Rock band Buzz to return after 8 years

Veteran rock-ballad band Buzz will add itself to the string of regrouped veteran music groups, such as g.o.d. and Fly to the Sky, who have recently made major comebacks, with the release of a new single this week.Buzz, whose original members have united for the first time in eight years, on Monday revealed a teaser music video heralding their return, slated for Friday.The video shows comic clips of various people who all end up singing a classic Buzz single at a “noraebang,” or karaoke room.  Bu

Aug. 5, 2014

Palmer to be Broadway’s first black Cinderella

NEW YORK (AP) ― Like many girls, actress and singer Keke Palmer grew up dreaming of meeting a prince who would whisk her away to a life of love and happiness. In her case, it’s going to happen ― eight shows a week on Broadway. Palmer said she’ll be stepping into the title role in “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” starting Sept. 9 at the Broadway Theatre. She will become the first African-American to play the part on the Great White Way. “It’s honestly one of those things that I can’t believe

PerformanceAug. 5, 2014

Crayon Pop to release first full album next month

The quirky and bubbly girl group Crayon Pop, one K-pop’s most unexpected success stories, is finally getting ready, jumping into preparations for the group’s first full album release. The ladies’ yet-to-be-titled first full-length studio album is dropping more than two years after the group made its debut. It is expected to be unveiled to the public sometime next month, according to an announcement made by Chrome Entertainment on Tuesday.  Crayon Pop. (Chrome Entertainment)“Our goal is to make a

Aug. 5, 2014

Girls’ Generation rewrites history of Oricon chart

K-pop idol group Girls’ Generation has rewrote K-pop history in Japan, topping the Japanese weekly album chart for the second consecutive week after its album release for the third time. 　The group’s first compilation album “The Best,” released on July 23 in Japan, climbed to the top of Japan’s Oricon charts and maintained the No.1 slot on the weekly and daily album charts for 14 and 12 days, respectively. (SM Entertainment)It marks the third time for the band to rank at the top following its fi

Aug. 5, 2014

Apink to debut in Japan

South Korean girl group Apink will debut in the Japanese market in October with their 2013 hit single "NoNoNo," the group's management agency said Tuesday.Universal Music will release Apink's Japanese-language version of the song on Oct. 22, A-Cube Entertainment said.Prior to the release, the six-member group held an event in Tokyo on Monday to showcase the song for music industry figures, journalists and some 2,000 randomly chosen fans, it added.The Korean-language version, released in July, is

Aug. 5, 2014

‘It’s Okay, That’s Love’ tops K-dramas on Tudou, Youku

Actor Jo In-sung and D.O. of EXO appear on SBS rom-com "IT's Okay, That's Love." (SBS)SBS’s rom-com series “It’s Okay, That’s Love” is the most popular Korean drama on Chinese video portals Todou and Youku, the broadcaster said Tuesday. Starring Gong and actor Jo In-sung, “It’s Okay, That’s Love” portrays the love story between a crime novelist and a cold, chic psychiatrist. The Korean drama has been aired simultaneously in Korea and China since July 23.As of 3 p.m. on July 24, the drama had abo

Aug. 5, 2014

EXO-L website crashed due to heavy traffic

The website of K-pop idol band EXO’s official fan club EXO-L crashed on Tuesday shortly after its launch due to the surge in the number of fans, proving EXO’s ever-growing popularity.　EXO’s label SM Entertainment opened the website (https://exo-l.smtown.com/) and mobile application at noon on Tuesday to recruit members for EXO’s first-ever official fan club EXO-L. 　But EXO-L’s website as well as EXO’s shut down as of 1:00 pm that day because of heavy traffic.　Those seeking to gain membership to

Aug. 5, 2014

Park Shin-hye’s beauty haunts China

Actress Park Shin-hye proved her popularity in China during her fan meeting tour.　From Aug. 2-3, Park visited Chongqing and Shenzhen of China to participate in an Asian tour of fan meetings named “2014 Story of Angel.”During her stay, Park received various letters and gifts from fans and an extreme welcome from the crowd.During the fan meeting, Park sang five songs including “Lovely Day,” from the original soundtrack of her drama “You’re Beautiful.”According to local reports, when Park sang her

Aug. 5, 2014

Lee Hyori reveals yoga photos

K-pop diva Lee Hyori posted a few photos of her practicing yoga on her blog Monday. “I have first tried ashtanga mysore. I am still confused about the order, but it is good that I am not following the class but doing it at my own pace,” she wrote on her blog alongside the pictures.　In the photos, Lee is holding two different poses from ashtanga yoga, one of the best-known styles of meditation. 　“It has been eight months since I started doing yoga every day. I want to keep it up,” she said, encou

Aug. 5, 2014

Song Hye-kyo’s jewelry shoot revealed

Hallyu Star Song Hye-kyo’s photo shoot with jewelry brand J.ESTINA was revealed Tuesday. (J.ESTINA)With only simple makeup, hair and dresses, Song showed off the jewelry with elegance and grace. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Aug. 5, 2014

