‘Tazza 2’ draws about 3m viewers

“Tazza: The High Rollers 2” has maintained its top box office position and will soon break 3 million viewers.According to the Korean Film Council on Sunday, the movie had 200,000 viewers on Saturday alone, nearing a grand total of 3 million viewers as it tops the box office.“Tazza 2” has broken 3 million viewers within 11 days of its release which is amazing, considering that the movie was only for adults, officials said.Six million viewers saw the precursor to the movie, “Tazza: The High Roller

Sept. 14, 2014

Final performance of ill-fated Ladies’ Code to be revealed on TV

The onstage performance of K-pop girl group Ladies’ Code, which was made just hours before its fatal car accident, will be televised on Sunday evening.  　Korea’s public broadcaster KBS has decided to air the footage of the quintet’s last performance on its music show “Open Concert” after a heated in-house debate over whether or not to broadcast it, officials said.　 (OSEN)“We have carefully discussed whether to broadcast the last performance of the group that lost two of its precious members in a

Sept. 14, 2014

Updating a venerated institution

How do you renovate a popular 18th-century museum with minimum disruption to the visitors? Hotel Biron, the Paris location of the two-site Rodin Museum in France, has undertaken just that challenge with its two-year renovation.“The building was in very bad condition and the renovation was an opportunity to strengthen the structure,” said Catherine Chevillot, director of the Rodin Museum, during an interview with The Korea Herald on Sept. 3 at the Alliance Francaise in Seoul. She was in Seoul to

CultureSept. 12, 2014

Calendar

Pop music“Let’s Rock Festival”: The upcoming “Let’s Rock Festival” is gearing up to feature some of the country’s most notable indie bands in a two-day outdoor rock fest. The festival will include headlining acts Clazziquai Project, Peppertones, Zitten, Sister’s Barbershop, Crying Nut, No Brain, Guckkasten and Rose Motel as well as more than 30 other acts. The two-day indie music festival will be held at the Nanji Hangang Park on Sept. 20 and 21. Ticket prices are listed at 66,000 won for a one-

CultureSept. 12, 2014

‘God Help the Girl’ finds remedy for troubles in catchy songs

The lively, playful, self-aware musical “God Help the Girl” has such a will-o’-the-wisp quality you fear it will disappear if you attempt to fence it. Writer-director Stuart Murdoch called it “our little hymn to the possibility of healing in music” when he introduced the film at Sundance, and that’s about as close as you’re going to get.Murdoch, the lead singer and songwriter of Scottish band Belle & Sebastian, also wrote the film’s supremely melodic score as a stand-alone pop opera and nurtured

FilmSept. 12, 2014

Box Office

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (U.S.)Opened Sept. 11Crime, Thriller. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” based on codirector Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name, is a sequel to the 2005 film “Sin City.” The film combines five crime stories from the novel set in the fictional Sin City, beginning with that of Johnny (Joseph Gordon Levitt), a fearless gambler, who arrives in the city, faces the villainous Senator Roarke (Powers Boothe) and plays a hi

FilmSept. 12, 2014

Eyelike: Maroon 5 choose ‘V’ for victorious

Maroon 5 choose ‘V’ for victoriousMaroon 5“V”(Interscope Records)Maroon 5 must have made a pact with the devil to hit this high a ratio of memorable tunes on an album.On the band’s fifth effort, “V,” they pack so many catchy hooks, you’d think they’ve left all pirates in history defenseless. Going through the playlist, it feels like a well thought-out party, mixing the right amount of hip-swaying, eyelash-batting and emotion. Although “Maps” is the lead single, it is the least adventurous and th

PerformanceSept. 12, 2014

Cliff jumping all in a day’s fun in Scotland

We sat among strangers, stuffed into wet suits and squeezed into a van headed toward a beach. No one was quite sure what to expect when we arrived.The website had used words like “climb,” “scramble,” “swim” and “jump.” It added: “A hair-raising and spine-tingling journey of exploration.”We were going coasteering.Never heard of coasteering? Neither had we until I started digging around the Internet as I planned our family’s summer vacation in Scotland. My husband, two boys and I would tour castle

TravelSept. 12, 2014

Erie Canal barges in on modern world

HERKIMER, New York ― In 1825, travelers navigated 83 locks. I crossed one.They traversed nearly 640 kilometers. I went 11.They saw the whole thing from mule-pulled barges. I was on the Lil’ Diamond II.We all saw no sign of a mule named Sal, but we still got to ride on the Erie Canal.Today, the Erie Canal is open for navigation from May 1 to Nov. 15. You can kayak through its locks, bicycle its shores, fish or visit the small towns along its meandering route. You can even rent a canal boat and sk

