[Herald Review] ‘Phantom’ focuses on tragic character, fails to be memorable

The musical “Phantom” reveals another layer of the tragic, ghostly character who lives at the Paris Opera House, and who has stolen the hearts of many for ages.  Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit’s “Phantom” -- long overshadowed by Andrew Lloyd Weber’s smash hit “The Phantom of the Opera” -- opened Wednesday in Seoul at the Charlotte Theater in Jamsil, eastern Seoul. The Korean-language version of the licensed musical, which features original mu

March 22, 2021

Ahn Eun-me’s ‘Dragons’ to take flight

Choreographer Ahn Eun-me has set out to uplift people’s spirits amid the COVID-19 pandemic with her latest project “Dragons,” which features a group of young dancers from across Asia. “Dragons” will go on stage at Yeongdeungpo Art Hall in western Seoul on Saturday and Sunday. For the piece, Ahn sought out Generation Z dancers, those born between 1996 to 2010. Having grown up in a world dominated by mobile technology, Ahn believes the Gen Z dancers are “d

March 22, 2021

KBS apologizes for controversial questions given to Brave Girls

Producers at broadcaster KBS apologized to fans on Friday for controversial questions asked to K-pop girl group Brave Girls in a YouTube video, but stopped short of apologizing to Brave Girls. The producers of the online program “Sketchbook Without You Heeyeol” uploaded a preview of the group before their appearance on “You Heeyeol’s Sketchbook” on Friday. In the video, the four members of Brave Girls read and answered a number of questions posted on Instagram. The

March 21, 2021

Violinist Chung Kyung-wha cancels performances due to hand injury

World-class violinist Chung Kyung-wha has abruptly called off several performances due to an injury in her left hand. The 73-year-old virtuoso violinist was to hold a solo recital on Saturday at Namdong Sorae Arts Hall in Incheon. The sell-out recital, however, was canceled on the day, following Chung’s injury. “The recital has been unfortunately canceled due to the artist’s left hand injury. We ask for the understanding of the audiences who have waited for the recital,&rd

March 21, 2021

‘Sing Again’ top 3 to return with ‘Famous Singer’

The top three finalists of JTBC’s hit audition program “Sing Again” -- Lee Seung-yoon, Jeong Hong-il and Lee Mu-jin -- will meet renowned artists in the broadcaster’s new entertainment show “Famous Singer” starting April 2. “Sing Again,” which ended last month, aimed to give a second chance to singers who never gained popularity. The program was a mega success and tickets for its concert featuring the top 10 finalists sold out within minutes, wit

March 21, 2021

2PM's Junho discharged from military

Junho, a member of K-pop boy band 2PM, has successfully completed his mandatory military service and was officially discharged Saturday. The singer, whose full name is Lee Jun-ho, was discharged after completing his alternative military service, according to JYP Entertainment. Junho, who enlisted in May 2019, is the last 2PM member to complete military service. By law, all able-bodied South Korean men must carry out military service for about two years. The multinational boy band consisting

March 20, 2021

BLACKPINK vocalist Rose's solo single debuts at No. 43 on Official Charts

BLACKPINK's Rose saw her debut solo release hit No. 43 on the Official Charts, becoming the first K-pop female soloist to chart on the British music ranking. "On the Ground," the BLACKPINK member's new release, reached No. 43 on the latest version of the Official Singles Top 100 updated weekly. As a group, BLACKPINK had landed on the British music chart a number of times, peaking at No. 20 with the 2020 megahit "How You Like That." Rose released her first solo material on

March 20, 2021

Lee Joon-ik chose to focus on life of scholar-poet in upcoming film ‘Book of Fish’

Director Lee Joon-ik, a master of period films, chose to focus on the life of Joseon scholar Jeong Yak-jeon in his upcoming movie “Book of Fish.” “I think there is an error in looking into and defining certain periods only by historical events and wars,” Lee said during a press conference at the Megabox Coex theater in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Thursday. He added that audiences are simply used to this because many existing period films approach stories this way. “By

March 19, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids unveils first international collab

Stray Kids recently joined forces with international musicians to put out a mobile game song. 　 The band teamed up with Swedish producer Alesso and DJ Corsak, who hails from China, and will release a Korean version of “Going Dumb,” part of the soundtrack for Battle Ground, which will come out Friday at midnight.  Alesso is a hit EDM artist with a multi-platinum record. Corsak, who created the original version, is reaching out to a wider audience. It was rearranged to add Ko

