The Korea Herald

Taeyang’s ‘Ringa Linga’ tops 5 iTunes Charts

Big Bang member Taeyang recently released his first solo single “Ringa Linga” in more than three years and it has topped iTunes single charts in five countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Macau. The entertainer’s new single, unveiled to the public Friday, also topped the local real-time charts on Mnet, Naver, Bugs, Soribada, Olleh and others shortly after its release. “Ringa Linga” is a medium tempo electronica hip-hop track that is a pre-release from Taeyang’s upcoming second solo

Nov. 10, 2013

Taeyang’s ‘Ringa Linga’ tops 5 iTunes Charts

Calendar

Theater“Danton’s Death”: Seoul Arts Center is presenting “Danton’s Death,” the first play written by German dramatist Georg Buchner (1813-1837), set during the French Revolution. The play presents with the last few days of the French revolutionary leader, Danton. Korean artist Lee Ja-ram, who is known for her pansori works, is making her theater acting debut as a street performer in this play. The show is directed by Romanian theater director and teacher Gabor Tompa. “Danton’s Death” runs from N

Nov. 8, 2013

‘Thor: The Dark World’ a setback for Marvel Studios

There’s a fleet and funny comic-book movie buried inside “Thor: The Dark World.” You catch glimpses of it here and there, like a shot in which the Asgardian muscle-bound hero (Chris Hemsworth) enters a London flat and hangs his hammer on a coat rack as if it were an umbrella, or a clever sequence in which Thor’s villainous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who wreaked all kinds of evil in “The Avengers,” relishes the fact his older sibling is now asking for his help (how convenient). That scene get

Nov. 8, 2013

‘Thor: The Dark World’ a setback for Marvel Studios

Eyelike: miss A disappoints on “Hush”

miss A disappoints on “Hush” miss A“Hush”(KT Music) Girl group miss A’s much-anticipated second studio album “Hush” is filled with more disappointments than hits. The group’s first album “A Class” produced popular songs such as “Good Bye Baby,” “Breathe” and “Bad Girl Good Girl,” but this time around, “Hush” is overall mediocre, to say the least. The 13-track album begins with “Come Over,” featuring an ‘80s vibe. The track is filled with borderline tacky sounding synthesizer riffs and a repetiti

Nov. 8, 2013

Tony An and Hyeri split over ‘busy schedule’

Singers Tony An and Hyeri of K-pop girl group Girls’ Day have split up because of their “busy schedules,” their respective agencies said Friday.“Yes, they’ve broken up,” said an official from Hyeri’s agency Dream Tea Entertainment. “Girls’ Day had been occupied by series of activities this year, and I think the same can be said for Tony An.”The official said that the two singers ended their relationship amicably, and added that they will remain friends.An’s agency, TN Entertainment, also confirm

Nov. 8, 2013

Big Bang member's new single sweeps charts

Taeyang, a member of K-pop boy band Big Bang, ranked No. 1 on major local charts and iTunes charts in five countries with his latest solo upon its release Friday, the singer's management agency said."Ringa Linga," the title piece off his second full-length solo album, rose to the top of real-time charts of major local music services such as Olleh Music, Mnet, Bugs and Naver Music, after it was uploaded on the Internet at midnight Thursday before the album's release, YG Entertainment said.The son

Nov. 8, 2013

Snaps capture spirit of youth

An extensive survey of star photographer Ryan McGinley’s works is on exhibit in Seoul for the first time. The New York-based photographer has been known for his portrayal of youth and diverse emotions associated with it such as freedom, passion, liberation, anxiety and rebellion. The Seoul exhibition presents his major series featuring youthful images, which have caused a sensation in the art world and offered hope to his viewers of all generations. McGinley is also known for being the youngest

Nov. 7, 2013

Untangling provenance of ‘Nazi art trove’ complex: experts

BERLIN (AFP) ― Identifying the rightful owners of a vast trove of art looted by the Nazis will be an enormous task potentially complicated by the German authorities’ insistence on discretion, experts said Wednesday.The more than 1,400 artworks found last year stashed in the Munich apartment of Cornelius Gurlitt, son of a powerful Nazi-era art dealer, represent perhaps the largest discovery of missing 20th century art in Europe since World War II. But beyond its scope, its richness is staggering,

Nov. 7, 2013

Tongyeong Concert Hall opens after seven years of construction

The new Tongyeong Concert Hall, located in the port city in South Gyeongsang Province, will open to the public Friday, seven years after the idea for a home for the music festival honoring composer Isang Yun was first conceived in 2006.Inaugurated in 2002, the Tongyeong International Music Festival has now grown into an internationally acclaimed contemporary music festival.The five-story, 14,618 square-meter facility costing 52 billion won ($48 million) is the fourth-largest concert facility in

Nov. 7, 2013

Tongyeong Concert Hall opens after seven years of construction

SM to hold star-studded weeklong concert series

SHINee, Girls’ Generation, TVXQ, Super Junior, f(x) and EXO will all combine forces next month in S.M. Entertainment’s first weeklong concert series festival. “SMTown Week,” will parade the six leading teams of the SM family starting Dec. 21 in an eight-day back-to-back solo concert performance series being held at KINTEX exhibition center in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. It is expected to attract around 100,000 fans, including those coming in from overseas on special travel packages. SHINee will op

