Actress Lee Na-young returns as awkward detective in director Yoo Ha’s upcoming thrillerUpcoming thriller “Howling” is, ultimately, actress Lee Na-young’s movie.Though she is paired up with Chungmuro heavyweight Song Kang-ho, and his name outshines hers, the film was always supposed to be about the female detective character. That’s what director Yoo Ha had in mind during the pre-production of the upcoming thriller, which pivots around a serial murder case involving a giant wolf-dog and underage

Feb. 8, 2012

LOS ANGELES ― Johnny Galecki seeks to be average.The star of “The Big Bang Theory” is seated outside a small Hollywood restaurant, talking about his longing to play ordinary, run-of-the mill figures rather than the larger-than-life characters that actors and audiences sometimes embrace.“Guys like Dustin Hoffman and Jack Lemmon have always been my leading men,” said the 36-year-old, leather jacket-clad actor, who minutes before was crushing the butt of a luxury cigarette with his scuffed combat b

Feb. 8, 2012

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) ― George Clooney says the best thing about Academy Awards nominations is not necessarily the prizes. It’s hanging with old and new friends.At the annual Oscar nominee luncheon Monday, Clooney said he’s made new pals on the awards circuit this season and has been happy to catch up with longtime friends such as Viola Davis and Brad Pitt, his co-star in the “Ocean’s Eleven’’ movies.“A lot of people at home think we all hang out together. I think they think we’re alway

Feb. 7, 2012

BERLIN (AFP) ― The Arab Spring uprisings and political turmoil in the West will dominate the 62nd Berlin film festival starting Thursday, as Hollywood royalty sprinkles stardust in the frigid German capital.Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman, Robert Pattinson, Antonio Banderas and Christian Bale are due in town to present new films at the first major European festival of the year, and arguably its most topical.“Farewell My Queen,” a drama starring Diane Kruger as Marie Antoinette on the e

Feb. 6, 2012

PARIS (AP) ― What does it take to shock in the land of the Gallic shrug? Ads that suggest adulterous oral sex, according to complaints about new movie “Les Infideles.’’Posters for the film ― which show the contented male stars with faceless women in submissive positions ― went up Tuesday but were being taken down Friday following a request from France’s self-regulating advertising body.In one poster, actor and comedian Jean Dujardin stands between a pair of upside-down bare female legs, clutchin

Feb. 5, 2012

Lisa Ono’s first album in JapaneseLisa Ono“Japo”(Universal Music)The Japanese-only version of Lisa Ono’s new album “Japo” hit the shelves on Jan. 25 in Korea. It is her first album featuring Japanese songs rearranged and sung by the artist in Japanese.Ono, an established Bossa Nova singer popular around the world, has previously only released albums in English and Portuguese. The album features 12 hit songs rearranged by Ono with her unique music style.Born in Sao Paulo, Ono moved to Tokyo with

Feb. 3, 2012

The veteran stuntman has jumped from exploding boats, leaped off a 12-story building and driven motorcycles through balls of flame, surviving two broken backs and a broken neck.But the one feat that Jack Gill has been unable to perform is persuading the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize his craft. For two decades, the former professional motocross rider, who began his stunt career jumping cars in “The Dukes of Hazzard,” has been waging a one-man crusade to persuade the aca

Feb. 3, 2012

Fresh from the battlefield, 23-year-old Scott Bowers arrived at Hollywood in 1946 and soon became the go-to-guy for big shots wanting to fulfill their hidden desires.Or so he claims.In his book, “Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars,” Bowers, 88, describes how he helped A-listers look for sexual partners.His memoir sheds light on the sexual desires and wildest fantasies of movie stars like Montgomery Clift, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy and Vivien Leigh. The

Feb. 3, 2012

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) ― Over the years, Lisa Marie Presley has become dissatisfied with movies chronicling her father’s life, so she just might make her own film about the rock ‘n’ roll icon.The daughter of Elvis Presley said she has been in talks about a movie, though she didn’t offer a timetable.“There’s not been anything done properly with him yet, you know, that has satisfied me in terms of capturing everything,’’ she told The Associated Press. “It will happen, though.’’Presley, who rarely

Feb. 2, 2012

‘Nameless Gangster’ star says every character is complex, especially the bad guysIt’s quite fascinating to meet Choi Min-sik in person. For those who have never met this prolific actor off-screen, it’d be hard to imagine him as someone so down to earth and “normal.” On top of everything else, his face is that of the gruesome serial killer in “I Saw the Devil,” and the child murderer in “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.”In real life, however, Choi is a fan of popular girl group Girls’ Generation, lov

Feb. 1, 2012

Seven Korean films have been invited to this year’s Berlinale, scheduled for Feb. 9-19.Among the seven, director Kang Ju-gyu’s 28 billion won war blockbuster “My Way” and Jeon Kyu-hwan’s drama “Varanasi” have been invited to the festival’s non-competition “Panorama” section.Starring local heartthrob Jang Dong-gun and Japanese star Joe Odagiri, “My Way” was one of the most anticipated films of last year. However, it had a lackluster performance at the box office, attracting 2.14 million viewers,

Feb. 1, 2012

‘Notre Dame de Paris’ star Matt Laurent loves his role, even after 13 yearsWithout the make-up and the heavy costume of his famous hunchback character, “Notre Dame de Paris” star Matt Laurent resembles nothing of Quasimodo. Clad in blue jeans and a black jacket, the 44-year-old musical star shows off his cheerful personality during the photo shoot in central Seoul, with his impish and original poses. Then he grabs a bottle of orange juice for “some Vitamin C.”“This is a million dollar production

Jan. 30, 2012

PARK CITY, Utah (AFP) ― Fairy tale “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and drug war epic “The House I Live In” were among the winners at the Sundance film festival, which presented its top awards late Saturday. The Grand Prix for best American fiction went to “Beasts of the Southern Wild” directed by Benh Zeitlin, a film full of imaginary animals, which recounts a fictional journey of a six-year-old girl to some of the remote corners of the world.The film was developed as part of a program launched by

Jan. 30, 2012