Super Junior’s ‘Mamacita’ most-viewed K-pop music video in August

The music video for “Mamacita (Ayaya)” by idol group Super Junior was selected as the most-seen K-pop music video in August, according to local reports Friday.Billboard announced the 10 “Most Viewed K-Pop Videos Around the World: August 2014” last Monday, with “Mamacita (Ayaya)” in first place. Other singers included in the top 10 were Red Velvet, Taemin, Winner, 4L, Kara, BTS, Secret and Sistar.Super Junior released “Mamacita,” its seventh full-length album, on Aug. 29. By Kim Min-jin, Intern r

Sept. 12, 2014

Gwangju Biennale: Burn, destruct and rebuild

GWANGJU ― Gwangju Biennale square clearly represents the theme of the event’s 10th run this year. The large square in front of the exhibition hall displays two large cast-iron stoves by Sterling Ruby, which emit a wood-burning smell and gray smoke. Rock music is heard from a distance ― the 1983 hit-single “Burning Down the House” by U.S. rock band Talking Heads, from which this year’s biennale borrows its title. A huge octopus breaks out of the wall of the biennale exhibition hall in a banner pa

PerformanceSept. 11, 2014

Mathematical minds multiply at Toronto film fest

TORONTO (AP) ― In the Stephen Hawking biopic “The Theory of Everything,” two college girls rush into a ’60s-era Cambridge party before the sight of the attendees stops them in their tracks. “Oh, dear. Scientists.” So could the reaction be confronting this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where two of the most lauded and talked-about films are portraits of elite mathematical minds, curtesy of Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne. In “The Theory of Everything,” Redmayne plays theoret

FilmSept. 11, 2014

John Park returning with ‘U’

Korean-American singer John Park is returning to the spotlight with the release of his latest single, “U,” on Friday. The 45-second music video teaser for Park’s new up-tempo, U.K. pop-style single has racked up more than 56,000 hits on YouTube in less than a week. According to an announcement by Farm Music officials on Thursday, the single was produced by the international production team Joombas Music Group, which was the team behind Justin Bieber’s popular 2009 single “One Less Lonely Girl.” 

Sept. 11, 2014

2PM’s ‘Go Crazy’ tops 1m views in one day

2PM. (JYP Entertainment)To prepare for the release of their upcoming fourth studio album, the popular K-pop idols of 2PM have unveiled their latest music video, “Go Crazy,” which topped the 1-million-viewer mark the day of its release. According to a press release from JYP Entertainment on Thursday, the official music video for 2PM’s “Go Crazy” surpassed 1 million views on Sept. 11, less than 24 hours since it was posted on YouTube. The electropop dance single was written, composed and produced

Sept. 11, 2014

TaeTiSeo to drop EP ‘Holler’ next week

The Girls’ Generation spin-off trio TaeTiSeo will release its second EP, “Holler,” on Sept. 16, according to an announcement by SM Entertainment on Thursday. The group ― consisting of Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun ― will be dropping its first musical release since unveiling its debut EP “Twinkle” more than two years ago. According to the announcement, TaeTiSeo ― also known as Girl’s Generation-TTS ― is slated to release “Holler” on all the major online music sites on Tuesday, while the CD will be

Sept. 11, 2014

Musical all-stars take up McCartney in new album

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Bob Dylan, B.B. King and The Cure have all been covered extensively in their own right, but the artists have come together to interpret a giant ― Paul McCartney.On a new album that is striking for the caliber of performers, McCartney’s longtime back-up band entered the studio with leading acts who covered favorite songs by the former Beatle.“The Art of McCartney,” to be released on Nov. 17, will feature 42 songs from The Beatles or the songwriter’s solo career, an announcement s

PerformanceSept. 11, 2014

‘Champagne Supernovas’ explores ’90s fashion world

“Champagne Supernovas: Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, and the ’90s Renegades Who Remade Fashion” puts readers in the front row and three of the era’s biggest names in the catwalk spotlight. Author Maureen Callahan contends that the waifish, plain models and thrift-shop grunge aesthetic of ’90s fashion was an antidote to the “Glamazons” and gold-plated excess of the 1980s. There was a hunger for authenticity, and no one kept it more real than designers McQueen and Jacobs, and their mu

BooksSept. 11, 2014

Following the footprints of Korea’s past

Veteran journalist Lee Ki-hwan, with a writing career that has spanned almost three decades, believes that one can’t really live meaningfully in the present without references to the past.A journalist and history buff, Lee has been writing a history column titled “Lee Ki-hwan’s History with a Trace” for the vernacular daily Kyunghyang Shinmun since August 2011, focusing mostly on the Joseon era (1392-1910), but considering other periods as well.He begins his new book “History with a Trace” ― bas