Nov. 7, 2013

SM to hold star-studded weeklong concert series

New album leaked, Lady Gaga hints at show from space

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Lady Gaga is streaming her new album a week early after leaks, but she hinted Wednesday at an out-of-this-world publicity splash with its official launch ― a concert in space.The multi-platinum-selling pop diva‘s third album, “Artpop,” went up without warning on iTunes after a trickle of leaks in recent days on the Internet. The first official release was Wednesday in Japan.But the rarely subtle singer gave fans another reason to wait for the album’s official international lau

Nov. 7, 2013

5 paintings from the trove found in Germany

AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) ― German investigators on Tuesday showed images of some of the hoard of more than 1,400 art works they found at a Munich apartment. Here is a glance at some of the highlights.Max Liebermann “Two riders on the beach,” a favorite subject of the German painter that recurs repeatedly in his work. Investigators didn’t give details of the work’s history. Liebermann, who was Jewish, quit Germany’s Academy of Arts in 1933 after it decided no longer to exhibit works by Jewish artis

Nov. 6, 2013

Unknown works by Chagall, Matisse come to light

AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) ― It started with a routine check by German tax inspectors ― and resulted in the discovery of an art hoard so vast and spectacular that no one yet knows how the story truly ends. On a high-speed train from Zurich to Munich on Sept. 22, 2010, Germany’s briskly polite officialdom was on the lookout for customs and tax cheats. Thousands of German citizens had bank accounts in Switzerland, many of them undeclared, and the route from Zurich was a prime target for those carrying

Nov. 6, 2013

Hip-hop heads come together for ‘See More on the Beat’

Grab your snapbacks and pull on your high-tops for a night of hip-hop at “See More on the Beat,” featuring both first-generation hip-hop artists and rising rookies. The festival kicks off on Dec. 7 at lounge Wav, located beside the Han River. Organizers say the concert will focus on hip-hop performances you can not just listen to, but also see and feel with your whole body. Event organizers have also hinted at possible collaborations between the artists.Aside from the line-up which includes prom

Nov. 6, 2013

Hip-hop heads come together for ‘See More on the Beat’

Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri’s recent works on exhibit in Seoul

The latest works by Farhad Moshiri, one of the most celebrated artists in the Middle East, are on exhibit in Seoul for the first time. The artist, born in Iran in 1963 and educated in the U.S., rose to instant fame in the global art world as his crystallized work “Love” was sold for more than $1 million at the 2008 Bonhams auction in Dubai.He also received attention for “Life is Beautiful,” his 2009 installation that consists of hundreds of kitchen knives stuck on a wall to create the phrase. Th

Nov. 5, 2013

Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri’s recent works on exhibit in Seoul

Mystery shrouds discovery of art trove stolen by Nazis

BERLIN (AFP) ― The discovery in a rubbish-strewn flat in Germany of nearly 1,500 paintings including works by Picasso and Matisse looted by the Nazis sparked urgent calls Monday to hunt for their rightful owners.The shock find was reported Sunday by news weekly Focus, which valued the works at around 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion). German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Berlin had been aware of the case for “several months” and was assisting an investigation by public prosecutors with

Nov. 5, 2013

Park Jin-young earns big in digital royalties

Despite the nation’s two biggest entertainment agencies SM and YG dominating Korea’s mainstream music business, Park Jin-young, founder and CEO of JYP Entertainment, has topped the annual royalty rankings for the second straight year, according to Korea Music Copyright Association. He earned approximately 1.2 billion won ($1.1 million) last year. With the Wonder Girls’ lackluster comeback last year leading to the group’s hiatus as well as the less-than-impressive debut of JYP’s rookie duo 15& wi

Nov. 5, 2013

Park Jin-young earns big in digital royalties

New Marilyn Monroe recording features in Chanel ad

PARIS (AFP) ― The voice of Marilyn Monroe will feature in a new television ad for Chanel No. 5 after previously unheard audio was unearthed of the screen siren confirming she wore only the iconic perfume to bed.The recording, from an interview given to Marie Claire journalist Georges Belmont in 1960, was discovered by Chanel last year and will be used in a global campaign rolling out this month.“You know, they ask you questions. Well just an example, ‘What do you wear to bed? Do you wear a pyjam

Nov. 5, 2013

Girls’ Generation beats out Psy, Lady Gaga for YouTube ‘Video of the Year’ award

Girls’ Generation (SNSD) turned some heads on Monday as the K-pop starlets prevailed over the likes of Psy, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, One Direction and others to walk away with the “Video of the Year” award for the hit music video “I Got a Boy” at this year’s inaugural YouTube Music Awards ceremony. “Oh my gosh, thank you so much,” said SNSD member Tiffany, who was present at the live awards ceremony at Pier 36 in New York and accepted the award on the group’s behalf. “This is beaut

Nov. 4, 2013

Nigerian contemporary art woos Koreans with color

A total of 49 pieces showing the current trends in Nigerian art are on display at the Total Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul through Sunday. Jointly organized by the culture ministries of Korea and Nigeria, the event, “A Friendship over Decades,” highlights oil paintings, traditional masks and other works of art by African artists owned by the Nigerian National Gallery of Arts. Also, 20 works by Korean contemporary artists are on display at the exhibition. “Nigeria is artistically rich and he

Nov. 4, 2013

Nigerian contemporary art woos Koreans with color