The Korea Herald

The Vaccines seek shot in the arm for rock music

HONG KONG (AFP) - Some say these are bad times to be in a rock band. Pressure for instant success has never been greater as illegal downloads hammer industry profits and manufactured pop talent shows reign supreme. But after a furious rise to fame that has seen packed gigs, fainting girls and a debut album stuffed with three-minute bursts of Ramones-tinged rock that last year broke into Britain‘s top four, The Vaccines disagree. “We’ve never played a concert that hasn‘t been sold out,” noted gui

Feb. 9, 2012

[단독] 레이디가가 서울콘서트 올림픽주경기장서 열린다

팝스타 레이디 가가가 올해 월드투어의 시작을 서울 올림픽주경기장에서 연다고 세계적인 공연기획사인 라이브네이션이 말했다.레이디 가가의 월드 투어를 기획하고 있는 라이브네이션 관계자에 따르면 그녀의 서울공연이 "올림픽 주경기장에서 열린다"고 코리아헤럴드와 전화인터뷰에서 밝혔다. 월드투어의 시작을 서울에서 여는 이유에 대해서 "레이디가가는 한국을 너무 좋아한다고 말했다"고 밝혔다."지난 서울쇼케이스때 한국팬들이 보여준 열정과 열광적인 모습에 반했다" 며 "이번 서울콘서트때 한국팬들에게 뭔가 '파격적'인 무대를

Feb. 9, 2012

Out of love of Korea: Lady Gaga to kick off world tour in Seoul

U.S. pop diva Lady Gaga has decided to kick off her 2012-13 world tour at Olympic Stadium in Seoul because she wants to interact with enthusiastic Korean fans, a tour promoter in Seoul said.The world star unveiled the schedule of her tour via her Twitter on Wednesday, surprising her fans in Seoul wi

Feb. 9, 2012

Out of love of Korea: Lady Gaga to kick off world tour in Seoul

Ai Weiwei to build London 2012 pavilion

LONDON (AFP) ― Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei is reuniting with the Swiss architects with whom he created Beijing’s spectacular Bird’s Nest Stadium, to build a pavilion for this year’s London Olympics.Ai, along with the Swiss firm Herzog and de Meuron, will join forces again to design a pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery in London’s Kensington Gardens park, the gallery said on Tuesday. “It is a great honour to be working with Herzog and de Meuron and Ai Weiwei,” said gallery director Jul

Feb. 8, 2012

Madonna, on a roll, launches biggest-ever world tour

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Madonna’s big year got even bigger Tuesday with the announcement of her most ambitious world tour ever, hot on the heels of her record-setting Super Bowl halftime show.The Material Girl will hopscotch around the globe in support of her 12th studio album “MDNA” which comes out March 26, even as her second feature film, the romantic drama “W.E.,” struggles to impress critics and draw audiences.In a statement, concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment said the as-yet unnamed tour

Feb. 8, 2012

Madonna, on a roll, launches biggest-ever world tour

Grammys to feature first dance music segment

Grammys to feature first dance music segmentThe dance/electronic music phenomenon will be recognized at the Grammys for the first time with an ambitious club segment.Sunday‘s performance is set to feature the Foo Fighters, David Guetta, deadmau5 (dead mouse), Chris Brown and Lil Wayne.And while the Grammys will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the dance segment will take place outside the venue in a tent with about 1,000 fans inside.Show producer Ken Ehrlich says the goal is to try

Feb. 8, 2012

Italian crooner probed over pro-mafia songs

ROME (AFP) - An Italian crooner has been placed under investigation for singing the praises of the Camorra mafia, prosecutors said on Tuesday following a raid against rival clans in a city near Naples.Nello Liberti has a song entitled “Clan Chief” about the mafia execution of a “traitor,” which includes the lyrics: “The clan chief has no freedom. He hides the truth for honour. He‘s a serious man, it’s not true that he‘s evil.”“He respects us. We have to respect him,” Liberti sings.Prosecutors sa

Feb. 8, 2012

McCartney headlines queen‘s jubilee concert

LONDON (AFP) - Beatles legend Paul McCartney will headline a large concert in front of Buckingham Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee, organiser Gary Barlow said Tuesday.Barlow, the frontman of pop band Take That who has been tasked with putting together the June 4 tribute to mark the monarch‘s 60 years on the throne, said the London gig would “transcend multiple decades of music.”Elton John, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and Chinese virtuoso pianist Lang Lang will join McCartne

Feb. 8, 2012

Ai Weiwei to build London 2012 pavilion

LONDON (AFP) ― Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei is reuniting with the Swiss architects with whom he created Beijing’s spectacular Bird’s Nest Stadium, to build a pavilion for this year’s London Olympics.Ai, along with the Swiss firm Herzog and de Meuron, will join forces again to design a pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery in London’s Kensington Gardens park, the gallery said on Tuesday. “It is a great honour to be working with Herzog and de Meuron and Ai Weiwei,” said gallery director Jul

