Bong gets historic Oscars nod

Director Bong Joon-ho’s satire-thriller “Parasite” made history, earning nominations in six categories, including best picture, best director and best international feature film, for the 2020 Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday morning in the US announced the full list of its nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards, which included the first-ever Korean movie to be nominated for any award, “Parasite.”  Bong was also nominate

Jan. 14, 2020

'Joker' leads Oscar nods with 11 as women, minorities miss out

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Dark comic book tale "Joker" topped the Oscar nominations Monday, picking up 11 nods including best picture and best director, as women and ethnic minorities were largely shut out once again.The pre-dawn Academy Award announcement capped months of ceaseless campaigning by A-listers and studios, revealing which stars and movies have a shot at Hollywood's ultimate prize next month.Todd Phillips's "Joker," a bleak, arthouse origin story about Batman's nemesi

Jan. 14, 2020

K-pop generates over 6 billion tweets in 2019

K-pop remained a dominant topic on Twitter in 2019, as the platform’s internal data shows 6.1 billion tweets about the Korean music industry.The number is up nearly 15 percent from the year prior, an indication that K-pop is more popular than ever on the platform.And according to Kim Yeon-jeong, Twitter’s head of global K-pop partnerships, the tweet service plans to keep the upward trend going. “To make the K-pop community more lively on Twitter, we plan to provide quality

Jan. 14, 2020

'Parasite' director Bong Joon-ho says 'language barrier' broken after Oscar nod

SEOUL (Reuters) -- "Parasite" director Bong Joon-ho said he was surprised and overjoyed when the film won six Oscar nominations on Monday, a historic first for South Korea's film industry and a sign that language is no longer a barrier to global success."Parasite," a dark comedy about the vast gap between the rich and poor in South Korea, snagged a coveted best picture nomination, best director for Bong, and best screenplay in addition to its best international feature nomina

Jan. 14, 2020

Enoi makes bold return with ‘Cheeky’

After entering the K-pop scene shrouded in innocence last year, K-pop rookie group Enoi is making a bold return with the new single “Cheeky.” The seven-piece act, fronted by leader Laon alongside Dojin, Hamin, Avin, Jinwoo, J-Kid and Gun, held a media showcase for its first EP, “Red in the Apple,” in Seoul on Monday. The band debuted in April last year under the newly established Kithewhale Company label. It says the band’s name “Enoi” comes from the las

Jan. 14, 2020

'Parasite' earns six Oscar nominations, including best picture

Bong Joon-ho's sensation "Parasite" earned six nominations, including best picture, for the upcoming Academy Awards on Monday, becoming the first South Korean movie to compete at the world's biggest film event.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its final list of nominations for the 2020 Oscars Awards, to be held on Feb. 9."Parasite" was up for best picture, best directing, best original screenplay, best international feature film, production design and f

Jan. 13, 2020

EXO's Chen to get married

EXO’s Chen announced Monday afternoon that he will be getting married, hinting that his wife-to-be is also pregnant with his child. In a handwritten letter sent through his agency SM Entertainment, the singer said he has a “girlfriend who he would like to spend the rest of his life with.”He also said a “blessing has arrived” to him, hinting that his soon-to-be-wife is pregnant. “I don’t know where to begin and I’m so nervous and shaky. But I d

Jan. 13, 2020

EXO's Chen breaks surprise marriage news, hints at fiance's pregnancy

Chen, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, made a surprise announcement Monday that he will get married soon, hinting that his fiance is pregnant."Chen decided to get married after getting into a precious relationship," EXO's management agency, SM Entertainment, said.  SM did not provide further details about the finance, only saying that she is not in show business. It also did not provide the exact date or location of the wedding, adding that the ceremony will be a closed affair amon

Jan. 13, 2020

MPyC to evolve into multigenre music festival

The biannual festival Music in PyeongChang (MPyC) festival hopes to carry on the legacy of the PyeongChang Olympics with programs that embrace diversity and peace. The event’s organizers announced the program for the winter edition of the festival on Monday at Four Seasons Seoul in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, with festival artistic director and pianist Son Yeol-eum, Gangwon Art & Culture Foundation Chairman Kim Sung-hwan and Feelgood Kim, the foundation’s new CEO, in attendance.&

Jan. 13, 2020

K-pop stars temporarily leaving music scene over anxiety disorders

At the height of their high-profile K-pop careers last year, Kang Daniel and Mina, a member of sensational girl group TWICE, temporarily left show business, complaining of anxiety and other mental disorders. The Japanese K-pop star, Mina was suffering from an anxiety disorder and suspended her stage career amid her group's globe-trotting concert tour in July. Kang abruptly withdrew from the public eye in early December due to depression and a panic disorder, one week after his second music relea

