Rochester, New York (AP) ― At Image City Photography Gallery, Gary Thompson delights in pointing out qualities of light, contrast and clarity in one of his best-selling prints ― a winter-sunset view of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan peak shot with a hefty Pentax film camera he bought in 1999 for $1,700.His wife, Phyllis, a latecomer to fine-art photography after they retired from teaching in

May 31, 2011

Artist Ham Jin returns after six years with darker and more profound micro worldThe dark gray alien-like clods hanging from the ceiling and sticking on walls at PKM Gallery in Hwa-dong, central Seoul, are not lumps of dust, hair or eraser shavings.Look at them carefully ― really carefully ― and you can see tiny worlds made of polymer clay. With enough imagination, you may be able to spot some huma

May 31, 2011

Police booked Big Bang member Daesung without detention Tuesday morning after he hit two people with his car on a bridge in Seoul. The vehicle, driven by the 22-year-old pop singer, hit a motorcyclist who was lying on the road and a taxi driver who had left his vehicle to check on the rider on Yanghwa bridge located in southwestern Seoul, at around 1:30 a.m.The motorbike driver was pronounced dead

May 31, 2011

U.S. singer-songwriter to hold first Korea gig next weekFor singer-songwriter aspirants in Korea, his upcoming show should be a must-see. Ben Folds, an American rock pianist and singer-songwriter who has influenced musicians including John Mayer, Josh Groban and Rufus Wainwright, is coming to town next week to hold his first-ever concert in Korea.The 44-year-old said he writes music spontaneously.

May 30, 2011

SHENZHEN (AP) ― After building a name for himself in the South Korean film and TV industries, Kwon Sang-woo is setting his sights on another booming Asian entertainment market ― China.The 34-year-old actor is shooting a Chinese-language romance alongside Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung and will next join the Jackie Chan project “Chinese Zodiac.”Kwon, who shot to fame with the 2003 TV drama “Stair

May 29, 2011

Exhibitions“Isabelle Huppert: Woman of Many Faces”: The photo exhibition shows the lesser known sides of Isabelle Huppert, France’s star actress. It features more than 110 portrait photos of the actress taken by around 70 photographers including Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Chun Kyung-woo and filmmaker Ronald Chammah, Huppert’s husband. The touring show was held in seven cities includin

May 27, 2011

Tristan Prettyman“Twentythree,” “Hello”Warner Music KoreaSan Diego-based singer-songwriter Tristan Prettyman’s first and second studio albums “Twentythree” (2005) and “Hello” (2008) have been belatedly released in Korea. Probably best known as fiancé of Jason Mraz, the 29-year-old’s music style is pretty much like that of her partner, in that her songs are mostly based on the sounds of the acousti

May 27, 2011

Mama (Korea)Opening June 1Drama. Directed by Choi Ik-hwan. Featuring the stories of three different mothers and their children, director Choi Ik-hwan’s “Mama” tells what mothers mean to the traditional and contemporary Korean mentality. Hyung-seok, a 5-year-old boy who suffers from a fatal heart disease, lives with his mom Dong-sook (Uhm Jung-hwa) alone. Being a single mother, Dong-sook works as a

May 27, 2011

 　Chae Dong-ha, 30, former member of the Korean pop trio SG Wannabe, was found dead in his home Friday morning, his agency said. 　Chae had hanged himself in his house in Eunpyeong-gu. Chae’s manager said Chae could not be reached the night before, and he was found dead the following morning when the manager arrived at his house. Police believe Chae committed suicide on the night of May 26. 　Chae’s

May 27, 2011

Quality proven but without vital connections, Korean films struggle to crack HollywoodLOS ANGELES ― Cinema 2 of CGV in Los Angeles, U.S., was a full house on the night of the sneak preview of the South Korean movie “Late Autumn” this month. The English-speaking audience, about 70 percent of whom had Asian features, laughed and sniffled their way through the two-hour movie starring Korean heartthro

May 26, 2011

Nobel laureate Le Clezio tells of his affection for ‘unique’ KoreaFor the Nobel laureate Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, traveling is an essential part of his job, which provides insights and inspiration for his work. He picks South Korea as one of his favorite places. “Korea still remains a question mark to me,” he says sitting in an office in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. Le Clezio, 71, who won the

May 26, 2011

Award-winning French actress in town promoting new movie and photography exhibitionFrance’s star actress Isabelle Huppert showed up on Thursday at The Museum of Photography, Seoul in Bangi-dong, eastern Seoul, decked in a dark brown dress and a black leather jacket, flashing the cool “French chic” smile at the press crowded to see her. “This is my second time here since I visited the 1998 Busan In

May 26, 2011

U.K. performers Stoke Newington International Airport have arrived to perform their experimental Live Art Speed Date concept at the Chuncheon International Mime Festival this weekend. Involving a series of four-minute one-on-one performances, or “dates,” the show that has been tried and tested from London to Tokyo will explore and celebrate the intimate exchange between artist and audience. Highli

May 26, 2011

Two South Korean historical records are to be granted “Memory of the World” status by UNESCO. Documents on the pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju on May 18, 1980, and Ilseongrok, a diary-style chronicle of late Joseon Dynasty’s kings’ daily lives, will be listed on the Memory of the World Register, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO on Tu

May 25, 2011

LOS ANGELES ― What can you say about the last days of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” when it’s all been said already. And mostly by Oprah herself.According to audience members interviewed by the Chicago Tribune after its taping, Wednesday’s finale will be a farewell address by the most famous talk show host in history, a summing up of a 25-year career in her own words.Because in case you hadn’t gotten t

May 25, 2011

The Korea Opera Festival’s focus in 2011 is to well present two original Korean operas produced by local opera companies, as the production skills of Korean opera companies have made great progress in recent years, the organizers of the festival said Tuesday.With five opera companies participating in the event, the Second Korea Opera Festival will kick off on June 23 and run through July 24 at the

May 24, 2011