Indie duo Bolbbalgan4 (Shofar Music)Indie duo Bolbbalgan4 has taken over the top of the charts once again with its new single “Say You Like Me,” knocking K-pop powerhouses Big Bang and EXO from the top spots.　A hidden track off the female duo’s first studio album, “Red Planet” was released on Thursday and has claimed the No. 1 spot on seven of the biggest local music charts including MelOn, Genie and Olleh. 　Bolbbalgan4 is considered to be unique in the local music industry, which is largely dom

Dec. 22, 2016

A promotional image for the TV drama “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth.” (KBS2)The new TV drama “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth” is gearing up to hit the musical stage, according to Asia Bridge Contents on Wednesday. 　The period drama’s first of 20 episodes aired Monday, but there are already talks of turning the KBS2 TV series into a live musical. 　A statement by Asia Bridge Contents confirmed that the company, along with Oh Boy Project, already have plans to produce a musical spin-off of “Hwar

Dec. 22, 2016

French image analysis firm Lumiere Technology strongly refuted the Korean prosecution’s announcement that “Beautiful Woman” is an authentic piece by late artist Chun Kyung-ja.“It is deeply disturbing to see our professional and expert opinion -- which is based on painstaking, detailed and thorough investigations -- on the artwork of Chun Kyung-ja thus ignored and unequivocally criticized without credible or scientific evidence,” the firm’s CEO Jean Penicaut said in a statement released Wednesday

Dec. 21, 2016

Based on the eponymous 1992 American blockbuster film “The Bodyguard,” the iconic movie-turned-musical has made its Asian premiere in Seoul.　A cult classic starring Kevin Costner as Frank Farmer and the late Whitney Houston as Rachel Marron, the film’s soundtrack went certified 17 times platinum and snagged a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, propelling the already popular rhythm and blues diva to superstardom. Having sold more than 45 million copies worldwide, “The Bodyguard” officially becom

Dec. 21, 2016

AOA (FNC Entertainment)K-pop girl group AOA is hitting the spotlight next month, dropping the group’s first full-length album since debuting in 2012. 　According to an announcement by FNC Entertainment on Tuesday, the girl group will unveil their upcoming album on Jan. 2. The soon-to-be-released new album will also mark AOA’s first promotional activities following the departure of drummer Youkyung.　In October, FNC Entertainment announced that the K-pop starlet had decided to leave the agency afte

Dec. 21, 2016

For many theater lovers, there is no greater holiday tradition than to spend an evening listening to the sounds of Tchaikovsky and watching battling toy soldiers.　“The Nutcracker” season is upon us and kicking off the Christmas festivities is the Universal Ballet which is staging the all-time holiday classic ballet Dec. 16-31. The company is also celebrating the 30-year anniversary of its first performance of the more than a century-old repertoire in 1986. 　Joining the Universal’s annual perform

Dec. 20, 2016

The Herald Philharmonic Orchestra will take to the stage alongside ballad singer Shin Jae, soprano Shin Della, pansori singer Ahn So-eun and tenor Ryu Jung-pil in the upcoming “Nalrari Concert” series in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.　The orchestra’s upcoming New Year’s concert is being held Friday in the Sejong Gugak Center at 7:30 p.m.Ballad singer Shin Jae (Star & Tree Entertainment)　The “Nalrari Concert” series is aimed at providing rural audiences with an affordable opportunity to enjoy classica

Dec. 20, 2016

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) -- Monday nights feel like Saturdays in Rio‘s Little Africa neighborhood when the sun sets and the samba starts to play.Surrounded by a mostly young crowd, seven musicians sit around a table with the small four-string guitar called a cavaquinho, the cuica drum and a tambourine.The instruments and the relaxed format, known as a “roda de samba,” has changed little since its infancy in the late 19th century, when Afro-Brazilians first developed the style in this same neighborho

