MILAN (AFP) -- New York’s Eighties art scene is coming to Milan with a show dedicated to the late Haitian-American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose works now sell for phenomenal sums.From his child-like skull and crown paintings to his poetic and enigmatic anatomical depictions, the Museum of Culture in the north Italian city is holding a retrospective until February into the works of the art prodigy, who died from a drug overdose aged just 27.Born in 1960 in Brooklyn to a Haitian father and P

Oct. 31, 2016

CL of South Korean girl group 2NE1 set out on her first-ever solo North America tour, her agency said on Sunday.The 25-year-old female rapper threw the first party of her "HELLO BI+CHES TOUR 2016" at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on Saturday, US time, YG Entertainment said in a press release. (YG Entertainment)The K-pop artist will hold concerts in a total of nine cities in the US and Canada.The New York concert kicked off with an introductory video presentation of CL's personal history,

Oct. 31, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- Say hello to Jennifer Lopez in NBC‘s forthcoming “Bye Bye Birdie.”NBC says the actress-singer will headline its 2017 live holiday musical. She will play Rosie, the role originated on Broadway in 1960 by Chita Rivera.Tony Award-winning Harvey Fierstein will write the script.“Bye Bye Birdie Live!” airs a year from now as the next in NBC’s annual live-musical tradition. “Hairspray Live!,” starring newcomer Maddie Baillio, is set to air on Dec. 7. Jennifer Lopez performs at a Get Ou

Oct. 30, 2016

Tickets sales for the annual Tongyeong International Music Festival 2017 have officially opened. Next year’s TIMF is of particular importance as it celebrates the centennial year of the birth of the late Tongyeong composer Yun I-sang. The event will be held from March 31 to April 9 under the theme, “From Asia to the World.” “A 100th anniversary is important. Maybe more important than any other anniversary,” said Florian Riem, CEO of Tongyeong International Music Festival Foundation, during a pre

Oct. 30, 2016

B1A4 is expanding its presence in Japan.　The K-pop boy band recently signed to Universal Music Japan in an effort to increase its popularity in the country, according to the group’s local management agency WM Entertainment on Friday. 　“We decided to work with B1A4 for the group’s appeal, shown by each member’s limitless potential and their abilities as singers and producers,” said Universal Music Japan in a statement. “We will be actively overseeing and managing the group’s Japanese releases.”Ot

Oct. 28, 2016

Members of girl group Rainbow are heading in different directions, the group’s management agency DSP Entertainment announced Friday.　“After a long discussion about their futures, Rainbow’s Kim Jae-kyung, Go Woo-ri, Kim Ji-sook, Noeul, Oh Seung-ah, Jung Yoon-hye and Jo Hyun-young unfortunately decided to go their separate ways,” the agency said in a statement. 　The group’s contract with company is scheduled to come to an end on Nov. 12. 　 “We are sincerely grateful for all of the fans who have su

Oct. 28, 2016

Lady Gaga“Joanne”(Universal)Lady Gaga has spent the last few years proving her vocal chops -- the Grammy-winning album with Tony Bennett, the show-stopping “Sound of Music” tribute at last year’s Academy Awards, her performance of “Till it Happens to You” for her Oscar nomination this year -- and her strong voice is the star of the promising but uneven “Joanne.”Those performances may have hinted at what this album could be: a stylistic departure from her dance-pop past. “Joanne” is more like a r

Oct. 28, 2016

The Pretenders“Alone” (BMG)Chrissie Hynde reverts to her Pretenders moniker on “Alone,” a soulful production helmed by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and starring her tough-as-nails vulnerability. Hynde’s wonderful voice, one of rock’s best, can weaken knees even by reading a phone book. While the album sports all kinds of modern-retro sounds, her vocals propel the fast ones and elevate the ballads with her usual empathy and authority.Opening with the declarative title track, which has a piano rif

