Pretty Korean boys

　  　Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the girliest of them all?　 　Taemin, 20, member of boyband SHINee　The fresh-faced popster Taemin has gotten the public‘s vote for his dainty looks.　He came out tops in a poll of “Male Idols Prettier Than Women” in a March episode of Super Idol Chart Show, a variety show on Korean TV channel MNet. He beat the likes of BigBang’s G-Dragon (ranked third) and Super Junior‘s Kim Hee-chul (ranked fourth).　It is not hard to see why Taemin is the champion of the pre

April 29, 2014

Jeon Do-yeon named to join competition jury of Cannes

South Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon has been selected among the nine members of the main competition jury for this year's Cannes International Film Festival, the event's organizer said Monday.She became the first Korean to join the Cannes' jury since director Lee Chang-dong was appointed in 2009. No South Korean actor or actress has been chosen among the festival's jury members before. Led by New Zealand director Jane Campion, the winner of the Palme d'or for "The Piano" in 1993, the jury includes

April 29, 2014

Kang Ji-hwan, Jung So-min kick off ‘Big Man’ with ‘fiery kiss’

Actor Kang Ji-hwan and actress Jung So-min kicked off the first episode of KBS2 TV show “Big Man” with a “kiss of fire” on Monday. 　Kang plays protagonist Kim Ji-heok, an orphan who suddenly becomes the elder son of a conglomerate family. 　In the stills released by the broadcaster, the actor is seen kissing Kang Jin-ah (played by Jung So-min), in a backstreet late at night. The actress plays the spoiled daughter of the business family.　Throughout the show, the Kim vies with Kang Dong-seok (playe

April 28, 2014

Choi Daniel hates travelling, loves glasses

　　Actor Choi Daniel said he hated traveling because it requires “bothersome” preparations, such as packing and being bound to flight schedules, the actor told reporters Monday.　“Traveling involves some incredibly bothersome jobs, such as making a list of things that I need, packing them up, making sure I arrive at the airport at least two hours before takeoff, and planning what to do during those two hours,” Choi told reporters at a press conference for KBS2 TV show “Big Man” in Yeouido-dong, Se

April 28, 2014

[Herald Interview] Author chronicles mother’s remarkable journey

In 1961, at age 25, Faye Pinchbeck crossed the Pacific Ocean to be with her beloved, a Korean man 15 years her senior. The American woman from Connecticut met Stephen Moon (Moon Tong-hwan), well-known pastor and social activist, while studying to be a social worker at Hartford Seminary in the U.S., where Moon was working on his doctorial thesis in Christian Education as an international student. After landing in the port of Busan, Faye married Moon in Seoul on a snowy day. So began a remarkable

BooksApril 28, 2014

[Herald Review] KNO’s ‘La Traviata’ brilliantly produced, vividly sung

The Korea National Opera’s latest performance of “La Traviata” on Sunday has raised the local standards of Giuseppe Verdi’s most beloved opera by every measure, with impressive singing and acting by the lead characters, sumptuous sets and sublime music. Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury was convincing as Violetta Valery, the sick Parisian courtesan who finds her true love, Alfredo, just as her life draws to a close. Although her coloratura in the first act wasn’t so impressive, she gave a vivid a

CultureApril 28, 2014

4 U.S. TV shows ordered off Chinese websites

BEIJING (AP) ― Chinese authorities have ordered video streaming websites in the country to stop showing four popular American TV shows, including “The Big Bang Theory” and “The Good Wife,” representatives from two sites said Sunday. The move suggests government attention is intensifying on the online streaming industry, which is freer than state television and China’s cinemas to show foreign productions and other content and has stretched the boundaries of what can be seen in the country. A spok

TelevisionApril 28, 2014

Picasso’s Guernica used as backdrop to dance

MADRID (AFP) ― Pablo Picasso’s antiwar masterpiece “Guernica,” one of the world’s most iconic paintings, on Sunday served as a backdrop to a dance performance for the first time in its 77-year history.About 80 people sat on the floor or stood as Josue Ullate, a bare-chested dancer in black tights, jumped and leapt in front of the large black-and-white canvas at Madrid’s Reina Sofia Museum.The 20-year-old performed “Quiebro,” a piece lasting about five minutes and inspired by a song written by la

PerformanceApril 28, 2014

Rappers to showcase Korean hip-hop in U.S. concert series

Rappers Verbal Jint, Beenzino, Bumkey, Sanchez of Phantom and Kanto will give American fans a taste of Korean hip-hop as they headline the first Asian Music Festival: Korean Hip Hop Series Vol 1., which will hold three concerts across the U.S. next month. The festival will stop at New York, Los Angeles and Seattle, featuring Korean hip-hop artists as well as international DJs Michelle Francheska, DJ Preston and Gank Squad, and rapper Decipher. With the continued international growth of the Asian

April 28, 2014

CJ E&M, Victor Entertainment launch music joint venture

South Korea’s representative music enterprise CJ E&M has launched CJ Victor Entertainment with major Japanese music label Victor Entertainment to boost activities in the broadening Asian music market.The capital of the joint venture to be based in Japan is a total 10 billion won, with CJ E&M holding 51 percent of its equity and Victor Entertainment 49 percent.CJ and Victor will combine their business infrastructures for CJ Victor Entertainment. They will carry out related tasks ranging from arti

