The Korea Herald

Swedish director Daniel Espinosa took an unusual approach with ‘Safe House’

Feb 10, 2012

When Universal Pictures hired Daniel Espinosa to direct its rogue CIA agent thriller “Safe House,” the studio knew it was rolling the dice. The Swedish filmmaker had never made an English-language feature, he hadn‘t worked with stars near the magnitude of “Safe House” leads Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, and he was graduating from a $4-million Nordic drug drama to an $85-million production....
A Hollywood awards show goes to the dogs

Feb 9, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― With Uggie stealing hearts in “The Artist,’’ snagging the spotlight at celebrity events and reportedly preparing for a sketch with Oscar host Billy Crystal, Hollywood really has gone to the dogs this year. There’s even a brand-new awards show honoring canine performers. The first annual Golden Collar Awards drew international attention when Martin Scorsese recently published a...
‘Howling’: Portrait of the minority

Feb 8, 2012

Actress Lee Na-young returns as awkward detective in director Yoo Ha’s upcoming thriller Upcoming thriller “Howling” is, ultimately, actress Lee Na-young’s movie. Though she is paired up with Chungmuro heavyweight Song Kang-ho, and his name outshines hers, the film was always supposed to be about the female detective character. That’s what director Yoo Ha had in mind during the pre-production o...
Audiences are noticing Galecki, and now the Emmys, Globes are too

Feb 8, 2012

LOS ANGELES ― Johnny Galecki seeks to be average. The star of “The Big Bang Theory” is seated outside a small Hollywood restaurant, talking about his longing to play ordinary, run-of-the mill figures rather than the larger-than-life characters that actors and audiences sometimes embrace. “Guys like Dustin Hoffman and Jack Lemmon have always been my leading men,” said the 36-year-old, leather ja...
Berlin’s Pergamon Altar up for renovations

Feb 8, 2012

BERLIN (AFP) ― The Great Altar of Pergamon, a sculpted frieze dating from the 2nd century B.C. and one of Berlin’s top tourist attractions, will be closed for repair work from 2014, the museum said Tuesday. The Pergamon Museum ― which opened to house the Ancient Greek masterpiece in 1930 on Berlin’s renowned Museum Island ― will undergo a complete renovation in several phases, between October of...
‘Amazing Spider-Man’ teaser released for fans

Feb 7, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― “The Amazing Spider-Man’’ dropped in on hundreds of fans Monday. Sony Pictures teased the latest incarnation of the web-slinging superhero, which doesn’t arrive in U.S. theaters until July 3, at preview events held Monday at movie theaters in 13 cities spanning the globe, including Mexico City, Berlin, Rome, Paris and Moscow, with the cast and filmmakers appearing in Los Angel...
KOFIC to support 33 Korean-foreign joint productions in 2012

Feb 7, 2012

Film council will back small-scale production houses and distributors; office slated to move to Busan in 2013 The Korean Film Council will be supporting 33 Korean-foreign joint production films this year, as well as small-sale production houses and distributors, its officials announced in a press meeting in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. The council kicked off the 2 billion won project for the 3...
Clooney, Pitt, pals meet for Oscars lunch

Feb 7, 2012

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) ― George Clooney says the best thing about Academy Awards nominations is not necessarily the prizes. It’s hanging with old and new friends. At the annual Oscar nominee luncheon Monday, Clooney said he’s made new pals on the awards circuit this season and has been happy to catch up with longtime friends such as Viola Davis and Brad Pitt, his co-star in the “Ocean’s ...
Jolie, Streep join Arab Spring at Berlin fest

Feb 6, 2012

BERLIN (AFP) ― The Arab Spring uprisings and political turmoil in the West will dominate the 62nd Berlin film festival starting Thursday, as Hollywood royalty sprinkles stardust in the frigid German capital. Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman, Robert Pattinson, Antonio Banderas and Christian Bale are due in town to present new films at the first major European festival of the year, and ar...
Miss Piggy to present BAFTA awards in Britain

Feb 6, 2012

LONDON (AFP) ― The organizers of the BAFTA film awards in Britain have unveiled Miss Piggy as one of the show’s hosts, promising spiky questions for Hollywood luminaries George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The glamorous pink star of “The Muppets” will be the red carpet host of the British Academy Film Awards 2012 on Sunday, the organizers said Monday. She is honing her flirting skills as she prepares...
Racy ads for French movie about infidelity pulled

Feb 5, 2012

PARIS (AP) ― What does it take to shock in the land of the Gallic shrug? Ads that suggest adulterous oral sex, according to complaints about new movie “Les Infideles.’’ Posters for the film ― which show the contented male stars with faceless women in submissive positions ― went up Tuesday but were being taken down Friday following a request from France’s self-regulating advertising body. In one...
Lisa Ono’s first album in Japanese

Feb 3, 2012

Lisa Ono’s first album in Japanese Lisa Ono “Japo” (Universal Music) The Japanese-only version of Lisa Ono’s new album “Japo” hit the shelves on Jan. 25 in Korea. It is her first album featuring Japanese songs rearranged and sung by the artist in Japanese. Ono, an established Bossa Nova singer popular around the world, has previously only released albums in English and Portuguese. The album...
Seeking recognition for stunts from the Academy Awards

Feb 3, 2012

The veteran stuntman has jumped from exploding boats, leaped off a 12-story building and driven motorcycles through balls of flame, surviving two broken backs and a broken neck. But the one feat that Jack Gill has been unable to perform is persuading the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize his craft. For two decades, the former professional motocross rider, who began his st...
James Cameron plans move to N.Z. farm

Feb 3, 2012

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ―Hollywood director James Cameron is planning to move onto a New Zealand farm. Cameron has successfully applied to buy 1,067 hectares (2,636 acres) of farmland in New Zealand. In an application filed with the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office, Cameron says he and his family “intend to reside indefinitely in New Zealand and are acquiring the property to reside on...
Hollywood scandal: Ex-marine spills beans

Feb 3, 2012

Fresh from the battlefield, 23-year-old Scott Bowers arrived at Hollywood in 1946 and soon became the go-to-guy for big shots wanting to fulfill their hidden desires. Or so he claims. In his book, “Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars,” Bowers, 88, describes how he helped A-listers look for sexual partners. His memoir sheds light on the sexual desires ...