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PeopleFeb. 18, 2014

A study of human cruelty

“Never underestimate the meanness in people’s souls,” author Alice Munro once wrote. “Even when they’re being kind ... especially when they are being kind.”Steve McQueen’s award-winning slavery saga “12 Years a Slave” is a thorough study on human cruelty, and what it is capable of. In the film set in Louisiana in 1841, harrowing living conditions and hard-to-watch violence constantly overlap with exquisite shots of nature, such as gently flowing water, the full moon, and painfully beautiful suns

FilmFeb. 18, 2014

Universal Ballet to celebrate 30th anniversary with a bang

This year is Korea’s Universal Ballet Company’s 30th anniversary, and the troupe is celebrating it with a bang.The company is throwing a special gala performance this week, featuring its star dancers. Titled “Thank You!,” the program consists of scenes from some of the troupe’s most successful repertoires including “La Bayadere,” “Onegin,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Don Quixote.”“We weren’t sure how much the troupe could accomplish in a country where many people did not know about ballet 30 years ag

PerformanceFeb. 18, 2014

Oscars rich in tales of wealthy and poor

NEW YORK (AP) ― Early in “Captain Phillips,” the cargo ship captain (Tom Hanks) and his wife (Catherine Keener) drive from their Vermont home to the airport where he’ll take a flight to his next job, one that will bring him face-to-face with the less fortunate on the other side of the globe. Like the chatter of so many couples, their conversation turns to their general feeling of economic uncertainty. “It just seems like the world’s movin’ so fast,” says Phillips, wondering about the future thei

FilmFeb. 18, 2014

First night for ‘Tonight Show’ host Jimmy Fallon

NEW YORK (AP) ― Little more than a week after exiting “Late Night,” Jimmy Fallon makes his much-anticipated debut Monday as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” as the venerable TV institution returns to New York after four decades based on the West Coast. The scheduled guests are U2 and Will Smith, with the show reclaiming Rockefeller Center’s Studio 6B, where “Tonight” aired during its early Johnny Carson years. Fallon, who had hosted “Late Night” since 2009, moves up to the job Jay Leno held for man

TelevisionFeb. 18, 2014

Playboy Jazz Festival to celebrate George Duke

Singer Al Jarreau and bassist Stanley Clarke will celebrate the legacy of their friend and musical partner George Duke on the opening day of the 36th annual Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, which is presenting the festival for the first time, announced the lineup for the June 14-15 event on Monday. George Benson and fellow smooth jazz guitarist Earl Klugh will headline the closing concert. Saturday’s concert will pay tribute to Duke, the keyb

PerformanceFeb. 18, 2014

Ok Taec-yeon to play troubled bodyguard

Since his debut as a member of the boy band 2PM over five years ago, Ok Taec-yeon has quickly cemented a career as a singing-acting double threat, starring opposite high-profile actresses like Moon Geun-young and Kim Tae-hee in various dramas. Now, the 25-year-old star is slated to play a tough-fisted bodyguard in KBS’ new weekend series “Wonderful Days,” where he will be rubbing shoulders with actress Kim Hee-seon and actor Lee Seo-jin. In the upcoming drama, Ok plays Kang Dong-hee, younger bro

Feb. 18, 2014

When night comes, museum opens

Artworks have escaped the spaces and hours of a regular exhibition. In unlikely places at ArtSonje Center, like the rear door of the formal exhibition space, a utility room and the rooftop, installation art pieces are scattered for display from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.Finding the artworks feels like a treasure hunt as they are located in inconspicuous spots inside the building. The museum map guides viewers to the location of each artwork. If they don’t concentrate on the map, they may miss some of them

CultureFeb. 17, 2014

‘12 Years a Slave’ named best film at U.K. awards

The force of “Gravity” was strong at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday ― but it was the unflinching drama “12 Years a Slave” that took the top prize. Steve McQueen’s visceral, violent story of a free black man kidnapped and forced into servitude in the 19th-century U.S. South was named best picture. Its star, Chiwetel Ejiofor, took the male acting trophy. Ejiofor thanked McQueen, a visual artist who turned to filmmaking with “Hunger” and “Shame,” for bringing the story to the screen. Hol

