LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- After only two weeks in theaters, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" has sparked $261 million in North American box office receipts to roll into the number one film spot for 2011. The sequel raked in $47 million in expected sales over the weekend and bypassed "The Hangover Part II," to become the highest-grossing film of the year to date. Michael Bay's big budget action film ...

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) ― One of Latin America’s most admired folk singers, Facundo Cabral, was killed Saturday when three carloads of gunmen ambushed the vehicle in which he was riding, prompting expressions of anguish from across the region. Authorities said the performer’s concert promoter was apparently the target. Interior Minister Carlos Menocal said the Argentine singer and novelist was on hi...

“Miracle of Music”: The Aloysius Orchestra and pianist Chung Myung-whun will hold a charity concert at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall on July 23 at 8 p.m. The 60-member orchestra consists of Aloysius Middle School and Aloysius Technical High School, which are affiliated with Busan Boystown, a children’s shelter where 700 orphaned children from toddlers to high school students live together...

“Baribari Chochom Didimsae 2011”: National Dance Company of Korea has been offering this performance series since 2001 to help the public better understand and appreciate Korean dance which is often considered difficult. It presents both traditional dances and new choreography inspired from the traditional dances. It runs through July 24 at The National Theater of Korea in Jangchung-dong, centra...

“A Brushstroke”: Hakgojae Gallery presents 38 paintings and drawings that feature a single or only a few brush strokes. Exhibits include works by established Korean artists like Kim Hodeuk, Suh Yong-sun, Lee U-fan, Chung Hyun and international artists like Sam Francis, Giuseppe Penone and Anish Kapoor. The exhibition runs through Aug. 21 at Hakgojae Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. For mo...

“Busan Sea Festival”: The Busan Sea Festival will be held from Aug. 1-9 at locations including Haeundae Beach, Gwangalli Beach, Song-do Beach and Songjeong Beach, as well as at various places in the city of Busan. It is Korea’s largest sea festival, and is a liaison of Busan International Rock Festival, Busan International Beach Dance Festival, Korean Sea Literature Festival, Busan Beach Game Fe...

“Air Supply Live in Seoul”: Australian soft rock duo Air Supply is to perform in Seoul on Aug. 16 at the Olympic Park Olympic Hall at 8 p.m. Guitarist and singer-songwriter Graham Russell and lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s. Their upcoming concert in Seoul will be the first in eight years an...

“Jack the Ripper”: With a story based on the unsolved murder case in London in 1888, this popular musical is on its third run in Seoul. The star-studded cast includes Ahn Jae-wook, Lee Ji-hoon, Eom Gi-jun and Super Junior’s Seong-min in the role of Daniel, Shin Seong-woo and Lee Geon-myeong for the role of Jack and Yu Jun-sang for the role of Anderson. The musical runs through Aug. 14 at Chungmu...

Point Blank (France) Opening July 13. Thriller. Directed by Fred Cavaye. Samuel (Gilles Lellouche) is a nurse living in Paris who is happily married to his wife, Nadia (Elena Anaya). One night, however, two unknown men break into Samuel’s apartment and kidnap his seven-months-pregnant wife. The only way to have his wife back is to get one of the wounded patients out of his hospital and deliver ...

Various Artists “Rave On” Fantasy Paul McCartney may be getting a little long in the tooth, but he steals the show from younger artists on “Rave On,” a new Buddy Holly tribute record. Using a distorted vocal effect that makes him sound like a mixture between Steven Tyler and Howlin’ Wolf, McCartney and his band tear through “It’s So Easy” with a fervor that singers half his age would have a h...

Beyonce “4” Columbia “Run the World (Girls),” the first single from Beyonce’s fourth solo album, “4,” has all the hallmarks of a signature No. 1 Beyonce smash ― a bombastic, larger-than-life sound, a call-and-response hook, a heavy dose of girl power and a fierce drumbeat. Surprisingly, though, it landed with a thud on radio, and the buzz around “4” hasn’t been encouraging ― there’s even talk...

Selena Gomez & the Scene “When the Sun Goes Down” Hollywood Records There comes a point when a Disney or Nickelodeon star tries to make the transition to official recording artist. This is Selena Gomez’s moment. Musically speaking, Gomez is no Miley Cyrus or Vanessa Hudgens ― that’s because she’s better. She’s got a decent voice, and showcased that on last year’s “A Year Without Rain,” a pop ...

Seth Gordon knows from bad bosses. He once worked as a dishwasher in an old folks home, where his micromanaging supervisor told him everything he did was wrong ― whether it was stacking the plates, cleaning things in the right order or moving fast enough. “It was really about her need to be in charge,” Gordon says, “and I’ve seen versions of that ever since in different forms.” Which makes Gordo...

LONDON (AP) -- Harry Potter's saga is ending, but his magic spell remains. Thousands of fans from around the world massed in London Thursday for the premiere of the final film in the magical adventure series. They thronged Trafalgar Square, where the stars walked a rain-sodden red carpet, and nearby Leicester Square, where the movie was being shown in a plush movie theater, braving the inevitab...

Without hesitation, he quit baseball and started auditioning. Soon realizing his limits, however, he went to acting classes and received help from top actors like Gong Hyung-jin and Jang Dong-gun who he knew from Playboys, a celebrity baseball team. Gong aided him to land a part on “Roller Coaster,” a popular cable TV show. “It is almost frightening to think about it now. I don’t know where I fo...