Dec. 19, 2016

ROME (AFP) -- When he was just plain old Bonaparte, the man who was to became Napoleon pillaged works of art from all over Europe with the aim of making the Louvre in Paris a museum for all mankind.Now some of the major works that the little corporal‘s armies took from Italy have been gathered together in an exhibition in Rome to mark the 200th anniversary of their restitution, and the unexpectedly positive legacy of the whole episode.“When the works came back, it made people here realize the im

Dec. 19, 2016

Prosecutors announced Monday that “Beautiful Woman” was painted by the late Korean artist Chun Kyung-ja, ending a 25-year controversy over the authenticity of the work which the artist had denied creating.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office conducted a nearly five-month investigation into the authenticity of the painting after Chun’s family sued several officials at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, which stores the piece, alleging infringement of copyright la

Dec. 19, 2016

Lost for more than a century, Igor Stravinsky’s “Funeral Song” is being revived and getting set for its Asian premiere in Seoul next month. 　The Seoul Philharmonic orchestra will perform Stravinsky‘s long-lost “Funeral Song” during its two-day concert series on Jan. 20 and 21 at the Lotte Concert Hall, marking only the third time the repertoire has ever been performed. 　The recently rediscovered 12-minute piece was composed by Stravinsky in 1908. It was first performed on Jan. 17, 1909, during a

Dec. 18, 2016

Mystic Entertainment announced the details of Korean pop diva Uhm Jung-hwa’s new album, “The Cloud Dream of the Nine,” on Friday. The songstress is returning to the stage for the first time since her 2008 digital single “D.I.S.C.O Part 2.” The album’s promotion will kick off with four promotional images, two preview videos and five series of interviews with Uhm’s acquaintances, including actor Jung Woo-sung. The album’s nine tracks will each tell the story of a dream. Four songs will be released

Dec. 17, 2016

PARIS (AFP) - An 18th-century Chinese imperial seal sold for a record 21 million euros ($22 million) in Paris on Wednesday -- more than 20 times its estimate, the Drouot auction house told AFP.Decorated with stylized dragons, the symbol of imperial authority, the extremely rare stamp in red and beige nephrite jade comes from the Qianlong period (1736-1795).It was snapped up by an unnamed Chinese collector after a furious bidding battle between would-be telephone buyers and those in the salesroom

Dec. 15, 2016

With Christmas and New Year’s just around the corner, festive cheer is in the air. 　Despite the weather quickly taking a turn toward bone-chilling temperatures, there is a long list of live concerts and performances where people can celebrate the holiday season out of the winter cold. 　For those looking to escape the winter blues, there’s nothing like a bit of cultural indulgence to add a little musical enchantment to an evening.  　Steve Barakatt’s “Christmas Dream”　Canadian pianist and composer

Dec. 15, 2016

NEW YORK (AFP) - Rap superstar Kanye West on Tuesday delivered a surprise even in this most unusual of political years -- he met President-elect Donald Trump, marking the artist’s first appearance since a reported mental breakdown.　West, a rare artist and even rarer African American celebrity to voice support for Trump, said he went to discuss issues of concern to minorities with the populist leader.　Trailed by an entourage including his own cameraman, West silently walked into Trump Tower and r

Dec. 14, 2016

No matter how successful he may be, it is the inevitable destiny of every Korean male K-pop star to halt his career and join the mandatory military service.Megastar group Big Bang is no exception. The group has reaped worldwide success since its debut 10 years ago. Reported to have raked in $44 million this year, the five-member band ranked No. 54 on Forbes’ list of celebrity earnings, becoming the first Korean act to make the list. “It still doesn’t feel real,” said Big Bang’s rapper T.O.P. on

Dec. 13, 2016

Promotional image for the musical “Death Note,” starring Kim Jun-su (C-JeS Entertainment)Kim Jun-su, often referred to here as the “ticket power king,” has not lost his touch: Tickets for a showcase of the upcoming musical “Death Note” sold out in less than a minute.  　On Monday, tickets for the musical preopening day showcase went up for sale on Interpark at 3 p.m. and all 1,000 seats were booked in under a minute.  　The K-pop star recently wrapped up the musical “Dorian Gray,” which is a Korea

Dec. 13, 2016