TravelSept. 12, 2014

Around the hotels

Tempura promotion at Millennium Seoul Hilton Millennium Seoul Hilton’s Japanese restaurant Genji is offering a tempura course meal featuring the seasonal ingredient pine mushroom. The eight-course dinner, priced at 180,000 won per person, includes a sashimi selection of sea bream, halibut, sea bass, abalone and cuttlefish; steamed lobster with pine mushrooms; deluxe pine mushroom tempura and more. A la carte items are also available, including pine mushroom tempura priced at 100,000 won. Tempura

FoodSept. 12, 2014

Lavender lattes and mousse at ‘Little and Much’

At Little and Much, a dessert cafe that opened on Sept. 1 in Seoul, mousse cake is the treat to order, robed in dark chocolate or filled with passion fruit. “The first thing we learned to make was mousse and we continued to make it,” coowner and pastry chef Lee Hwa-young, who runs Little and Much with her husband, said. “So we naturally came to do mousse.” Lee and her husband both studied baking and pastry arts at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver, Canada, before returning to S

FoodSept. 12, 2014

Gaji bokkeum (stir-fried eggplants)

Gaji bokkeum (stir-fried eggplants) (Korean Bapsang)This easy but flavorful side dish is one of my favorite ways to cook eggplants. Look for slender eggplants with a dark-purple color and shiny skin. Eggplants are stir-fried with simple seasonings, and the gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste) adds a nice kick to the tender eggplants. As a variation, add some thinly sliced pork or chicken, adjust the seasoning accordingly, and enjoy it as a main dish. Ingredients:● 2 medium-size Asian eggpla

FoodSept. 12, 2014

Korea In Motion Festival offers up to 50% off show tickets

Foreign tourists can enjoy up to 50 percent off on a variety of shows in Korea, including concerts, musicals, dance performances and plays during their stay. The Korea In Motion Festival, organized by the Korea Tourism Organization, is offering 20 percent to 50 percent discounts on tickets until Oct. 5.  The dance troupe of “Bibap” performs in front of Myeongdong Theater in Seoul. (Korea In Motion Festival)Popular nonverbal dance performances including “Nanta,” “Jump” and “Bibap” are participati

PerformanceSept. 12, 2014

Big Bang’s Seungri involved in car crash

K-pop star Seungri, the youngest member of the popular idol group Big Bang, was reported to have been involved in a car accident early Friday morning. According to police reports, Seungri was driving his Porsche down the Gangbyeon Expressway in Icheon-1-dong, Seoul, at around 3 a.m. when he struck a Mercedes-Benz on Banpo Bridge, causing the entertainer’s car to hit a guardrail and flip over. At the scene, Seungri claimed that he was not injured and opted not to go to the hospital. However, YG o

Sept. 12, 2014

JYJ denies conflict with Taiwanese press

Idol group JYJ strongly denied a local report that a conflict had broken out with the Taiwanese press during a conference on Thursday.A Korean report stated that Taiwanese photographers and reporters declared a boycott against JYJ, with about 50 of them leaving the press conference. The agency, however, responded that the report was “exaggerated” and “misleading.” JYJ (C-JeS Entertainment)“There may have been a slight misunderstanding in communication when the emcee asked that camera flashes not

Sept. 12, 2014

Huh Ji-woong, KARA’s Goo Hara play cameos in ‘It’s Okay, That’s Love’

Entertainer Huh Ji-woong (top), actor Jo In-sung (center, left) and KARA Goo Hara (bottom) appear on the last episode of MBC's rom-com "It's Okay, That's Love." (SBS)Show entertainer Huh Ji-woong and Kara Goo Hara spiced up the final episode of the SBS rom-com “It’s Okay, That’s Love” as cameo characters. Huh played a new radio DJ after Jang Jae-yeol, a main character played by actor Jo In-sung. After the recording, Huh released a selfie with the Korean heartthrob actor on his Twitter. It was hi

Sept. 12, 2014

Big Bang’s Seungri involved in car accident, halting activities

(KBS)(KBS)K-pop star Seungri, the youngest member of the popular idol group Big Bang, was reported to have been involved in a car accident early Friday morning. According to police reports, Seungri was driving his Porsche down the Gangbyeon Expressway in Dongbu Ichon-dong, Seoul, at around 3 a.m. and struck a Mercedes-Benz on Banpo Bridge, causing the entertainer’s car to hit a guardrail and flip over. At the scene, Seungri claimed that he was not injured and opted not to go to the hospital. How

Sept. 12, 2014

HyunA lures in pure makeup

Cosmetic brand Tonymoly chose K-pop idol HyunA as its new model. The sexy icon wiped off her trademark ultravivid makeup and appeared with an almost natural face, pure and innocent. A matching white top added to her pure image. By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: Tonymoly)

Sept. 12, 2014