iPhone becomes cinematic medium

From visual voicemail to a portable media player and an Internet client, the iPhone has been serving the international public as a great multi-tasker with its revolutionary, diverse functionalities.The small handheld device has now arguably made another step, as Korea’s highly acclaimed director Park Chan-wook and his brother Park Chan-kyong ― a renowned media artist ― revealed their latest collab

Jan. 11, 2011

Korean dance world broadens its scope

Major dance and ballet companies are expected to showcase a broad spectrum of dances and ballets in 2011, ranging from Korean classical ballet to French classical romantic ballet to Korean contemporary dance and original Spanish flamenco.The first to kick-start the local dance scene in January is “The Song of Mermaid,” created and showcased by veteran choreographer Kim Sun-hee 10 years ago.Kim, pr

Jan. 11, 2011

At CES, three directors ponder film’s future

LAS VEGAS ― At the International Consumer Electronics Show, the massive annual expo in Las Vegas devoted to the hard sell of high tech, it’s just assumed that the next big thing is always better than what came before. That’s why director Oliver Stone managed to sound lonely in a crowded room Saturday when he suggested that, for cinema, the future just doesn’t look so bright.“Watching my children a

Jan. 11, 2011

New girl group Dal Shabet is named after a children’s story book

A growing number of netizens are protesting against a new girl group who appear to be using the title of a children’s book for their name. The book’s author is none too pleased with the new six-member group that has begun appearing in magazines and on national TV this month.Baek Hee-na, author of the book “Dal Sherbet” has been highly praised for her creative storyline and pictures. “Dal Sherbet”

Jan. 11, 2011

Stuntman-turned-actor spills the beans on real ‘Secret Garden’

Kwon tells about life of stunt performersLess than a week remains until the final episode of SBS’ smash hit series “Secret Garden” airs. For the past 18 episodes, the weekend drama has amassed a broad fan base and more buzz than it can handle. Everything from the sequin encrusted track suits worn by heartthrob Hyun Bin’s winsome hero to co-star Ha Ji-won’s enthralling portrayal of stuntwoman Gil R

Jan. 10, 2011

Boy bands performing in pairs to generate heat in 2011

Expect a fierce rivalry on the Korean music scene this year, as top boy bands are ready to make a comeback.Until now, the Korean music channels were mostly dominated by popular girl groups or singers like the Girls Generation, but this year the boys are expected to take the lead. Even before the release of their albums, the long-waited returns of TVXQ and Big Bang have generated heat among K-Pop f

Jan. 10, 2011

Chang’s retrospective exhibition offers simple and heartwarming paintings

Having a stable job for eight years ― two years as a researcher at the National Museum of Korea and six as a professor at Seoul National University ― was enough for Chang Ucchin. Without much hesitation, the freewheeling artist resigned from the respected position and wandered off to the countryside to devote the rest of his life entirely to painting. He drifted from atelier to atelier that he bui

Jan. 10, 2011

High note: Music thrills trigger reward chemical

People who become euphoric over music unleash dopamine, a brain chemical that also induces the sense of reward that comes from food, psychoactive drugs and money, an unusual study says.   McGill University researchers in Montreal, Canada, recruited eight volunteers aged 19-24 among 217 people who responded to advertisements requesting people who experienced "chills" -- a marker of extreme pleasure

Jan. 10, 2011

‘Mahler fever’ sweeps Seoul classical scene

The Mahler craze started in 2010 when Korean classical concert-goers scrambled to get tickets to Gustav Mahler’s symphonies at the Seoul Arts Center. Last year, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Chung Myung-whun began staging the Austrian composer’s all-symphonic works to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth.Coming into 2011, Mahler fever is sweeping the nation even faster than las

Jan. 9, 2011

Fans, rescued miner fete Elvis’ 76th birthday

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) ― Hundreds of Elvis Presley fans, including Chilean miner Edison Pena, gathered at Graceland to sing “Happy Birthday” on the late rock ‘n’ roll icon’s 76th birthday.Pena, the guest of honor at Elvis’ birthday party, cut into a 1.2-meter-high cake fashioned to look like stacked television sets as fans cheered both the singer and the miner outside Elvis’ longtime Memphis home

Jan. 9, 2011

Film fest showcases joy of cinema

Movies can mean a lot of things. They can be made, studied, critiqued and simply watched. They can give multiples of meanings and hardships, as well as aspirations and enormous wealth.The 6th Cinematheque Friends Film Festival, however, simply focuses on the joy of cinema this year. Starting on Jan. 18 at Seoul Art Cinema in central Seoul, the one of a kind festival showcases a total of 44 Korean

Jan. 7, 2011

events calendar

Exhibition“Christian Marclay: What You See Is What You Hear”: Three of U.S. artist Christian Marclay’s labor-intensive media works are on display at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art’s Black Box in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. It is the museum’s first “Black Box Project” which aims to introduce world-renowned media artists to the Korean public. The exhibition runs through Feb. 13 at Leeum, Samsung Museu

Jan. 7, 2011

Box office

The Be All And End All (U.K.)Opened Jan. 6Comedy. Directed by Bruce Webb. Fifteen-year-old schoolboys Robbie and Ziggy are best friends living in Liverpool, England. One day, on the way back from summer camp, Robbie faints and is hospitalized. Soon he gets diagnosed with a fatal heart disease. Robbie has one last wish, which he asks his best friend Ziggy to help him fulfill ― to lose his virginity

Jan. 7, 2011

Dark is just ‘Biutiful’ to Inarritu and Bardem

 As director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu remembers it, he and Javier Bardem first met at “The Losers Party.”It was Oscar night 2001 and Inarritu had just been overlooked by the academy ― for the first time. The then-38-year-old filmmaker celebrated the defeat of his “Amores Perros” by drinking copious amounts of tequila with Sean Penn and Bardem, two men who would later serve as unlikely muses for

Jan. 7, 2011

Bodyguard: Jackson doc said to hide vials

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― As Michael Jackson’s lifeless body lay on a bed in his palatial mansion, a bodyguard obeyed a frantic doctor’s instructions to bag up medicine bottles and intravenous bags and shield the Jackson children from seeing their father ― all before being told to call emergency services, court testimony revealed Wednesday.Alberto Alvarez said he was the first security guard to reach Jac

Jan. 6, 2011

Chinese artist brings childhood nostalgia to Seoul

Song Yige’s perspective rich, imaginativeShe had a perfect childhood in Harbin, China, and those innocent days made her who she is as an artist today. Song Yige is holding her second solo exhibition at Gallery Hyundai in Gangnam, Seoul, starting Jan. 7. The 30-year-old was discovered by world-renowned Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi last year. With his support, Song held her first show last year at ART

Jan. 6, 2011