Feb. 8, 2012

Man admits N.Y. part of art-theft spree

NEW YORK (AP) ― A wine steward who plucked artwork off hotel and gallery walls in a bicoastal spree admitted Tuesday to stealing a $350,000 drawing in New York, resolving charges here after serving jail time in California.An art-loving thief who stole to decorate his own apartment, according to prosecutors, Mark Lugo pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the New York case.He admitted he took the pricey sketch by the Cubist painter Fernand Leger from a lobby gallery at Manhattan’s Carlyle Hotel on J

Feb. 8, 2012

Swedish museum to open Korean wing in Stockholm

Sweden’s Museum of East Asia will open a special exhibition wing for Korean antiquities this weekend, a South Korean government agency in charge of supporting exchanges with foreign countries said Wednesday.The Korean room, built with financial support from the Korea Foundation affiliated with the Foreign Ministry, is scheduled to open on Saturday, the agency said.About 160 of some 350 Korean artifacts owned by the museum, chiefly ceramics, will be displayed in the 100 square meters of space on

Feb. 8, 2012

Spanish artist Antoni Tapies dies aged 88

MADRID (AFP) ― Avant-garde Spanish painter and sculptor Antoni Tapies has died in Barcelona at age 88, local media reported Monday.Tapies was hailed as one of the biggest names in European contemporary art for his striking abstract canvases and compositions in which he sometimes used waste material.He won many awards and was associated early on in his career with other major names in 20th-century art, including fellow Catalan Joan Miro.He had a prominent art foundation named after him in the cit

Feb. 7, 2012

Spanish artist Antoni Tapies dies aged 88

Auction houses outfox Chinese antiquity fakers

HONG KONG (AFP) ― Nicolas Chow places a magnifying glass against a Ming Dynasty vase to inspect the potter’s 600-year old workmanship.Chow, the international head of Chinese ceramics and works of art at auction giant Sotheby’s, points out layers of uneven bubbles invisible to the naked eye along the early 15th century blue and white porcelain.The distinctive markings are just one tell-tale sign that experts rely on to determine if a piece is a multi-million dollar original or worthless fake.“Tha

Feb. 7, 2012

Auction houses outfox Chinese antiquity fakers

U.S. judge: Baroque artwork to return to man’s heirs

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) ― A federal judge has ordered the return of a 16th Century Baroque painting depicting Christ carrying the cross to the heirs of a Jewish man who died shortly before the German occupation of France in World War II.U.S. Judge Robert Hinkle filed the order Monday to return the work ― “Christ Carrying the Cross Dragged by a Rogue’’ ― to the descendants of Federico Gentili di Giuseppe. U.S. authorities seized the Italian painting last November from a Florida museum that was

Feb. 7, 2012

Scholar dreams of taking pansori to the world

Korean literature professor leads English translation of all pansori lyricsPansori, a traditional form of narrative music performed by a solo singer, was added to UNESCO’s world heritage list nearly 10 years ago. But promoting pansori overseas has not been easy ― partly because there was no way for the foreign audience to understand the words during the performance.To facilitate better appreciation of pansori performances, Choe Tong-hyon, Korean Language and Literature professor at Kunsan Nation

Feb. 7, 2012

Scholar dreams of taking pansori to the world

Chris Brown to perform at the Grammy Awards

NEW YORK (AP) ― Chris Brown will perform at this year’s Grammy Awards, the event where his career almost ended three years ago.Brown admitted to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna at a pre-Grammy party in 2009 and is serving five years of probation for the felony attack. A source told The Associated Press on Monday that Brown will hit the stage at Sunday’s show. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because Brown’s performance has not been officially announced.After the attack, Brown’s repu

Feb. 7, 2012

N. Korean accordion players are a YouTube hit

SEOUL (AFP) ― A group of North Korean accordion players is proving to be an unlikely hit on YouTube, attracting nearly 320,000 viewings in five days with their spirited version of a 1980s pop song.Five students of Pyongyang’s Kum Song School of Music are seen performing the mid-80s hit “Take on Me” by Norwegian group a-ha, a rare performance of popular Western music in the reclusive communist state.The performance last December was filmed by visiting Norwegian artist Morten Traavik, who posted t

Feb. 6, 2012

N. Korean accordion players are a YouTube hit

M.I.A. makes rude gesture in Super Bowl show

For all the pomp and excess of Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime extravaganza a single rude gesture by guest singer M.I.A. is likely to be the most remembered piece of the show.The gesture, accompanied by a barely disguised expletive, came during a performance of Madonna’s new single, “Give Me All Your Luvin.’’’ At the end of her lines, British singer M.I.A. appeared to sing “I don’t give a (expletive),’’ although it was hard to hear clearly. The incident was reminiscent of Janet Jackson’s infamous

Feb. 6, 2012

M.I.A. makes rude gesture in Super Bowl show

Madonna headlines Super Bowl halftime show

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Madonna positioned herself as the queen of a new generation of pop stars at the Super Bowl halftime show -- complete with throne -- but didn‘t have complete control of Sunday night’s show.Guest singer M.I.A. flipped the middle finger to the audience after uttering a barely disguised expletive during a performance of Madonna‘s new single.M.I.A. was one of two guests who contributed vocals to the bubblegum pop song, ``Give Me All Your Luvin’,‘’ along with Nicki Minaj. Dance ro

Feb. 6, 2012