‘The Night Watchman’ enjoys smooth kick-off

Actor Choi Won-young plays King Haejong, the father of Prince Yi Lin, in the fantasy historical television series “The Night Watchman.” (MBC)MBC’s “The Night Watchman” opened with a smooth two-digit start, topping its rival Monday-Tuesday dramas in the audience viewer shares. The first episode of the fantasy historical, aired on Tuesday, gaining a 10.9 percent audience share, edging out KBS’s “Trot Lovers” and SBS’s “Temptation” that rated 9.1 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively. “The Night Wa

Aug. 5, 2014

G-dragon’s ‘swag look’ draws attention

An outgoing fashion style called “swag look” is gaining popularity among many fashion stars. Among those, G-dragon’s style is gaining the most attention.(G-dragon Instagram)G-dragon often wears “destroyed jeans,” which are considered one of the most stylish items nowadays. The jeans have a vintage and unique look, and go well with various items like sleeveless shirts and light jackets. Along with the jeans, G-dragon wears heavy combat boots to add a boyish and chic look.(G-dragon's Instagram)G-d

Aug. 5, 2014

Super Junior’s Choi Siwon sports dandy fashion

K-pop idol and actor Choi Siwon collaborated with fashion brand Helianthus for a photo shoot in various dandy outfits. Choi managed to look great in both unique casual styles and suits. By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: Helianthus)

Aug. 5, 2014

‘Roaring Currents’ tops 5m viewers for six days

A scene from “Roaring Currents”A homegrown action film about a 16th-century Korean naval hero’s astonishing victory against Japan surpassed the 5 million viewer mark on Monday, the movie’s investor-distributor said.“Roaring Currents” exceeded the milestone at about 9:30 a.m. Monday, the sixth day since opening, CJ Entertainment said.This was four days faster than a record shared by “Snowpiercer” (2013), “The Face Reader” (2013), “Iron Man 3” (2013) and “The Thieves” (2012).Released on Wednesday,

FilmAug. 4, 2014

[Herald Interview] Opera singers’ life on stage and off

Soprano Cathleen Kim refrains from talking before performing.Sparing the vocal cords helps not only vocally, given that she has to pull off stratospheric coloratura arias on stage. It also helps her stay focused on the character she has to become. Then as she walks on stage, she feels that something inside her flips the switch that turns her stage persona on. “From the very first step onto the stage, I become a different person. I become the character,” Kim said. The process is very different fo

PerformanceAug. 4, 2014

Studio Ghibli to put film production on hiatus

One of the world’s top animated feature filmmakers Studio Ghibli ― creator of internationally acclaimed works including “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Princess Mononoke” and the Oscar-winning “Spirited Away” ― has announced that it will put its production on a hiatus. A scene from “My Neighbor Totoro.” (Studio Ghibli)Suzuki Toshio, the general manager of the Tokyo-based animation studio, said it would stop making new films for the time being, instead focusing on “restructuring and rebuilding” during an

FilmAug. 4, 2014

Marvel’s ‘Guardians’ rockets to top of box office

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― “Guardians of the Galaxy” blasted past expectations at the weekend box office. Marvel Studios’ cosmic romp starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista as members of an intergalactic band of rebels earned $94 million in its debut weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Ahead of its Friday debut, box office analysts initially projected that the comic book adaptation would earn between $60 million and $75 million in North America. The out-of-this-world launch gives

FilmAug. 4, 2014

Director Ann Hui wins BIFF Asian Filmmaker of Year

Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui has been chosen as the winner of the 2014 “Asian Filmmaker of the Year” by the Busan International Film Festival, organizers said Monday.“We selected director Ann Hui as the winner of this year’s award to show respect for her contribution to the Asian film industry and her pioneering spirit with the creation of many masterpieces that will be remembered for ages,” the film festival said in a release.The award is given annually to an Asian filmmaker who has significantl

FilmAug. 4, 2014

[Herald Review] Rockin’ in the rain

The sweat-dousing, sauna-like humid weather and Typhoon Nakri’s heavy rains did not top tens of thousands of rock lovers from flocking to Penta Park in Incheon over the weekend to attend the annual Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival. With a near decade-long run, Pentaport is still one of the country’s most attended summer festivals. The three-day event brought around 80 acts this year, including headlining overseas acts Kasabian and Travis as well as local pop rock icon Lee Seung-hwan.  English roc

PerformanceAug. 4, 2014

YG rookie group Winner’s debut week kicks off

K-pop rookie band Winner unveiled a poster on Monday heralding the launch of their official debut in the entertainment scene. The fledgling group’s management agency YG Entertainment released a poster, titled “Winner ― 2014 S/S Debut Week,” on its official blog at midnight on Aug. 4.In the poster, the five members stand in line while looking ahead in dark suits, exuding charisma.  Winner’s “Debut Week” poster. (YG Entertainment)The poster also announces the group’s upcoming schedule this week, d

Aug. 4, 2014