50 Cent to put on first concerts in Korea

American hip-hop icon 50 Cent will be performing live in Korea for the first time next month. The artist who is best known for his hit tracks “In Da Club,” “P.I.M.P.” and “Candy Shop” will hold two concerts, one in Seoul and one in Busan, on Jan. 12 and 13, respectively. 50 Cent ― whose real name is Curtis Jackson ― was born in Queens, New York, in 1975. By age 12, he had already begun a life of drug dealing. After high school, 50 Cent decided to stop dealing and pursue a career in music; howeve

Dec. 17, 2012

Eyelike

Bruno Mars hops genres on sexy 2nd CDBruno Mars``Unorthodox Jukebox‘’(Atlantic Records)Bruno Mars likes to mix it up. Almost every song on his second album dabbles in a different genreThe 27-year-old singer-songwriter-producer shows growing sophistication, musically and lyrically, on ``Unorthodox Jukebox,‘’ a retro-pop collection of 10 tracks with elements of rock, funk, country and reggae. There‘s even a heartbreaking piano ballad.Mars hinted at his versatility on his 2010 debut, ``Doo-Wops & H

Dec. 14, 2012

Rock stars shine at gig for Hurricane Sandy victims

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Rock music royalty, including the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and Paul McCartney, joined in a stellar line-up Wednesday to raise money for victims of superstorm Sandy.The “12-12-12” concert at Madison Square Garden in New York brought a Who’s Who of rockers under one roof for the event which was broadcast live across 37 U.S. television networks and a multitude of Internet livestream sites, as well as radio. Organizers expected two billion people

Dec. 13, 2012

Trabler presents ‘hybrid hip-hop’

Only by combining the hip and trendy electronica beats of a DJ with the ballad sounds of the piano, the rock and acoustic feel of the guitar, a dash of soul and a splash of rap, can one begin to get a sense of the melodic concept behind new group Trabler. Five members make up this distinctive hip-hop band: leader and rapper Kim Deegie (Kim Won-jong); rapper Han Jung-hoon; Gray City (Song Ho-jae) on vocals and piano; DJ IT (Lee Kwang-suk); and Kim Byung-woo on the guitar. The group name Trabler,

Dec. 13, 2012

Russian opera great Galina Vishnevskaya dies at age 86

MOSCOW (AFP) ― Russian opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya, the widow of legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich who is known for her iconic interpretations of great opera roles, died Tuesday aged 86.The soprano ― who won fame in Soviet times for her emotionally intense performances of classic and modern works ― had been suffering from heart trouble in recent years.Her extraordinary life saw her survive the siege of Leningrad in World War II, forced into foreign exile with her husband in the 1970s,

Dec. 12, 2012

Exhibition explores full range of director Tim Burton’s creative work

Tim Burton is in Seoul on his first visit to the country, but he’s not here to promote a film. Instead, the American director is promoting a touring exhibition of his artworks.The American director is widely known for his unique filmmaking style, but he is less known as an artist who began drawing at an early age and attended the California Institute of the Arts.He studied animation after being awarded a fellowship from Disney for whom he went on to work for four years. He later left Disney to w

Dec. 12, 2012

Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar dies at 92

NEW DELHI (AP) ― Ravi Shankar, the sitar virtuoso who became a hippie musical icon of the 1960s after hobnobbing with the Beatles and who introduced traditional Indian ragas to Western audiences over an eight-decade career, has died. He was 92.The prime minister’s office confirmed his death and called him a “national treasure.’’Labeled “the godfather of world music’’ by George Harrison, Shankar helped millions of classical, jazz and rock lovers discover the centuries-old traditions of Indian mus

Dec. 12, 2012

Shakespearean classics get modern touches and twists

Shakespearean plays are nothing new or special to the local theater goers, as they’ve been staged countless times in different versions and genres. This winter, however, Seoulites are being offered unique versions of two popular Shakespeare plays: “Romeo and Juliet” and “King Lear.”“Romeo and Juliet” is the National Theater of Korea’s ambitious project with the National Theatre Company of China. Viewers will be able to see the young star-crossed lovers going through China’s turbulent Cultural Re

Dec. 11, 2012

Big-name musicals in for the holiday season

Christmas is just a few weeks away and the local performing arts scene is more exciting than ever.Just last week, one of the most anticipated musicals of the year, “The Phantom of the Opera,” had its opening show at Blue Square in Seoul.Elton John and Tim Rice’s hit musical “Aida” also opened earlier this month at Seoul’s D-Cube Art Center, featuring pop singer Sonya and musical actress Cha Ji-yeon in the leading role of the hapless Nubian princess.Popular film and theater actor Hwang Jeong-min’

Dec. 10, 2012

Tiger JK celebrates 20-year musical career

A special two-part documentary, titled “Onstage Hero Tiger JK.ing,” premiered on Mnet on Monday in honor of the rapper Tiger JK’s 20th anniversary in the industry. It will air a second time on Dec. 17.The documentary was made to commemorate the artist’s many contributions to the nation’s hip-hop scene and revealed the story behind the rapper’s history in the Korean music scene during the 1990s. The documentary featured never-before-seen footage and shared behind-the-scenes stories about the arti

Dec. 10, 2012

Psy performs in front of U.S. first family

South Korea‘s Psy performed at a charity event attended by U.S. President Barack Obama as scheduled on Sunday, despite a controversy over the anti-American lyrics of his song several years ago.Psy, who has gained popularity worldwide, was among the “artist performers” in the “Christmas in Washington” concert, according to a pool report of the White House correspondents.Obama and his family participated in the evening concert held at the National Building Museum. No South Korean reporter was allo

Dec. 10, 2012

Plane believed to be singer's found in Mexico

The wreckage of a small plane believed to be carrying Mexican-American singing superstar Jenni Rivera was found in northern Mexico on Sunday and there are no apparent survivors, authorities said. Transportation and Communications Minister Gerardo Ruiz Esparza said that ``everything points toward'' it being the U.S.-registered Learjet 25 carrying Rivera and six other people from Monterrey en route to Toluca, Mexico. The plane had gone missing after takeoff early Sunday. ``There is nothing recogni

Dec. 10, 2012

La Scala opera season opens with contested ‘Lohengrin’

MILAN (AFP) ― La Scala opera house in Milan on Friday celebrated the start of its 2012/2013 season with Richard Wagner’s “Lohengrin” ― a disputed choice ahead of the bicentenaries of the famous German composer and his Italian rival Giuseppe Verdi.The premiere coincides with the Feast of Saint Ambrose, the patron saint of Italy’s commercial capital, and the country’s economic and political elites were out in force for the gala.The performance, lasting nearly five hours, was produced by Claus Guth

Dec. 9, 2012

Celebrate New Year’s with the classics

As the year 2012 comes to an end, come celebrate the holidays with the sound of music. Seoul has an abundance of performing arts centers that have prepared a variety of classical concerts and performances to ring in the New Year. Seoul Arts CenterSeoul Arts Center will celebrate the New Year with the sounds of Verdi, Wagner, Puccini and more with the Gangnam Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Chi-Young Chung. The performance will feature Shin Hyun-su on violin, Kim Won on Piano and Alfred Kim on T

Dec. 9, 2012