BooksSept. 11, 2014

‘Summer of the Dead’ has powerful plot

Summer of the DeadBy Julia Keller (Minotaur Books)Small towns ― where everyone knows your name and keeping secrets seems unfathomable ― can be hotbeds of concealment. No one really knows what goes on behind closed doors or within a family’s dynamics. Julia Keller’s third novel set in the Appalachian community of Acker’s Gap, West Virginia, expertly explores how people in small towns hide in plain sight many of their flaws, hopes and even a propensity for violence. Keller’s insights into the vaga

BooksSept. 11, 2014

‘Original Sin’ is tense, disturbing thriller

Original SinBy D.P. Lyle (Reputation Books)The dying old man on cardiac surgeon Lucy Wagner’s operating table was bleeding out from an aortic aneurism. As she desperately massaged his failing heart, a chill flowed into her fingers, up her arm and into her chest. And then she fell, collapsing onto the hospital floor. The patient, as it turns out, was John Scully, the pastor of a secretive, snake-handling cult that held services outside Lucy’s small hometown of Remington, Tennessee. As far as Lucy

BooksSept. 11, 2014

Sookmyung Univ. dean named chief of Korea National Ballet

Hwang Sun-hyeHwang Sun-hye, dean of Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, has been appointed the new president of the Korea National Ballet, the Culture Ministry announced Thursday. She will run the national ballet troupe for the next four years, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a press statement. Hwang, 60, became the president of the Seoul-based college in 2012 after teaching for more than three decades in the department of English language and literature. A graduate of Soo

CultureSept. 11, 2014

WINNER takes it all

“The winner takes it all.”Much like in ABBA’s hit song, rookie K-pop group WINNER really has taken it all.The group most recently took over Japan’s Oricon music chart. WINNER saw 31,114 in album sales, taking second place on the “Daily Album” chart with their debut album “2014 S/S-Japan Collection-” which was released on Wednesday.WINNER’s debut album in Japan includes tracks from the album “2014 S/S,” which was already released in Korea, along with other songs like “Go Up” and “Just Another Boy

Sept. 11, 2014

Lee Byung-hun blackmailer claims they dated

Model Lee Ji-yeon, one of two people charged with blackmailing A-list actor Lee Byung-hun, raised fresh claims that she committed the crime in a fit of rage after the star broke up with her.　The Lee’s lawyer claimed Thursday that she threatened him with a video that could tarnish his image as revenge after the top star split up with her. 　The two started dating three months ago, the lawyer said during the interview with a local media outlet. The Hollywood star is currently married to actress Lee

Sept. 11, 2014

Lee Min-ho to launch fan meeting tour in October

South Korean actor Lee Min-ho will embark on a worldwide fan meeting tour in October, his agency announced Thursday. 　Lee will kick off the tour, titled “RE:boot,” in Seoul and hold the first overseas fan meeting on Oct. 4 in Beijing, where Lee has enjoyed immense popularity following the success of his dramas “Boys Over Flowers” and “The Heirs.” 　 (OSEN)The fan festival is set to move to Guangzhou on Oct. 26, Nanjing on Nov. 1 and Shanghai on Nov. 22. A more detailed itinerary will be available

Sept. 11, 2014

Infinite Challenge members step on Park Myeong-su’s nose

Yoo Jae-suk and Jeong Jun-ha of MBC reality show “Infinite Challenge” teased fellow cast mate Park Myung-su on Thursday, making fun of his “sloppy” DJ skills that he showed in a live radio show. Yoo and Jeong singled out Park because he showed the highest confidence when the entertainers were challenged to host a live radio show.“I am disappointed to hear he was all thumbs in this morning’s radio show,” Yoo said in a phone call with Park while the show aired at 91.9MHz, driving the audience into

Sept. 11, 2014

2PM Wooyoung and Park Se-young to leave ‘We Got Married 4’

Wooyoung of 2PM and actress Park Se-young are to leave MBC real variety program “We Got Married 4,” according to local reports Thursday.“Wooyoung and Se-young participated in their last filming for the program in the end of August,” an official of the program was quoted as saying. “The two will now be focusing on their own careers,” the official added.They appeared in the program for the past nine months as a married couple and were loved by many fans.The next couple to fill in for the two are r

Sept. 11, 2014