LOS ANGELES ― Jeffrey Katzenberg was visiting the University of Southern California recently when a faculty member stopped to chat with him. As the two parted ways, the DreamWorks Animation chief urged him: “Just keep sending me magicians.”The magicians Katzenberg seeks are animators, in high demand as the art form has exploded not only in movies and video games but also arenas such as medical res

Film June 1, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― Forget the pear-vs.-apple and curvy-vs.-curveless shape charts for a minute. There’s another divide in the two-piece swimwear discussion: What if you actually have to get up and move around instead of lying on the chaise with a cool drink in hand?The runway swimsuits and magazine-shoot bikinis, with their thin straps, triangle bottoms, decorative hardware and high ratio of white fa

Arts & Design June 1, 2011

LOS ANGELES ― Most people would not think of combining seemingly polar opposite pursuits such as Pilates and boxing. But the odd pairing makes perfect sense to one fitness instructor.Former dancer and certified Pilates teacher Viveca Jensen thought the mindful core-strengthening properties of Pilates would complement and counterbalance the quick cardio-heavy pace of noncontact boxing with weighted

Technology June 1, 2011

Rubs, brines, marinades make thrills for the grillWALNUT CREEK, California ― We may grill all year round, but summer traditionally signals the start to barbecue season. And something about that barbecue grill, says Food Network star Guy Fieri, conjures up all the best parts of summer. Summer traditionally signals the start to the barbecue season. (Contra Costa Times/MCT)“I think we all have an add

Food June 1, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― AIDS claimed a string of celebrity victims in its early days, from Rock Hudson to Freddie Mercury, but fellow stars have played a major role in fighting the killer disease over the years since.Elton John and Elizabeth Taylor were among leading figures who used their celebrity from the start to raise awareness and funds for research into HIV, as well as reducing the stigma of wh

People May 31, 2011

Rochester, New York (AP) ― At Image City Photography Gallery, Gary Thompson delights in pointing out qualities of light, contrast and clarity in one of his best-selling prints ― a winter-sunset view of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan peak shot with a hefty Pentax film camera he bought in 1999 for $1,700.His wife, Phyllis, a latecomer to fine-art photography after they retired from teaching in

Performance May 31, 2011

Stainless steel appliances. They’re eye-pleasing, sleek and darned near a cliche these days.But that ubiquity means a lot of people are wrestling with the same problem: how to keep stainless steel clean, ward off scratches and keep a notoriously touchy surface factory-fresh.Deservedly or not, stainless steel has picked up a reputation as something of a dirt magnet.“It is a surface that requires a

Arts & Design May 30, 2011

HONG KONG (AFP) ― Cut-throat competition for exam success in Hong Kong’s high-pressure education system has spawned a new breed of teacher ― celebrity tutors with near cult-like status and millionaire lifestyles.With their glamorous photographs showing megawatt grins and flashy attire splashed across billboards and buses, the star teachers claim to transform failing students into A-grade pupils ―

People May 30, 2011

On first Asian trip, Michal Ajvaz talks about inspiration, nationalism in artAs with other literary traditions, Czech fiction’s accessibility to Korean readers has long suffered from a lack of translation into Korean. Even with towering literary figures such as Franz Kafka among the country’s authors, it was only this March that the first anthology Czech short stories in Korean translation, “Pragu

Books May 29, 2011

Stabbing my walking stick into the muck and sliding my feet forward, I waded into the swamp, one eye on the lookout for alligators, the other trying to spot the elusive orchids that draw so many people to South Florida’s Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, a 100-square-mile state park that is home to one of the largest concentrations of native orchids in North America.Towering trees formed a dense tropic

Travel May 27, 2011

Located down a hill in a wealthy neighborhood in northern Seoul, Mr. 8 (Palseonsaeng in Korean) might make customers wonder whether they have just stepped into an old tavern from a period Chinese movie. A single-story wooden house with a small front yard welcomes customers while red lights and wooden furniture such as long-legged chairs and a round table create an exotic feel. Tangsuyuk at Palseon

Food May 27, 2011

Wine of the Week: 2009 Domaine Faury Saint-Joseph ‘Vieilles Vignes’The 2009 old-vines Saint-Joseph from Domaine Faury is a stunner. Classic northern Rhone Syrah in all its intricate glory, dark plums overlaid with exotic sweet spices and violet.Grapes grown on steep hillside vineyards and meticulous winemaking from Philippe Faury and his son Lionel yield a Saint-Joseph that drinks beautifully now

Food May 27, 2011

U.K. performers Stoke Newington International Airport have arrived to perform their experimental Live Art Speed Date concept at the Chuncheon International Mime Festival this weekend. Involving a series of four-minute one-on-one performances, or “dates,” the show that has been tried and tested from London to Tokyo will explore and celebrate the intimate exchange between artist and audience. Highli

Performance May 26, 2011

A rare singing contest that pitted several foreign envoys in Seoul and Koreans took place at the German ambassador’s residence in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul on Tuesday evening.Organized by Corea Image Communication Institute, the singing contest was part of the CICI logo song launch event. The seven contestants ― German Ambassador Hans Ulrich Seidt and his wife Marita Seidt, Singapore Ambassador Peter T

People May 25, 2011