Opera diva Angela Gheorghiu to perform full-length ‘La Boheme’ for the first time in Korea, in collaboration with conductor Chung Myung-hwunAngela Gheorghiu is just what one imagines one of the world’s most famous divas to be. Her elegantly powerful voice, amazingly attractive looks and even her nonnegotiable character have fascinated people around the world for the last 20 years.It was her originality, her sense of charisma and her perfection in works that catapulted her to international stardo

Aug. 1, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― Snoop Dogg wants you to know that he’s tired of hip-hop, is Bob Marley reincarnated and is embracing reggae instead of the culture of guns he once rapped about.Also, he’s got a new name: Snoop Lion.The artist said at a news conference Monday in New York that he was “born again’’ during a visit to Jamaica in February and is ready to make music that his “kids and grandparents can listen to.’’The former gangster rapper is releasing a reggae album called “Reincarnated’’ in the fall.

Aug. 1, 2012

 Kim Yong-geol’s ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’ brings rare form of intercultural performanceThe famous tale of Orpheus and Eurydice from Greek mythology has been made into countless films, operas and ballet pieces in the past. Former Opera de Paris dancer Kim Yong-geol’s recently staged ballet certainly added a new flavor to the timeless tale. The modern ballet piece, which finished its two-day run last week, was a rare combination of a lot of things. There was a mixture of modern dance and ballet; gug

Aug. 1, 2012

COMPTON, California ― By the time Bobby Wilson met Wan Joon Kim, he’d been to 15 record stores.It was 1994, and no one would stock his cassette, “Comin’ From Watts,” with raps Wilson had written in prison and recorded himself upon his release. Wilson had a daunting resume: a decade-long membership in the Grape Street Watts Crip gang; five years incarcerated for attempted murder; the prison nickname “Kill Kill.”Just out on parole and desperate for money to support his wife and child, Wilson’s las

Aug. 1, 2012

2NE1 unveiled on Wednesday a video in collaboration with a teen guitarist sensation, giving fresh breath to their latest single “I Love You.”According to the K-pop group’s agency YG Entertainment, the video of the project, titled “YG ON AIR - 2NE1 X Jung Sung-ha acoustic collaboration,” was released worldwide through Internet portal site Naver.In the footage, the four members sit in a studio singing the newly rearranged acoustic version of their hit song to Jung’s accompaniment.“Instead of the e

Aug. 1, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Tony Martin, the romantic singer who appeared in movie musicals from the 1930s to the 1950s and sustained a career in records, television and nightclubs from the Depression era into the 21st century, has died. He was 98. Martin died of natural causes Friday evening at his West Los Angeles home, his friend and accountant Beverly Scott said Monday.  A peer of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, Martin sang full voice in a warm baritone that carried special appeal for his female audie

July 31, 2012

ABT’s newly promoted principal dancer Seo Hee talks about her family, dreams and goalsIt’s about 2 p.m. on a warm summer day in Seoul, and ballerina Seo Hee walks into the lobby of the Universal Ballet Company. Wearing a sleek black dress with matching stilettos and pearl earrings, the 26-year-old dancer looks poised and demure. This is the place where the ballerina, who is now the principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre, used to hang out as a teenager more than 10 years ago.“I used to climb

July 31, 2012

Industry experts criticize CEO for mishandling the case, pushing artists to compete against each otherThe on-going controversy over bullying rumors involving girl group T-ara is the result of excessive competition among members and their agency’s failure in management, industry critics said.Young singers from idol groups are under huge pressure to steal attention from other members in order to survive in the entertainment industry, they added.“They know their groups will be disbanded in a few ye

July 31, 2012

Testimony of physical abuse between members of girl group T-ara from a supposed insider has aggravated earlier claims of bullying in the group.A self-proclaimed member of T-ara’s dance team Yama & HotChicks claimed online that Hwa-young, a recently departed member of T-ara who joined after the group’s initial success, had been ridiculed and even assaulted by other members.Two of the members allegedly mocked Hwa-young when she made mistakes during a rehearsal, and one of them is alleged to have s

July 31, 2012

Girl group T-ara’s agency said Monday that it is canceling Hwa-young’s contract.“After a discussion with the members of T-ara and staff, (the company) has decided to end the contract with Hwa-young with no conditions attached,” said Kim Kwang-soo, head of Core Content Media, in a written statement. However, he did not give a specific reason for canceling the contract.On Wednesday, five members of the eight-member group sent controversial tweets allegedly directed at Hwa-young. Hwa-young, the rap

July 30, 2012

Paintings from the late Joseon era are on public display at the POSCO Art Museum, offering a chance for students to see in person some of the major paintings and calligraphy works often shown in school textbooks. As the exhibition title “From Gyeonmjae to Hyewon, Gathering of Joseon’s Genius Painters” indicates, the exhibition shows landscape paintings drawn by great painters of the era. The painters range from Jeong Seon (known by his pen name Gyeomjae) to Shin Yoon-bok (Hyewon), considered gen

July 29, 2012

Annual classical music festival brings together established and young artists in the sports and resort city of PyeongchangPYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― Great Mountains International Music Festival & School, an annual classical music event held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, is opening a bright future for the country’s classical music scene by acting as a bridge between established and young Korean artists. More than 60 distinguished and young up-and-coming artists collaborated in a series o

July 29, 2012

Music festival returns bigger, better despite searing heatICHEON, Gyeonggi Province ― The hills were definitely alive with the sound of music this weekend as an estimated 100,000 people braved the scorching July heat and traveled south of Seoul to the Jisan Valley Rock Festival near Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.With some of the best bands from around the world and Korea, this year’s Jisan was bigger and better than the previous three runs, with more food and drink booths, sponsor tents, activities

July 29, 2012

Festivals“Taebaek Sunflower Festival”: More than 1 million sunflowers will stretch across a vast field of Taebaek, Gangwon Province along with more than 300 kinds of wild flowers that usually grow at an altitude of around 900 meters. The sunflower festival offers a rare chance to be surrounded by sunflowers and participate in hands-on activities such as painting and photography contests and animal feeding. The festival is also a chance to take photos of beautiful scenery ranging from sunflower b

July 27, 2012

Gaslight Anthem’s ‘Handwritten’ is hardyThe Gaslight Anthem"Handwritten" (Mercury/Island Def Jam)The Gaslight Anthem has always occupied this unsettling space between the earnestness of Bruce Springsteen’s lyricism and the musical passion of harder-edged bands like Jawbox. The former is no surprise, given the quartet’s New Jersey Roots and the latter -- well, this is a band that bounds back and forth across the line between punk and folk with no apologies.Nor should it.On its fourth studio album

July 27, 2012