Justin Bieber announces retirement on Twitter

Pop star Justin Bieber on Wednesday announced via Twitter that he is retiring.“My beloved beliebers I’m officially retiring,” he wrote on his Twitter account. “The media talks a lot about me. They make up a lot of lies and want me to fail but I’m never leaving you, being a belieber is a lifestyle.” The announcement was re-tweeted more than 200,000 times in just four hours of being posted. Bieber has nearly 48 million followers. No official reaction has been made by his record label or management

Dec. 25, 2013

JYP to launch three K-pop groups next year

JYP Entertainment, one of the three most influential showbiz agencies in the country, on Tuesday announced a set of plans to launch three new K-pop groups next year. In January, a seven-member boy band consisting of singers and dancers from the U.S., Thailand, Hong Kong, China and Korea will be unveiled. Tentatively named “Post 2PM,” the group will be an “enhanced version” of the megahit group 2PM, the agency said. The members are reportedly planning to present martial arts performances on stage

Dec. 25, 2013

[Photo News] K-pop singers included on ‘most beautiful faces’ list for 2013

A host of K-pop singers have been included on “The 100 Most Beautiful Faces 2013” list by U.S.-based film review website IndependentCritics.com. The list was announced on Monday. A total of 14 South Koreans made the list, on which the Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard was named the most beautiful face of the year.The South Korean highest on the list was Nana at No. 2, a singer and former model who is best known as a member of girl group After School. Despite being little-known in the

Dec. 25, 2013

‘Unchained Melody’ revisited on stage with stunning magic tricks

The highly anticipated musical of the year was finally unveiled to the public last month, starring some of the most celebrated musical stars in the country, including Joo Won and Ivy.Titled “Ghost the Musical,” the show is an adaptation of the mega-hit romantic fantasy-thriller film “Ghost,” starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. The musical had its world premiere in Manchester, England, in 2011, and was also performed on Broadway in 2012. The current Korean production is the Asian premiere run

Dec. 23, 2013

J.K. Rowling to produce Harry Potter stage show

LONDON (AFP) ― Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is to co-produce a British stage show about the boy wizard’s early years living with his cruel non-magical aunt and uncle, she announced on Friday.Rowling said she would work with the writer on the new play, charting Harry’s lonely childhood when he was forced to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs, but would not script it herself.She will start the project early next year, working with producers Sonia Friedman ― who has brought a string of hit sh

Dec. 23, 2013

Psy’s energy gives local fans a holiday show not to be forgotten

“Are you ready?” was projected onto the giant stage screens as the 12,000 fans who flocked to Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium on Sunday night screamed in deafening unison while awaiting K-pop sensation Psy’s entrance. Thousands upon thousands of flashing LED headbands lit up the stadium as part of Psy’s “All Night Stand” winter solo concert series that began on Friday night. The K-pop star pulled out all the stops for the event, returning to his local fans in his first concert in Korea in eight

Dec. 23, 2013

Faces of modern China

Portraits have been a popular medium for Chinese artists in expressing the political and social transitions experienced by modern China. China’s top-selling contemporary artists Yue Minjun and Zeng Fanzhi have conveyed the underlying conflicts behind those political and social changes in portraits that reflect social tension. But the strong expressions of social messages have gradually receded in paintings of emerging artists, who focus instead on emotions generally shared by an international au

Dec. 22, 2013

Christie’s to auction trove of 85 Joan Miro works

LONDON (AP) ― A trove of 85 works by Spanish surrealist master Joan Miro acquired by the Portuguese government from a failing bank is up for auction with an estimated value of 30 million pounds ($49 million).Christie’s auction house said Friday the collection is “one of the most extensive and impressive offerings of works by the artist ever to come to auction,” and covers seven decades of Miro’s career.The Barcelona-born artist was influential in the surrealist movement in the 1920s and develope

Dec. 22, 2013

45RPM still here and not going anywhere

This is the 20th article in a series on producers, MCs, DJs and artists working in the Korean underground hip-hop scene. ― Ed. The hip-hop scene in Korea was very different when rap group 45RPM first started in 1999. The group ― consisting of members Smash, J-Kwondo and Red Roc ― said back then hip-hop was a culture shock to Koreans who had never experienced it before. At the time only a small number of Koreans listened to hip-hop, and there weren’t many rappers or dancers. Back then, there were

Dec. 22, 2013

A life devoted to ballet

In 1996, at the age of 37, Choi Tae-ji was appointed the new director of the Korean National Ballet. The Japanese-born ballet dancer did not have much experience in administrative affairs, spoke Korean with difficulty, and was the youngest person ever to serve in the position. She hung up her pointe shoes and never looked back; her life in suits and high heels began. Now 54, Choi is in her last month as the company’s artistic director, after spending a total of 12 years as its head. Her first te

Dec. 20, 2013

Eyelike: Zion.T brings back old school in ‘Mirror Ball’

Zion.T brings back old school in ‘Mirror Ball’Zion.T“Mirror Ball” (Loen Entertainment)With his distinctive voice, rising hip-hop star Zion.T has released his latest EP “Mirror Ball,” surprising listeners with his take on throwback, old-school trot sounds. The four-track EP feels like a tribute to 1930s Korea, with the album lead track, “Miss Kim” incorporating the traditional sounds of Korean trot-style beats and the artist’s reggae-soul infused voice to create a truly unique addition to today’s

Dec. 20, 2013

Cho Yong-pil chosen as best singer of 2013: annual poll

Veteran singer Cho Yong-pil has been selected as the best singer of 2013, according to a survey by polling company Gallup Korea. Gallup conducted the survey from July to November, asking a total of 4,263 people from ages 13 to 59 to name up to three singers they thought were the most impressive this year. Cho received the most votes; a total of 17.6 percent of those who participated named him as the best singer of 2013.The 63-year-old, dubbed “the king of singers” in Korea, in April released “He

Dec. 20, 2013

Kang Sue-jin: ‘The time was now or never’

It was like meeting “the one” you want to marry ― when you know, you just know.Famed ballerina Kang Sue-jin said that’s exactly how she felt when she was asked to be the next artistic director of the Korean National Ballet.“I’ve received the same offer a number of times in the past,” the Korean-born, Germany-based dancer said during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. She accepted the offer this time, and her three-year tenure starts in February. “But I never really felt I was ready until no

Dec. 19, 2013

Another sell-out Chun collection auction raises W27b

Intensity filled the auction room as bidding for the 1987 “Farm” painting by modern artist Lee Dae-won climbed higher and higher at the second auction for the seized art collection of former President Chun Doo-hwan at Seoul Auction on Wednesday. In seconds, the bids soared from the 250 million won starting price to 640 million in a heated competition over the flamboyant painting that had hung in Chun’s living room. The bidding soon rose to 660 million won, which was followed by a pause. “No Regr

Dec. 19, 2013

Soul of Rolling Stones, Keith Richards, to turn 70

NEW YORK (AFP) ― The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards hits 70 Wednesday with another tour on the horizon, and probably a smirk for everyone who would not have bet he would make it this far in a life of excess.The unmatched guitar legend isn’t just hitting 70 ― like Mick Jagger did in August. He is also celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary with former model Patti Hanson, with whom he has two daughters. He also has three children with the Italian actress Anita Pallenberg.With his trademark banda

Dec. 19, 2013