Screenwriter says ‘Big Fish’ is a ‘very small human story’

Though the musical “Big Fish” may seem to be from far away -- it is, after all, a story from the American South -- it is a tale of fatherhood with which audiences around the world can relate, the show’s scriptwriter said.The family musical is based on a 1998 novel of the same name written by Daniel Wallace. The novel was adapted into a film in 2003 starring Ewan McGregor. Screenwriter John August is the mastermind behind the film and the musical productions, having written the

Dec. 24, 2019

Red Velvet's new album tops iTunes album charts in 42 countries

Girl group Red Velvet's latest "repackage album," "The ReVe Festival: Finale," has topped the iTunes album charts in 42 countries, its agency said Tuesday.The third of the five-member band's "The ReVe Festival" trilogy, the 16-track album was released on Monday (Korean time) and includes four new songs -- "Psycho," "In & Out," "Remember Forever" and "La Rouge." It took the top position on the iTunes album charts in the Uni

Dec. 24, 2019

[Herald Interview] Han Suk-kyu discusses finding the man within the great monarch

“Forbidden Dream” is a period piece about King Sejong of Joseon and his inventor Jang Yeong-sil that focuses on the personal relationship between the two that share a dream.Han Suk-kyu, playing King Sejong for the second time in his career, said he approached the role by looking at how he was brought up.“I thought a lot about how his mother would have been, because parents have immense influence over how someone turns out,” Han said during a joint interview in Seoul on Mo

Dec. 23, 2019

Actor Jung Woo-sung to produce new Netflix original series

Top actor Jung Woo-sung is set to produce a new Netflix series. Netflix on Monday announced Jung will be producing “The Sea of Tranquility,” Jung’s first production with the global media platform.Jung, a high-profile screen actor, has been showing keen interest in producing and directing. In 2016, he debuted as a film producer with “Remembering You,” in which he also starred as the male lead.Jung, who was recently awarded the grand prize in the film category at the

Dec. 23, 2019

BTS' latest three concerts in Seoul had economic effect of W1tr: report

K-pop boy band BTS created an economic effect worth 1 trillion won ($860.7 million) with its latest three concerts in Seoul, an academic report showed Monday.The septet finished off its latest world tour, "Love Yourself:Speak Yourself," with the final leg in Seoul where three evening concerts at Olympic Stadium on Oct. 26, 27 and 29 drew a total of some 130,000 fans.According to a report by a research team led by Pyun Ju-hyun, a business professor at Seoul's Korea University, the conce

Dec. 23, 2019

Year in review: The biggest K-pop news of the year

To say the least, the year 2019 was a tumultuous one. Ups and downs, tears of joy and sorrow dominated the headlines. 　Here are some of the major stories that dominated K-pop news. 　1. Plight of YG Entertainment　At the beginning of the year, it seemed like K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment would have a solid 2019. YG’s girl group Blackpink was enjoying growing popularity around the world, while the label’s crown jewel Big Bang was gearing up for a possible comeback when all the

Dec. 22, 2019

Same-sex kiss cut from Star Wars Singapore release: reports

SINGAPORE (AFP) -- A brief kiss between two women in the new "Star Wars" movie was cut from the version released in Singapore, local media said."The Rise of Skywalker", the conclusion to the nine "Star Wars" films that stars Daisy Ridley, was released in the Asian city-state on Thursday.The film contains a brief scene where two minor female characters share a kiss -- but the moment is omitted in the version screened in Singapore, according to Yahoo Lifestyle SEA. Th

Dec. 22, 2019

Overnight sensation, 30 years in the making

Of all the retro K-pop stars of the 1990s reemerging in recent years, Yang Joon-il is perhaps the least expected. For one thing, not many people liked him even back then.But the 50-year-old Korean-American returned to the country Friday after a decades-long hiatus, set to hold his first fan meeting event over 30 years after debuting in 1991. The event “A gift by Yang Joon-il” will be held on Dec. 31 at Sejong University in Seoul.“After a flurry of requests by the fans for Yang&

Dec. 22, 2019

Monsta X releases Latin music in collaboration with Sebastian Yatra

K-pop boy band Monsta X on Friday released a Latin music-inspired single in collaboration with Colombian singer-songwriter Sebastian Yatra.The digital single, "Magnetic," combines Yatra's Spanish-language singing with the K-pop band's Korean lines in a new love song.  The collaboration was arranged during Monsta X's meeting with the Colombian musician in the United States, according to the band's agency, Starship Entertainment. The Korean band performed at the 2019 iHeartRadio Jin

Dec. 20, 2019

Boy band WINNER's Mino becomes latest entertainer to debut as painter

Mino, a member of roaring boy band WINNER, officially debuted as a painter this week, the latest in a growing number of TV celebrities expanding their talent into the fine arts.An art exhibition including paintings by Mino, whose legal name is Song Min-ho began its run on Tuesday at the Seongnam Arts Center south of Seoul.The 26-year-old K-pop star submitted one oil and two acrylic paintings to the fine art show, "Special Exhibition for Emerging Artists 2019," which will run till next

