Carell surprise, British biopic lead race for Cannes gold

CANNES, France (AFP) ― A Hollywood wrestling drama, a British biopic of an iconic artist and an intimate Turkish look at a troubled marriage led the pack on Tuesday for the top prize at Cannes. Halfway through the competition, critics cheered for a few stand-out pictures among 18 contenders vying for the coveted Palme d’Or in what they called a surprise-filled year at the world’s premier film festival. An international critics’ poll in British film magazine Screen had Mike Leigh’s “Mr. Turner” a

FilmMay 20, 2014

Once ignored, iron Buddha gets new status

The National Museum of Korea’s revamped Unified Silla section, which opens to the public Tuesday, displays an undisputed new star: a larger-than-life Buddha statue made of cast iron. Placed in a spacious room right in the middle of the hall, the statue overwhelms visitors with its mystic beauty and half-smile. The exquisiteness of this artifact, which dates back to the late eighth or early ninth century, however, went unnoticed until recently.  Iron seated Buddha (National Museum of Korea)“This

CultureMay 20, 2014

Hyundai City Break, Pentaport announce first-string lineups

The newly inaugurated Hyundai Card City Break music festival has brought out the big guns with the announcement on Tuesday of its first-string lineup that includes headline acts Maroon 5 and Psy. The upcoming rock fest will mark Maroon 5’s third performance in Korea and “Gangnam Style” phenom Psy’s first local performance since his extravagant four-day Christmas concert series last year. Psy (Hyundai Card)Maroon 5 (Hyundai Card)In only its second year, competing against a number of the country’s

May 20, 2014

Dress styles of Korean actresses heat Cannes

Korean actresses attending the Cannes Film Festival are drawing the media spotlight for their fashion styles, from earrings to dresses. Jeon Do-yeon, 41, the first Korean to serve as a jury member at the 67th international film festival, grabbed the eyes of global fans with a “clever” dress style. At a photo call held for the members of the jury last week, Jeon wore a Chanel white lace dress with unbalanced earrings. Her light makeup added to the style of loveliness and innocence. (OSEN)Later in

May 20, 2014

Beast, Infinite to compete in futsal matches

The MBC TV show “Idol’s Futsal Championship” will feature a host of K-pop boy bands including Beast, Infinite and Got7, according to news reports. On the TV program, specially launched in the run-up to the Brazil World Cup, the idol stars will play futsal, a fast-paced soccer game played on a smaller field. The lineup includes three members from Beast, Yoon Doo-joon, Lee Gi-kwang and Yoseop, and three from Infinite, Dongwoo, Woohyun and Hoya, as well as the boy bands BTOB and VIXX. (Captured fro

May 20, 2014

2PM’s Wooyoung designs his own Vogue shoots

Wooyoung, a member of K-pop idol boy band 2PM, planned and modeled for Vogue Girl’s June edition.Wooyoung designed the photo shoots for the fashion magazine to express his maturity rather than his typical image as Adonis. The photos in the magazine were shot with overcast weather, a car with shattered windows, and containers in the background.The singer participated in all stages of the magazine project, suggesting concepts and giving modeling ideas to the staff.“I realized that reflecting my id

May 20, 2014

Kara Project unveils 7th member Yuji

DSP Media, K-pop girl group Kara’s management agency, unveiled Yuji as the last contestant to join “Kara Project” on Tuesday. “Kara Project” is a joint scheme initiated by MBC Music and DSP Media to choose members to join Kara among seven trainees at the company after two members -- Kang Ji-young and Jung Nicole -- left the group for personal reasons. Kara currently has three members -- Goo Ha-ra, Han Seung-yeon and Park Gyu-ri. Yuji is the latest addition to six other would-be Kara members -- S

May 20, 2014

Kwon Sang-woo to star SBS TV show ‘Seduction’

Actor Kwon Sang-woo will star a new SBS TV drama, temporarily titled “Seduction” (Yuhok in Korean), the TV station confirmed on Tuesday. The show will air after the conclusion of “Doctor Stranger.” The exact date of airing is not specified yet. Actress Lee Mi-yeon is considering SBS TV’s offer to costar the show with Kwon.  Actor Kwon Sang-woo (Cosmopolitan, TEARS)“Seduction” is a romantic melodrama about financially embattled husband Cha Seok-hoon (Kwon), a naïve man from a rural village in Gan

