When I was growing up in a suburb south of Manila, there was one year when a specific hour of a specific day of the week commanded an unrivaled reverence among prepubescent boys.At 6 p.m. every Friday, beginning on May 5, 1978, a Pied Piper’s tune would empty the streets of children old enough to be snared by the hypnotic glare of television.It was the diminutive sprite Horie Mitsuko singing Borutesu Faibu, the theme song to a Japanese anime series. The song ― punctuated by a rock-staccato beat

World News Sept. 2, 2014

SAITAMA, Japan (The Japan News) ― A male guide dog was stabbed in Saitama in late July while assisting a 61-year-old man commuting to his office in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, it has been learned.The dog is believed to have endured the pain of the attack without making a sound, as guide dogs are trained not to bark except in such cases as their owners being in danger.The man, who is completely blind, reported the offense to Bunan Police Station. The prefectural police are investigating the in

World News Sept. 2, 2014

Lady Jane appears on SBS's entertainment show "Magic Eye."(SBS)Television star Lady Jane officially denied the rumor she was dating professional PC gamer-turned-entertainer Hong Jin-ho while recording for tonight’s SBS entertainment show “Magic Eye.”The show hosts and guests waged a fiery argument over a photo of Hong poking Lady Jane’s thigh at a 24-hour sushi place late at night. Lady Jane struck back, claiming Hong was merely pointing at a mole on her leg, “Surprised at the rarity of the mole

Sept. 2, 2014

A caricature of Minhyuk, a member of the Korean boy group BTOB, by a fan has gone viral on Korean Internet portals, directing public attention toward the boy band member and his latest reality show, “Ecovillage: Merry House” on SBS. Uploaded on an Internet cafe, the caricature portrays the boy band member as a squirrel with adorable ears and a puffy tail.With the caricature the fan pleaded for the producers and the fellow participants of “Merry House” to be kind to Minhyuk. The fan called the si

Sept. 2, 2014

The actress Park Shin-hye flaunted graceful fall fashion as the new muse of the Agatha Paris 2014 F-W collection in a pictorial for the jewelry maker. The photos show the actress completing her look with petite watches and ultrathin metallic bracelets that boost her trademark graceful-and-lovely vibe.  (Agatha Paris)(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Sept. 1, 2014

Actress Yoo Seol-ah and actor Noh Min-woo attend the press conference for television rom-com series “Full House Take 2” on Oct. 18, 2012. (OSEN)Actress Yoo Seol-ah recently married the second son of Woongjin Group’s chairman, the conglomerate confirmed on Friday. Yoo, 30, tied the knot with Yoon Sae-bom, the 35-year-old son of chairman Yoon Seok-keum, in Seoul on Aug. 22. After debuting in 2006 through film “Mentor’s bliss,” Yoo gained popularity as one of the four lead characters of SBS Plus’ “

Aug. 29, 2014

The high school profile picture of actor Song Seung-heon. (Weibo)Korean heartthrob Song Seung-heon revealed a high school profile picture on Weibo on Thursday.With the photo, Song wrote: “High school boy.” In the photo, youthful Song looks serious, beaming with his trademark pitch-black eye brows and clear-cut profile. The Korean actor is playing the lead character in Chinese movie “The Third Love” in Shanghai, China. Song Seung-heon in his latest Korean film "Obsessed (Joongdok)."The official p

Aug. 29, 2014

Singer-actor Jung Yong-hwa appear on tvN's epic television series "Three Musketeers." (tvN)TvN’s new epic television drama “Three Musketeers,” starring singer-actor Jung Yong-hwa, is rapidly gaining popularity in China. Since its launch on Aug. 17, the Korean drama has maintained the No. 1 spot as the most frequently searched for K-drama on Weibo. The drama also appeared on the list of the most frequently searched for words on Baidu, China’s main search engine. The success of “Three Musketeers”

Aug. 28, 2014

A photo of child-starlet Choo Sa-rang was released on Facebook on Wednesday, wowing her online fans. In the photo, Choo is smiling and sticking her head out the open window of a car. Choo has rapidly gained popularity through her appearance on the KBS reality show “Superman Is Back” with her celebrity parents, K-1 fighter Choo Seong-hoon and model Yano Shiho. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Aug. 28, 2014

Jun Hyo-sung of Secret took a series of brain-function checkups on KBS reality show “Vitamin” on Wednesday, with the results showing she has a healthy brain. The girl group star got the all-clear in various cerebral medical checkups, such as a blood CT scan, a brain MRI, a neuropsychiatric test and a potential dementia test. Jun’s test results surprised the audience and the other guests on the show, as Korean girl group members are typically thought to neglect their mental and physical health du

Aug. 28, 2014

Im Sang A, Jamie Propp, and their only daughter appear on a Korean television reality show. (SBS)Former Korean pop diva Im Sang A put an end to her 13-year marriage with her American husband Jamie Propp, online celebrity news outlet OSEN reported on Wednesday. “Im Sang A divorced the music producer Jamie Propp, whom she married back in 2001,” OSEN reported. The former partners have one daughter. The precise date of and reason for the separation remain unknown. Critics believe that the divorce to

Aug. 27, 2014

Eric Nam (left) and 2AM’s Jo Kwon (Instagram)Jo Kwon of K-pop boy band 2AM posted a selfie with singer Eric Nam on Instagram Tuesday, flaunting the duo’s boyish charms. With the photo Jo Kwon wrote: “Musical ‘Priscilla,’ Eric Nam-hyung (big brother) thank you!” Jo plays the free-spirited gay man Adam in the musical “Priscilla" that runs from July 3 through Sept. 28 at LG Art Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Aug. 27, 2014

Early this month, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to the stage in the town of Leh in Ladakh region wearing a gold-colored robe teamed with a maroon waist sash, and a cap with upturned flaps on the side.Called the goncha, the outfit is worn by locals in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir state.“It was a gift and he agreed to wear it … the people were happy he wore traditional clothes and the cap,” said Thupstan Chhe- wang, a Bharatiya Janata Party MP from the state.While it is common

World News Aug. 26, 2014

In the ancient mountain fastness of Shaolin Temple, behind the closed doors of a Buddhist sanctum, Abbot Shi Yongxin holds court from a lacquered wooden chair carved with dragons.At his left hand, a trio of warrior monks stands attentively, 1,500 years’ worth of secret skills and kung fu technique trained into their loose limbs.There is something of the snake and tiger in their poise and posture, of the crane and the monkey in the way they move.Amid the trappings of the past in the ornate receiv

World News Aug. 26, 2014