March 19, 2021

[Newsmaker] Big Hit Entertainment to change name to Hybe

South Korea’s entertainment powerhouse Big Hit Entertainment, home to global K-pop sensation BTS, is set to start on a new journey under the name, Hybe. The company on Friday released the “New Brand Presentation” video on their YouTube channel, introducing changes to its name and organization, as well as the revelation of its new office building to mark its rebranding into an entertainment lifestyle platform company. According to chairman Bang Si-hyuk, the new brand name Hy

March 19, 2021

BTS agency announces name change to Hybe, bigger biz plans

Big Hit Entertainment, the K-pop powerhouse behind global sensation BTS, on Friday unveiled a plan to change its name to Hybe and ambitions to become what it called an "entertainment lifestyle platform." "What we think of as variation of music is that of the indefinite realm and I think the name Big Hit Entertainment cannot fully capture this concept," Big Hit founder and chief executive Bang Si-hyuk said in an online session explaining the transition. "I thought we ne

March 19, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Mauritanian (US) Opened March 17 Drama Directed by Kevin Macdonald Attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster ) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) decide to take on the case of Mohamedou Ould Salahi (Tahar Rahim), who has been held for years at Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp by the US Government without a single charge or the possibility of a trial. Nobody was willing to take his case because Slahi was captured on the suspicion that he was involved in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist atta

March 19, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Kang Daniel hails surprise release

Kang Daniel signaled an upcoming music release with a surprise teaser on Thursday. 　 He floated a “Coming Soon” poster and said he would come out with new music April 13. 　 2021 will be a turning point for the singer, he promised, saying he was putting his plan into action on the heels of the success of his previous single, “Paranoia.” 　 “Paranoia” came out last month, and within only two weeks it swept charts and television music programs. The video set

March 18, 2021

US trading card company under fire for violent caricature of BTS

Topps, a US trading card manufacturer, removed an illustration showing beaten-up members of BTS after it came under fire for releasing the product at a time when hate crimes against Asians are raising alarm bells. The New York-based company introduced the sticker collection "The Shammy Awards" on Tuesday (US time) following the 63rd Grammy Awards earlier in the week. The Grammy-themed merchandise featured performers BTS, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion and Harry Style

March 18, 2021

S. Korean box office hits record low in Feb.

The number of moviegoers plunged to a record low for February amid the prolonged novel coronavirus pandemic, box office data showed Thursday. A total of 3.1 million people went to theaters last month, down 57.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). The figure marked the lowest among all February numbers since KOFIC started to compile box office data in 2004. The box office revenue also tumbled 53.9 percent on-year to 28.7 billion won (US$25.5

March 18, 2021

BTS earns double platinum in US with megahit 'Dynamite'

The BTS megahit "Dynamite" has become a double platinum certified single in the United States in the latest record-breaking streak for the K-pop juggernauts. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced Wednesday (US time) that the septet's digital single "Dynamite" released in August has earned double platinum. A song gets platinum certification with at least 1 million equivalent units, including sales, downloads and streams. A double platinum certificati

March 18, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Jessi discusses pressure to outdo herself

Jessi held an online showcase to mark the release of a digital single, “What Type of X,” Wednesday. 　 There wasn’t much time to produce the song and it took a toll on the singer, she confided, acknowledging with a bashful smile that she was trying not to get her hopes too high. 　 “We only had two days to shoot the music video, and it was the longest two days,” she went on, expressing her gratitude for Psy, the head of her label and collaborator on the song, for

March 17, 2021

Veteran K-pop boy band Super Junior returns with album celebrating debut anniversary

Super Junior, one of the longest-running K-pop boy groups, has dropped a new album in a belated celebration of the 15th anniversary of its debut. The group's 10th studio album, titled "The Renaissance," carries 10 songs, including the main track "House Party" as well as "Super," "Burn the Floor," "Paradox" and "Closure." "This album shares a lot of similarities with our very first album," Leeteuk, the band's leader, said du

March 17, 2021

Rain to star in upcoming drama ‘Ghost Doctor’

Actor and singer Jung Ji-hoon, also known as Rain, confirmed on Wednesday that he will play the lead role of Cha Young-min in upcoming fantasy medical drama “Ghost Doctor.” The drama is about two doctors with polar opposite backgrounds, medical skills and personalities fusing together in body and soul. Cha is a selfish and proud doctor with unparalleled medical expertise. After being involved in a series of unexpected events, he works hard as a character that enters the body of ot

March 17, 2021

'Minari' tops S. Korean box office, expected to get Oscar bump

"Minari," the drama film about a Korean American immigrant family, continued its rally at the South Korean box office and is expected to get a major boost thanks to its six Oscar nominations, including best picture, data showed Wednesday. The US movie garnered nearly 20,000 moviegoers the previous day, with a total of 531,000, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. Since its release on March 3, it has not missed the top position for the past 14 days at the local box offi

March 17, 2021