Jan. 13, 2020

‘Beasts Clawing at Straws,’ awakens characters’ animal spirits

Director Kim Yong-hoon compared his first commercial movie, a crime noir with a touch of black comedy, to a “400-meter relay race between the eight characters,” clawing after a cash-filled Louis Vuitton bag. “The story unfolds, not with one or two main characters taking the lead, but with all the casts passing the baton to each other throughout the movie,” Kim said during a press conference for “Beasts Clawing at Straws” held Monday in Seoul. Based on Keis

Jan. 13, 2020

JTBC's 'Sky Castle' named best drama series at Asian TV Awards

South Korea's black comedy "Sky Castle" has received the best drama series prize at an Asian awards ceremony for television programs, the series' broadcasting network said Monday.At the 24th Asian Television Awards held in Manila on Saturday, JTBC's 20-episode weekend drama airing from November 2018 to February 2019 won the title, outclassing seven competitors including "Dr. Prisoner" of South Korea, "Stepmom and Daughter Blues" of Japan and "The Rise of Phoeni

Jan. 13, 2020

'Parasite' picks up 2 titles at Critics' Choice Awards

Bong Joon-ho's black comedy thriller "Parasite" has clinched two titles at this year's Critics' Choice Awards, continuing its rally during the US awards season.At the ceremony held by the Broadcast Film Critics Association in Santa Monica, California, on Sunday (US time), director Bong tied with Sam Mendes of "1917," the top winner of this year's Golden Globe Awards, for best director, while his seventh feature film also won best foreign-language film.In the best direction se

Jan. 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] Hacking of top celebrities prompts rumors, warnings

Several South Korean celebrities whose phones were recently hacked are struggling to prevent the spread of their photos and rumors on the internet and messenger apps. Some have issued warnings of legal action. Earlier on Thursday, the police said they had launched a probe into a case where about 10 celebrities, including famous actors and members of K-pop groups, allegedly had their phones hacked. The police said the hacker blackmailed the victims by threatening to leak their personal data.

Jan. 12, 2020

BTS' 'Idol' becomes 6th music video to top 600m YouTube views

The music video of BTS' song "Idol" reached 600 million YouTube views Sunday, becoming the band's sixth video to accomplish the milestone.The music video of "Idol," the lead track of BTS' repackaged album "Love Yourself: Answer" released in 2018, achieved the feat early Sunday morning, according to the band's management agency, Big Hit Entertainment. The music video, which won the Music Video of 2018 at the E! People's Choice Awards, grabs the eyes with its impressi

Jan. 12, 2020

Bong Joon-ho's interpreter wows US film industry amid award-winning rally of 'Parasite'

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho of "Parasite" might be the busiest man in the ongoing US winter awards season, hoisting numerous trophies and delivering acceptance speeches onstage.As the director has been increasingly doing media interviews and making it onto talk shows, moreover, the person next to the eclectic auteur has also come into spotlight: Sharon Choi.She has been with Bong as an interpreter since May, when his black comedy thriller won the highest prize of Palme d'Or at t

Jan. 10, 2020

BTS unveils teaser video for new album

K-pop boy band BTS on Friday released the first teaser video for its new album slated for Feb. 21.The group uploaded "Interlude: Shadow," the first trailer of its fourth full-length album "Map of the Soul: 7" on its YouTube channel at 12 a.m. Friday.In the three-minute video, member Suga walks listeners through his ambitions and fears involving his band's globally acclaimed music career, carrying on the album series' Carl Jung-inspired theme of exploring the ego. The video em

Jan. 10, 2020

BTS' 'DNA' music video tops 900m YouTube views

The music video of BTS' 2017 hit song, "DNA," topped 900 million YouTube views Friday, the band's first music video to surpass that milestone. "DNA," the lead track of BTS' 2017 album, "Love Yourself: Her," achieved the feat Friday morning, according to the band's management agency, Big Hit Entertainment.  Released in September 2017, the song stayed on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for four consecutive weeks, and in February the following year, it was certified &qu

Jan. 10, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Dolittle(US)Opened Jan. 8Adventure, Comedy, FamilyDirected by Stephen GaghanDr. John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.) lives in solitude behind the walls of his manor in 19th-century England. His only companions are exotic animals that he speaks to on a daily basis. But when young Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley) becomes gravely ill, the eccentric doctor and his furry friends, including the doctor’s loyal dog Jip (Tom Holland), embark on an epic adventure to a mythical island to find a cure.Star

Jan. 10, 2020

HBO to produce 'Parasite' miniseries

NEW YORK (AFP) -- HBO has secured the rights to adapt South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's critical smash hit "Parasite" into a miniseries, the US cable channel said Thursday.Television companies vying to adapt the movie include Netflix, which produced Bong's 2017 hit "Okja," entertainment website Deadline Hollywood reported. A dark satire about the relationship between two families, "Parasite" has earned $130 million worldwide, picking up the coveted Palme d'Or at

Jan. 10, 2020