FilmFeb. 17, 2014

Johnny Depp honored at makeup, hair awards

In an awards season that seems to have a ceremony for every facet of filmmaking, the Make-up and Hair Stylists Guild awards returned after a 10-year hiatus with an award for Johnny Depp.The actor received the first-ever distinguished artisan award for his work in films like “Edward Scissorhands,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Alice in Wonderland.”Depp’s award was presented by his long-time collaborator and makeup artist Joel Harlow, who is nominated for an Academy Award this year for

FilmFeb. 17, 2014

B1A4 says no to school violence in comeback Seoul performance

Under the theme of high school friends, the members of B1A4 ― Jinyoung, CNU, Sandeul, Baro and Gongchan ― trotted out onto the SK Olympic Stadium stage decked out in mock high school uniforms. They ignited the sea of young, screaming teenage fans excited for the boys’ comeback with the opening performance of their new single “Who Am I?”Returning with its second studio album “Who Am I” on Jan. 13, almost two years after the release of the group’s debut studio album, the members of B1A4 greeted so

PerformanceFeb. 17, 2014

‘The Lego Movie’ blocks ‘RoboCop,’ ‘About Last Night’

 “The Lego Movie” built a huge lead over the weekend’s new releases at the box office. In its second outing, the Warner Bros. animated film featuring the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett earned $48.8 million to take first place, according to studio estimates Sunday. That brings the domestic box-office total of the film, based on the toy brick-building franchise, to $129.1 million, cementing it as one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. “It’s crossing over to all audien

FilmFeb. 17, 2014

Fashionable Seoulites redrawn a la Julian Opie

British artist Julian Opie is amazed at how well dressed people are in Seoul. “People in London tend to wear black and gray. And there’s not particularly much light and I found myself drawing very much shadow,” said Opie at the press preview of his solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery on Thursday. To transfer the impression he had onto his paintings, he chose to highlight the colors and details of the clothes worn by Seoulites. “When I looked at photographs taken in Seoul, there was not so much shad

PerformanceFeb. 16, 2014

Barbie stirs up frenzy with swimsuit issue debut

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Barbie has been many things in her life: A doctor. A paleontologist. An astronaut. A cheerleader. A race car driver. A candidate for the presidency of the United States.Now, on the threshold of her 55th birthday, the world’s most famous doll is stirring up a social media frenzy with her debut in Sports Illustrated’s 50th anniversary swimsuit edition.In a tie-in with toymaker Mattel, the top-selling U.S. sports weekly has cast the leggy ― if anatomically impossible ― all-Americ

CultureFeb. 16, 2014

Girls’ Generation, 2NE1 lead comeback month

This month has been filled with comeback releases including returns from B.A.P., Crayon Pop and Ga In, and there are more on the way. With two of the country’s most popular girl groups, Girls’ Generation and 2NE1, announcing the release of their new albums, the remaining two weeks of February look to be a battle-filled competition among those hoping to make a big comeback. Along with the K-pop powerhouses, popular boy band CNBlue as well as R&B vocal group Brown Eyed Soul and veteran singer-song

PerformanceFeb. 16, 2014

[Weekender] Woo Young-mi seeks homegrown fashion in Paris

What makes luxury goods stand out among fashionable items? What makes a luxury a luxury?Chinese fashion columnist Wang Er Song says in his book “Luxury Attitude” that it is the buyers’ respect for the goods. “What makes a luxury a luxury is the abundant value it contains and people’s respect for that value, the stories behind it,” he writes.  WOOYOUNGMI, a Korea-based menswear brand, fulfills these conditions perfectly. Having started with a small boutique brand, Solid Homme, in 1988, designer W

Arts & DesignFeb. 14, 2014