[Movie Review] Oscar nominee ‘Zucchini’ is stop-motion delight with tart humor

LOS ANGELES -- As unexpectedly enchanting as its title is initially perplexing, “My Life as a Zucchini” is short but oh so satisfyingly bittersweet, an example of the kind of movie magic that’s always hard to find.A word-of-mouth phenomenon since its premiere at Cannes last year, this 70-minute stop-motion feature took the grand jury prize and the audience award at the top-drawer Annency International Animation Film Festival.More impressive still, it managed the almost unheard of double feat of

FilmMarch 3, 2017

Song Ji-hyo, Shin Ha-kyun cast for new film ‘Wind Wind Wind’

Song Ji-hyo and Shin Ha-kyun have been cast in an upcoming film tentatively titled “Wind Wind Wind” (unofficial translation), the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World said Friday. Directed by Lee Byeong-heon, who was behind “Twenty” (2015), the film is a comedy about four people seeking love and adventure on Jeju Island. Shin, previously in “Empire of Lust” (2015), will play a dispirited husband who once had dreams of becoming a renowned chef. Song, who was in “New World” (2013), will pla

FilmMarch 3, 2017

Herald Philharmonic to hold spring concert

Herald Philharmonic Orchestra is holding its fourth regular concert on March 9 at Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall in Seoul.Titled “A Spring Day,” the program features popular opera arias as well as traditional Korean music performed by the orchestra with a Korean traditional percussion group. Led by conductor Kim Bong-mi, the Herald Philharmonic Orchestra will opening the concert with the overture from the opera “The Bartered Bride” by Smetana. Soprano Yu Seong-nyeo will perform “Queen of the Nig

PerformanceMarch 3, 2017

YB to release new single in US in March

YB is set to release a new single in the US around mid-March or early April, the rock band’s agency said Wednesday.“There are no specific plans for a US concert yet. But the recording for the single has been completed,” said a representative from Dee Company, adding that they have yet to decide whether to also release the song in Korea.The single is part of YB’s ongoing attempts to crack the US market. Yoon Do-hyun, the band’s leader and vocalist, said earlier this year that YB plans to release

PerformanceMarch 3, 2017

Coldplay releases piano ballad in surprise new music

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Coldplay on Thursday released a piano ballad in surprise new music by the English rockers to mark front man Chris Martin’s 40th birthday.“Hypnotised,” described by the band as a “new non-single song,” is the first track off an EP entitled “Kaleidoscope” announced for June 2.“Hypnotised” starts off with dream-like chimes and piano with hints of Sigur Ros before turning into a more traditional rock ballad.The song -- in which Martin confesses he’s “never gonna be a saint” but fin

PerformanceMarch 3, 2017

Ending epic wait, Lorde returns with dance track

NEW YORK (AFP) - In one of the most anticipated returns in pop music, Lorde unveiled a song Thursday in which the onetime teenage star takes a new dance sound and adult look.The now 20-year-old New Zealander announced a second album called “Melodrama,” her follow-up to 2013’s “Pure Heroine” which won her phenomenal success while still a teenager.Lorde released the album’s first single, “Green Light,” which is strikingly more lively than her minimalist breakthrough hit, the Grammy-winning “Royals

PerformanceMarch 3, 2017

Pitbull to hold Korea concert

Party music guru Pitbull is coming to Korea. The rapper will hold his first concert in Korea on May 18 at the Seoul Olympic Park’s Olympic Hall at 8 p.m., according to the event’s host Live Nation Korea on Thursday. Pitbull debuted in 2004 and has since come to be known for fusing danceable Latin pop and electronic hip-hop sounds in his music. Hits by him include the 2013 song “Timber” featuring Kesha and the 2014 song “Time of Our Lives” featuring Ne-Yo. Tickets can be purchased from Thursday a

PerformanceMarch 3, 2017

[Weekender] Travel bits

Yangpyeong Strawberry FestivalThe Yangpyeong Strawberry Festival is being held through the end of May. Visitors can pick their own strawberries at the strawberry farms and participate in a variety of activities and programs in the village. Reservation is required.Exclusive events for bloggers are on offer at blog.naver.com/yp_nadri. Up to 50 teams can participate. The festival is open to visitors of all ages. For more information, visit www.yp21.net for information provided in Korean, English, J

TravelMarch 3, 2017

Hip carbs at 88 Bread

Danish toast bread -- a buttery, multilayered pastry loaf -- is on the verge of becoming Seoul’s hottest “it” carb. Similar in shape and flavor to regular toast bread, Danish toast bread is richer than its ubiquitous sibling, mainly because of how it is made, with alternating layers of dough and butter braided into a loaf. Separating layers of dough with butter results in the feather light pockets of air that are trademark pastry, like those found at the delicate center of a croissant. Danish to

FoodMarch 3, 2017

[Weekender] Stranger places: out-of-the-ordinary destinations

For those weary of typical travel itineraries -- looking at landscapes, eating local food, sightseeing -- The Korea Herald recommends a number of unique, and somewhat strange, places to visit, ranging from interesting accommodations to unusual places of interest. Robotic comfortsIn Nagasaki, Japan, there is a hotel staffed almost entirely by robots, from automated employees at the reception desk and electric bellboys to droid waiters at a restaurant. 　Upon entering the futuristic establishment,