Dec. 20, 2019

SBS reality dating show to be remade in Vietnam

South Korean TV channel SBS' popular reality dating show, "Jjak," will be reproduced and aired in Vietnam this month, the channel said Friday.Vietnamese TV channel HTV7 will air the first episode of the Vietnamese version, "The Love Game," during prime time next Friday, according to SBS.The South Korean TV channel has taken part in the production of the Vietnamese program, it said.The show ran for three years till early 2014 in South Korea, featuring an unpredictable process

Dec. 20, 2019

[Herald interview] String sounds of Pyongyang ring alive in Seoul

Though the gayageum, a 12-string zither-like instrument, can be traced back to ancient times, it has evolved in different ways in North and South Korea, according to a gayageum player who has traversed the two Koreas to practice her art.Park Soon-a, 51, will be performing various gayageum solo pieces composed and played in North Korea at her solo recital “North Korea Gayageum,” to be held Friday and Saturday at Seoul Namsan Gukakdang.Park is an ethnic Korean from Japan, known as a &l

Dec. 19, 2019

BTS chosen as Singer of Year by global K-pop fans: poll

Global sensation BTS has been tapped as the most beloved K-pop star of the year by K-pop fans around the world for the fourth consecutive year, a written survey showed Thursday. According to the poll by KBS World Radio of 7,855 listeners of its programs in 11 languages, 35.4 percent of the polled picked BTS as the K-pop Singer of the Year. Launched in 2016, the survey was conducted from Nov. 20-Dec. 4 via the state-run broadcaster's homepage and mobile app.    The boy group's &quo

Dec. 19, 2019

Director, actor of Cannes-winning 'Parasite' awarded cultural medal

Director Bong Joon-ho and actor Song Kang-ho of Cannes-winning film "Parasite" were awarded national cultural medals for their contributions to the promotion of the Korean film industry, the South Korean government said Thursday.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that it gave the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit, the second highest class of the South Korean cultural decoration, to Bong and the fourth-highest Okgwan medal to Song during a ceremony held at the National Theat

Dec. 19, 2019

With breakout trot music career, Yoo Jae-suk pioneers new reality show genre

Top star comedian and TV show emcee Yoo Jae-suk showed up in a red stage suit embroidered with a gold dragon and a matching red fedora for a press conference on Thursday, the typical costume of his alter ego, Yoo San-seul.What started as a comedy project under MBC's reality show, "Hangout with Yoo," led to Yoo's full-fledged trot music career under the stage name Yoo San-seul after the Korean name of a popular Chinese seafood dish.Yoo officially released a three-track trot album, "

Dec. 19, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Frozen 2(US)Opened Nov. 27Animation, Adventure, Comedy Directed by Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad) and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient forest in an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa’s powers in order to save their kingdom. Jumanji: The Next Level(US)Opened Dec. 11Action, Adventure, Comedy Directed by Jake Kasdan In “Jumanji: The Next Level,” the gang is back but

Dec. 19, 2019

[Herald Review] Korea finally has quality disaster film in ‘Ashfall’

South Korean cinema has always been strong on drama, but it has never really managed to produce a decent big-budget disaster film. “Exit” earlier this year was a pleasant surprise, but it was more of an action-comedy hybrid than a disaster film.“Ashfall” is not a masterpiece by any standard, but directors Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byeong-seo managed to create a decent disaster film that is up to standard in every way, from good acting and character-building to a solid storyline

Dec. 19, 2019

[Newsmaker] Dispute continues over military exemption for K-pop stars

Debate heated up over whether successful K-pop stars should be exempted from Korea’s mandatory military service during a public hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul on Thursday.Chaired by Rep. Ahn Min-suk of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the hearing saw a panel of lawmakers and culture critics call for reform of the country’s military exemption rules in order to give international K-pop stars like BTS military service exemption.Pop culture critic Ha Jae-geun said exempti

Dec. 19, 2019

‘Beasts Clawing at Straws’ to get premiere at Film Festival Rotterdam

Korean film “Beasts Clawing at Straws” has been invited to International Film Festival Rotterdam to screen early next year, marking its world premiere at the film festival. The film is one of 10 films to have its world premiere at the film festival, as it also competes for the top honor of the film festival, the Tiger Award, according to IFFR.  The annual film festival, which is scheduled to for Jan. 23-Feb. 2, focuses on recent works by talented new filmmakers and unveils a lin

Dec. 19, 2019

Mnet to refrain from producing audition shows amid vote-rigging scandal

South Korean cable channel Mnet said Wednesday that it will launch no new K-pop audition shows in the future amid a widening police probe into a vote-rigging scandal involving its popular competition series "Produce X101." "We will refrain from producing audition programs," Kang Ji-hoon from Mnet said in a session of the Korea Communications Standards Commission. "We are making efforts to create content focusing more on music." The music channel has been embroi

Dec. 18, 2019