April 28, 2014

‘Other Woman’ curbs ‘Captain America’ with $24.7 million

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― A femme-fueled comedy beat a superhero blockbuster at the box office last weekend. After holding the top position for three weeks, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” has been topped by “The Other Woman” for the No. 1 spot. Fox’s revenge comedy, starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton, debuted with $24.7 million, while Disney-Marvel’s “Captain America,” led by Chris Evans, grossed $16 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $225 million. The P

FilmApril 28, 2014

Choi Daniel regrets shy kiss with Lee Da-hee

　Choi Daniel said Monday he regretted that his kissing scene with actress Lee Da-hee in “Big Man” was not as erotic as he wanted it to be.　Speaking at a press conference in Yeouido-dong, Seoul,the 28-year-old said he wanted the kiss and “the post-kiss eye contact” to be as erotic as that of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”　“We did not have enough time to talk about how we should act out the kissing scene; if we had enough time … we could have had more ‘chewy’ sort of (kissin

April 28, 2014

Actor Kim Soo-hyun joins yellow ribbon campaign

Korean heartthrob actor Kim Soo-hyun has joined the yellow ribbon campaign in support of the passengers of the sunken ferry Sewol. He posted an image of a yellow ribbon on his official website.Beneath the yellow ribbon, he wrote, “I hope all our hearts reach heaven.”The yellow ribbon campaign launched as a symbol of hope for the safe return of those who went missing after the Sewol disaster. An increasing number of people have posted the image of a yellow ribbon on their social networking or mes

April 28, 2014

‘Fatal Encounter’ fails to be memorable

One of the most anticipated films this year was unveiled to the press last week: a tale about King Jeongjo, the well-known, hapless ruler of 18th-century Joseon.The period blockbuster is a film debut by prominent TV drama director Lee Jae-gyu, who is best known for period drama “Damo” (2003) and “Beethoven Virus” (2008), and actor Hyun Bin’s latest film in three years. The 10 billion won project has been drawing attention even since preproduction for its star-studded cast including Han Ji-min, J

FilmApril 27, 2014

Diggers find Atari’s E.T. games in landfill

ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico (AP) ― A decades-old urban legend was put to rest Saturday when workers for a documentary film production company recovered “E.T.” Atari game cartridges from a heap of garbage buried deep in the New Mexico desert.The “Atari grave” was, until that moment, a highly debated tale among gaming enthusiasts and other self-described geeks for 30 years. The story claimed that in its death throes, the video game company sent about a dozen truckloads of cartridges of what many call t

CultureApril 27, 2014

[Herald Interview] Ahn Trio returns

In their teen years, the three sisters Maria, Lucia and Angella Ahn, a.k.a. the Ahn Trio, graced the cover of Time Magazine as “Asian-American whiz kids.” In their 20s and 30s, this classical trio built a reputation in the classical music world and beyond, with genre-crossing programs, collaborations with a variety of artists ― not just musicians but dancers, visual artists and many others ― and their attractive looks and fashion. Now in their 40s, the trio is coming back to Korea, their birth c

PerformanceApril 27, 2014

[Band Uprising] English teachers by day, rock stars by night

As the Korean music market begins to receive more international recognition, the local band scene is looking to rise up and represent the next generation of Korean music. This is the ninth installment in a series of interviews with Korean rock, acoustic and alternative bands. ― Ed. When multicultural eclectic concepts meet unexpected sounds and abstract lyrics, the end result becomes the psychedelic post-modern rock band Magna Fall. Expats David Holden of Ireland and Kevin Heintz of the U.S. ini

PerformanceApril 27, 2014

Rookies brighten up local charts

The K-pop scene has come to a virtual standstill since the April 16 sinking of the ferry Sewol, but two rookie acts are creating some excitement in charts. High4, a four-member boy band, retained the top spot on major digital music charts on Sunday, with its debut single “Not Spring, Love or Cherry Blossoms.” Featuring popular singer IU, the song is a sweet, mid-tempo ballad about loneliness during the blossoming season. As of noon Sunday, it topped Melon, the country’s most popular real-time di

April 27, 2014

[Weekender] Taking pause from 30 years in top gear

After working nonstop for 30 years, Sohn Ji-ae, former president and CEO of Arirang TV and Radio, who left her post at the end of February after two and a half years, is relishing what she calls her “mid-life time out.” “March 1 marks my independence from institutions,” said Sohn on Wednesday in an interview with The Korea Herald.“My career has been so fast, in top gear,” she said of her whirlwind career that started at Business Korea, a monthly magazine, saw her as a correspondent for the New Y

PeopleApril 25, 2014

Calendar

 Classical musicJordi Savall and Hesperion XXI: Early-music heavyweight Jordi Savall will bring his Hesperion XXI ensemble to Korea for a concert titled “Orient & Occident.” He will play music composed in the Mediterranean area from the 13th to 18th centuries as part of his efforts to bridge the gap between the Islamic Arab region and Christian Europe through music. The Hesperion XXI, an ensemble Savall put together, will feature three players of traditional Arab instruments. Savall himself will

CultureApril 25, 2014