May 20, 2014

Psy, Maroon 5 to hit stage together

This summer, K-pop sensation Psy and American pop rock band Maroon 5, who once vied for the top spot on Billboard chart, confirmed that they would appear in the rock festival Hyundai Card Citybreak 2014 slated for Aug. 9-10 in Seoul. The annual rock festival, launched last year, will feature over 30 artists ranging from internationally renowned bands to popular local musicians on three big stages at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. The first lineup, disclosed Tuesday, includes world-famous Maroon 5,

May 20, 2014

Lee Hyori shows sexy side in Amsterdam

 K-pop diva Lee Hyori poses at a photo session organized by fashion brand COMING STEP and fashion magazine Grazia in Amsterdam. The intense clothes and makeup give her a chic, unique look. 　By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)　(Photo Credit: Grazia)

May 20, 2014

Song Hye-kyo calls Zhang Ziyi ‘Eonni’

Korean actress Song Hye-kyo revealed her close relationship with Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi during the Cannes Film Festival in France on Sunday.Asked if any of the Chinese actors have pet names for her, Song responded that “Zhang Ziyi calls me meimei (妹妹; younger sister).”“I call her ‘eonni’ in Korean (jiejie, 姐姐; older sister),” the Korean actress was quoted as saying. “Other actors mostly just call me my Korean name pronounced in Chinese,” Song added.Touching on her relations with Zhang, Song

May 20, 2014

Miss A’s Suzy celebrates Coming-of-Age Day

K-pop girl group Miss A’s youngest member, Suzy, expressed her feelings about coming of the age on Monday.“It feels awkward yet good to finally become an adult. It was a longtime wish of mine to get a driving license and go out for a drive when I turn legal age,” Suzy said through her management company, JYP Entertainment.Suzy picked a bouquet of flowers as the present she hopes to receive among well-known and typical Coming-of-Age Day presents, such as perfume, a kiss and a bundle of flowers.“I

May 20, 2014

Park Bom’s unique garter belt fashion

2NE1’s Park Bom, was spotted at Incheon International Airport on Monday while heading for her tour to Manila, the Philippines. The pop singer, known as a bag lover, matched a Gucci diamante mini tote bag with a unique pair of gold-buttoned detailed garter belts to a casual outfit. 　By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)[Photo Credit: Dimaco]

May 20, 2014

Lee Young-ae not to star in ‘Daejanggeum 2’

Actress Lee Young-ae has decided not to star in the sequel to the television series “Daejanggeum,” known as “Jewel in the Palace.”In the press conference for “Daejanggeum 2” on Monday, MBC revealed that Lee Young-ae had made her final decision not to star as Jang-geum in the new drama. Lee Young-ae in Daejanggeum (MBC)“Lee Young-ae was offered  the lead role in the drama, but ultimately rejected it,” an MBC official was quoted as saying. “However, "Daejanggeum 2" will be produced, nevertheless,”

May 20, 2014

Song Seung-heon throws surprise Twitter event for “Obsessed” fans

Actor Song Seung-heon on Monday hosted a surprise question-and-answer event to celebrate the successful release of the film “Obsessed,” in which he costarred with actress Im Ji-yeon.Song wrote on his Twitter page, “Box office No.1! Please put #인간중독 (‘Obsessed’) and feel free to ask questions to Kim Jin-pyeong of ‘Obsessed.’”The actor said he will select 20 questions and put up responses, starting 7 p.m. (Korea time) on May 21.  "Obsessed (2014)" official poster (left), actor Song Seung-heon (rig

May 20, 2014

Gyeongju museum chief puts tomb relics in the limelight

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province ― Yi Young-hoon, director of Gyeongju National Museum, is one of the few who breathe fresh air into the otherwise dull local museum scene. Through a series of exhibits on royal tombs of the ancient kingdom of Silla, he brought to the spotlight a slew of long-forgotten relics from the backroom of the museum. “Rediscovery of relics from our own storage rooms is what I emphasize to most to my staff here,” Yi said at his office in the museum last week. “The concep

CultureMay 19, 2014

Jones brings ‘women’s Western’ to Cannes

Cannes, France (AFP) ― Tommy Lee Jones on Sunday premiered his Cannes contender “The Homesman,” a women-driven Western starring fellow Oscar winners Hilary Swank and Meryl Streep that turns the genre on its head. The film, which drew warm applause and largely positive reviews after a press preview, marked Jones’ second directorial outing at the world’s top film festival, following 2005’s “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.” Like that film, “The Homesman” takes a critical look at the defini

FilmMay 19, 2014