TravelMarch 3, 2017

What the rich eat on their private planes

If you prepare food for Angelina Jolie, Michael Jackson, Simon Cowell and other multimillionaires while they’re lying on their private planes, what’s on the plate had better be good and nothing your diners’ palates might desire had better be missing. That slice of lime, wedge of Morbier cheese, tin of Russian caviar or bottle of Dom Perignon has got to be on board before takeoff; after all, there’s no Whole Foods Market or Super Cellars in the sky.Harry Purut, CEO of the Wood-Ridge, New Jersey-b

FoodMarch 2, 2017

Min Dong-seok elected head of HUFS Alumni Association

Min Dong-seok, ambassador for Africa-Middle East regional economic cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been elected the new president of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Alumni Association, the school said Thursday.Min Dong-seok (HUFS)It said representatives of the association unanimously chose Min at its meeting in Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul last month. Min entered the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in 1973, studied Russian and passed the Foreign Service Examina

Latest NewsMarch 2, 2017

Highlight, formerly known as Beast, to release EP album in March

Highlight, a South Korean boy band formerly known as Beast, plans to release an EP album later this month, its agency said Thursday.Around Us Entertainment said the team will release its first EP album under the name Highlight on March 20. The agency uploaded a teaser -- a frowning emoticon face with the release date -- on its Instagram account. (Around Us Entertainment)Since its debut in 2009 under Cube Entertainment, the six-member Beast became popular at home and in Japan with hit songs "Bad

PerformanceMarch 2, 2017

'Cherry Blossom Ending' reappears on music charts as spring nears

Figuratively, the arrival of spring signifies new beginnings. But spring of 2017 is returning with a not-so-new seasonal K-pop anthem: Busker Busker's "Cherry Blossom Ending."The song, released in 2012, ranked 10th on the "sudden increase chart" as of 7 a.m. Thursday on Melon, South Korea's largest music streaming service. Busker Busker also stood at 82nd on Mnet Music's "artist chart" on Wednesday, despite the band not releasing any new material since their second album in September 2013. Membe

PerformanceMarch 2, 2017

Lee Min-ho, Song Hye-kyo, EXO, top hallyu stars of the year: survey

Actor Lee Min-ho, actress Song Hye-kyo and boy band EXO have been chosen as the most popular "hallyu" stars of 2016, a survey showed Thursday.Soompi, a US-based online news provider specializing in Korean pop culture, announced the winners of the 12th annual Soompi Awards elected in a vote by hallyu fans from 139 countries around the world. Hallyu refers to the global boom of Korean pop music, TV dramas and films.In the vote, Lee was named Actor of the Year, beating the "Descendants of the Sun"

PerformanceMarch 2, 2017

What to watch: The best, worst shows on Korean TV today

A slew of entertaining shows have hit the small screens recently, featuring familiar themes and characters -- the hierarchy of the Korean office and wealthy, psychopathic villains -- but with new twists. Several once much-hyped series, meanwhile, are proving to be less engaging despite their star-studded casts.Also noteworthy is that the most popular shows at the moment do not center on romance, unlike recent hits such as “Descendants of the Sun” and “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” that foc

TelevisionMarch 2, 2017

‘Oldboy’ Choi Min-sik unscrupulous politician in new film

Iconic Korean actor Choi Min-sik will be returning to the big screen next month with “Special Citizen.” A trailer for the film was released by its distributor Showbox on Thursday. Best known to international audiences for his striking performance as a vengeful prisoner in the 2003 Park Chan-wook thriller “Oldboy,” Choi plays Byun Jong-goo, the ambitious mayor of Seoul running for his third term, in the upcoming film. The trailer features the unknowable and multifarious politician Byun, who in on

FilmMarch 2, 2017

[Herald Review] ‘Bluebeard’ toys with psychology of fallen man

The frozen Han River melts to reveal the body of a woman. With the resurfacing of a murder long forgotten, “Bluebeard” sends the characters, audience and plot spiraling down a rabbit hole where nothing is what it seems.Lee So-yeon’s psychological thriller shadows the steps of Seung-hoon, a doctor played by Cho Jin-woong whose failed marriage and career have pushed him to his psychological and financial edge.Once the proud owner of a hospital in the affluent Gangna area, the doctor is forced to m

FilmMarch 2, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters

Bluebeard(Korea)Opened March 1Thriller. Directed by Lee Su-yeonSeung-hoon (Cho Jin-woong) is a doctor whose failed marriage and career have put him on edge financially and psychologically. Forced to give up his hospital in Seoul’s affluent neighborhood, he moves to a provincial city to work at a clinic. During a sedated endoscopy, one of his elderly patients makes a confession to murder. The corpse of a woman is also found on the Han River, reviving a murder case. Logan(US)Opened March 1Action,

FilmMarch 2, 2017

2PM cancels concert following member's stage injury

2PM, a South Korean pop idol band, canceled the remainder of its concerts in Seoul following an onstage injury of member Jun. K, according to the group's agency Thursday. Boy band 2PM (JYP Entertainment)JYP Entertainment said it canceled the remaining half of the team's "6Nights" concerts that were scheduled at Seoul Olympic Park from Friday to Sunday.A 2PM gig on Feb. 26 at the venue was abruptly halted after Jun. K fell off a moving vehicle while singing. He fractured his right elbow and right

PerformanceMarch 2, 2017