most remote places in the world. Expeditions visit places such as the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, Lake Baikal in Siberian Russia and Antarctica. Starting in 2008, the residency program has sent out more than 100 artists, giving them time to find inspiration while being immersed in a new environment and culture. On Monday, four artists will depart for Antarctica on a mission to explore new ways to practice their ar

PerformanceDec. 15, 2013

Cable and general programming TV programs have been widely regarded as less in quality, but the recent success of several shows has brought change and dynamicity to a field that has long been ruled by terrestrial TV content. Armed with “daring” humor and nature, these minor players are emerging as trend setters, and the next possible hallyu engine. On Friday, Lee Woo-jung and Song Jae-jeong, writers for smash-hit TV shows “Reply 1994” and “Nine” respectively, won at the Korea Content Awards 2013

TelevisionDec. 15, 2013

Being single doesn’t have to mean spending the holiday season alone with nothing to do. For those who find themselves without family or loved ones to spend Christmas with, there are a number of events being held around Seoul for singles. Cinema franchise Megabox will host a special Christmas Eve event specifically geared toward singles searching for love. The Megabox in the Coex Mall will reserve an entire theater for 83 randomly selected single women and 83 randomly selected men to come togethe

CultureDec. 15, 2013

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) ― Sotheby’s auction house in New York has agreed to return an ancient statue to Cambodia, ending a heated legal battle that began more than a year ago.The agreement, signed Thursday by lawyers for Sotheby’s, the consignor and the U.S. government, states that the auction house will transfer the statue to a representative of Cambodia in New York within 90 days.Sotheby’s and the consignor, a Belgian woman named Decia Ruspoli di Poggio Suasa, “have voluntarily determined, i

CultureDec. 15, 2013

This is the 19th article in a series on producers, MCs, DJs and artists working in the Korean underground hip-hop scene. ― Ed.For hip-hop artist Kebee, this latest album has been a long time coming. 　It is his first in four years. During that time, his label, Soul Company, disbanded in 2011 and he completed mandatory military service. The 30-year-old said he hoped to prove with “Lost and Found,” which dropped on Dec. 12, that he still has what it takes to be a hip-hop artist.“In a way, I’m reent

PerformanceDec. 15, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) ― Beyonce has released her new album in an unconventional way: She announced and dropped it on the same day.The singer released “Beyonce” exclusively on iTunes early Friday. She mirrors how Jay Z released “Magna Carta Holy Grail” earlier this year ― through a deal with Samsung where he gave the album to 1 million users of Galaxy mobile phones days before its official release.Beyonce’s fifth effort features 14 songs and 17 videos. Jay Z, Drake and Frank Ocean make guest appearances

PerformanceDec. 15, 2013