Oct. 28, 2016

Leonard Cohen“You Want It Darker” (Columbia Records)Leonard Cohen’s late, late career resurgence reaches new heights on “You Want It Darker,” an elegant treatise with deep-felt layers of wisdom and a sense of finality. Produced mostly by son Adam, Cohen’s third studio album in five years puts his most effective musical forms through a filter of restraint. Nothing distracts from the 82-year-old’s haunting lyrics, and his vocals remain both otherworldly and down-to-earth.A physical, naked bass lin

Oct. 28, 2016

Pop Music“2016 Shinwa Live -- Unchanging”: Shinhwa, a K-pop boy band that has been active since 1998, is holding a concert at the Korea International Exhibition & Convention Center in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 17 and 18 at 4 p.m. Prior to the show, Shinhwa will be releasing its 13th studio album “Unchanging” on Nov. 29. A track on the album titled “She Said” was released on Oct. 22. The six-member veteran boy band has a number of hits under its belt, including “This Love,” “Wild Eyes,” “

Oct. 28, 2016

Singer-songwriter Kangta is returning to the spotlight for the first time in nearly a decade.Best known as part of first-generation K-pop boy band H.O.T, Kangta will unveil a new album next month, according to the artist’s management agency S.M. Entertainment on Thursday. 　This is the singer’s first release since his fourth solo album “Eternity,” which was announced in 2008 before he embarked on his mandatory military service.  Over the years, Kangta has appeared on various television programs i

Oct. 27, 2016

K-pop boy band Beast may be taking on a new venture in the entertainment industry. 　The group, which celebrated its seventh anniversary earlier this month, is reportedly partnering with a former producer from JYP Pictures -- a moving pictures unit of K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment -- to create a new entertainment agency, according to industry insiders on Thursday. 　With this new project, Beast is setting its sights beyond the music industry with the aim of appearing in more dramas, variety s

Oct. 27, 2016

The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater’s latest production “Sin-Si, the Festival of the Sun” is the epitome of stage culture fusion, unifying contemporary and classical ballet movements with traditional Korean music and dance. Depicting the motif of the Dangun Mythology through a hodgepodge of dancing styles, the Sejong Center’s newest performance piece tells the 7,000-year-old tale of Hwanung, the son of heaven, who descended to Earth to provide guidance to the rivaling Ung (bear) and Ho (tiger)

Oct. 27, 2016

Bang Yong-guk, the lead vocalist for K-pop group B.A.P, will be halting all promotional activities due to a recent diagnosis of panic disorder. “I will do my best to return stronger,” Bang said on Twitter on Tuesday. “As a leader, I am regretful and sorry that I cannot stand by (B.A.P) members and our fans.”The group’s management agency TS Entertainment also followed up with a statement that said, “putting (Bang’s) fast recovery as our top priority, we decided to start the album promotion withou

Oct. 26, 2016

Jeon Ji-yoon, a former member of disbanded K-pop girl group 4Minute, is gearing up for her debut as a soloist. 　The 26-year-old artist will be releasing a new album “Day and Night” next month, according to her management agency JS E&M on Wednesday.The upcoming album’s two main tracks -- “I Do” and “Magnet” -- were written and composed by the singer herself. “The album is called ‘Day and Night’ because ‘I Do’ is perfect for daytime and ‘Magnet’ for night time,” said JS E&M, which she recently joi

Oct. 26, 2016

Apink has officially wrapped up the monthlong promotional activities for its third full-length album “Pink Revolution.”The K-pop girl group marked the occasion with a final performance on SBS’ popular music program “Inkigayo” on Oct. 23, according to the group’s management agency Plan A Entertainment on Tuesday. The nine-track album is Apink’s first group release in over a year. To mark the band’s return to the spotlight, the members actively participated in shaping and producing “Pink Revolutio

Oct. 25, 2016

When John Cranko, the founder and first director of the leading German ballet company Stuttgart Ballet, mentioned Marcia Haydee’s potential as a choreographer, she was adamantly against this outlook. “I told him I just wanted to dance,” Haydee told a group of reporters during an interview held at the Seoul Arts Center’s N Studio in Seoul on Tuesday.A former prima ballerina of the Stuttgart Ballet, she is now recognized as a leading artistic director.Currently leading the Santiago Ballet in Chile

Oct. 25, 2016