Public consequences of pop stars’ private gigs

LOS ANGELES ― When pop stars Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Nelly Furtado and 50 Cent recently said they’d renounced millions of dollars they’d received for performing for members of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi’s family, they drew attention to a growing and controversial cultural phenomenon: celebrity artists being hired by rich, powerful and sometimes disreputable clients to play at private or semi-

March 21, 2011

Secrets of long-running musicals

Easy-to-follow story, timely changes and wit are keys to success for small-stage performancesNo matter how much blockbuster musicals boast of their leading stars, or how low and lewd some small theater shows become in a quest for custom, there remain several decent small-stage musicals that are long-running successes. South Korean original musicals such as: “Finding Kim Jong-wook;” “Sarangun Birul

March 21, 2011

ATHENA’s Jung admits relationship with co-star

Actor Jung Woo-sung has admitted to having a special relationship with Lee Ji-ah, who played a former lover of Jung in the spy drama “ATHENA: Goddess of War.” Jung told his fans at a fan meeting on Sunday that he has been dating Lee Ji-ah. “The relationship has just started. I hope you all understand in a good way,” Jung said. The two stars in “ATHENA: Goddess of War” were spotted on a date in Par

March 20, 2011

Korea’s hidden gems on German tour

German museums pull out 116 artifacts from their Korean art collections for traveling exhibitiA two-year touring exhibition of Korean art and cultural artifacts in Germany will kick off Friday at the country’s Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne. The exhibition “Korea Rediscovered ― Treasures from German Collections” is co-organized by the Linden Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, and the Korea Foundat

March 20, 2011

Events calendar

Exhibitions“Philosopher’s Tree”: Michael Kenna’s black and white tree photographs entice visitors to go find their own tall trees to lie beneath. Kenna is referred to as a “landscape photographer,” especially known for his serene photos of trees delicately highlighted with natural light. The Brit received numerous awards including the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the Culture Min

March 18, 2011

Box office

Dooman River (Korea, France)Opened March 17Drama. Directed by Zhang Lu. Chang-ho (Choi Geon) is a young ethnic Korean boy living in a Chinese province that shares its border with Hamgyeong Province in North Korea. His mother works in South Korea to support the family and Chang-ho lives with his grandfather and his older sister, a mute. He likes to play soccer and is extremely protective of his sis

March 18, 2011

For ‘I Will Follow’ writer-director, it was personal

Growing up in nearby Compton, Ava DuVernay fell in love with movies thanks to the passion and nurturing of her aunt, Denise Sexton.“She was a registered nurse and a community theater actress,” recalled DuVernay, 38, who has had her own public relations agency in Los Angeles since 1999. “She was a huge film buff. She wasn’t married and didn’t have a family, but her nieces were a big part of her lif

March 18, 2011

Animated film more than just talk

Actors love working on animated movies because it’s so easy: Just say a few lines into a microphone and pick up your check.That wasn’t the case with “Mars Needs Moms,” where filmmakers used a process called motion capture to create the animation. Instead of just speaking, the actors had to perform every scene. Film of those performances was used to make computer-generated images.“This was the hard

March 18, 2011

Kim quick to lead charity concerts

Rocker Kim Chang-wan of the Kim Chang-wan Band is holding a charity concert Friday at V-hall in Seogyo-dong, central Seoul, with fellow rock bands to help Japan’s quake victims. Titled “WHY ON EARTH,” the concert will feature 17 bands including Kim Chang-wan Band, Jang Ki-ha and Faces, Crying Nut, Seoul Electric Band, Yellow Monster, Diablo, Park Gi-young, and nyfish. The bands lined up soon after

March 17, 2011

Cleveland Museum introduces Korean, Japanese poetry paintings

Korean poetry paintings will be displayed in a major U.S. art museum for the first time next week. The exhibition “The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art,” which kicks off March 27 at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio, will offer a rare and in-depth comparison of poetry paintings by Korean and Japanese artists from the 14th to the 21st centuries. Browsing through the 80 poetry paint

March 17, 2011

Hilary Hahn, ECO to perform in Seoul

Grammy-winning American violinist Hilary Hahn and U.K.’s English Chamber Orchestra will meet their Korean fans on April 12 at the Seoul Arts Concert Hall. Hahn last visited Seoul three years ago.Hahn, 31, is one of the most sought after violinists in the world, along with Korean-American violinist Sarah Chang, 30. Hahn and Chang have been often compared with each other due to their different perfo

March 17, 2011

Japan quake strikes a chord with celebrities

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US celebrities are rallying their fans to raise money for survivors of the massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan, with Lady Gaga leading the charge and raising $250,000 in 48 hours. The larger-than-life pop icon announced her plan Monday to raise money for Japan by selling red and white wristbands bearing the message "We Pray for Japan" for $5 a piece via her online merchandis

March 17, 2011

Aram Nuri kicks off 7-year symphonic series

Program encompasses wide repertoire from Haydn to ShostakovichWhen it comes to symphonies, the most frequently performed composers in Korea are those composed by Tchaikovsky, Dvorak and Beethoven.To encourage classical music lovers to enjoy a broad range of music and to allow extensive study of each composer’s symphonies in chronological order, the Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center said it will kick of

March 16, 2011

Korean shows suffer as Japanese visitors cancel

Chongdong Theater’s Korean traditional musical performance “Miso” ― whose audience is 30 to 40 percent Japanese ― is in a fix. Japanese tourists have been canceling their tickets since the horrendous earthquake and tsunami that hit their country. “Most Japanese groups that were supposed to come on the day the earthquake struck canceled. About 13 groups have canceled so far. Some who are already ca

March 16, 2011

Firth, Kidman to star in Park’s ‘Stoker’

British actor Colin Firth and Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman will work on South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s new movie according to news reports. Firth, who recently won the Best Actor Academy Award for his role in the film “The King’s Speech,” will join Kidman in Park’s new movie “Stoker,” the U.K.’s Daily Mail and the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. Colin Firth (Xinhua-Yonhap News) Ni

March 16, 2011