G-Cup news anchor boosts NHK ratings

NHK’s news broadcast viewer ratings have been hugely boosted since glamorous news anchor Yuki Sugiura took over the morning news program “Ohayo! Nippon” (Good Morning! Japan) on April 1, media reports said.The 28-year-old was once Sophia University’s beauty pageant winner, and has worked at NHK after graduating in 2006. G-컵 NHK 女아나운서 ‘시청률 제조기’일본 NHK의 유명 아나운서 스기우라 유키가 네티즌들 사이에서 화제를 모으고 있다.보도에 따르면 단

May 10, 2012

TV celebrity Ko denies rape charges

Ko Young-wook has denied allegations that he intentionally got an 18-year-old female entertainer-aspirant drunk to rape her at his home.The former member of K-pop group Roo’Ra was under police investigation on Wednesday morning, after the alleged victim sued Ko for rape.“I am wondering why the accuser sued me, even though she knows the entire truth,” Ko said in a statement on his management agency’s website.“I cannot reveal every detail of the situation to the public but I want to make it clear

May 9, 2012

Former NBC exec and ‘Friends’ tell TV history

NEW YORK (AP) ― After being fired as NBC entertainment president toward the end of the “must see TV’’ period in 1998, Warren Littlefield packed photos, papers, awards and other memorabilia into a self-storage unit and turned the key.For 10 years he paid the rent and never stopped by. Finally he unlocked the vault and began combing through the boxes ― a process of rediscovery that eventually led to his new book, “Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV.’’Jerry Seinfeld, Kelsey Gr

May 8, 2012

Ryu Si-won’s drama starts with embarrassing viewer ratings

Hallyu star Ryu Si-won’s ambitious TV drama “Good-Bye My Wife” aired its first episode with dismal viewer ratings of less than 1 percent. According to ratings research firm AGB Nielsen Media Research, the drama’s first episode, aired on Monday evening, took 0.84 percent of the viewership nationwide.Considering the drama was the first TV program for the Korean Wave star after a four-year absence from the small screen, the ratings were seen as weak.“Good-Bye My Wife” also drew attention prior to a

May 8, 2012

Show host Kim confesses trauma after watching wife’s delivery

Celebrity TV show host Kim Seong-ju confessed that he found it traumatic watching his wife give birth.During the filming of SBS TV program “Jagiya,” in which celebrity couples talk about their married lives, Kim said he had expected the birth to be touching as depicted in movies and dramas, the broadcaster said.However, Kim was shocked by the sight of his wife giving birth and could not share the same bed as her for a year, it said.(yoonmi@heraldm.com)<한글 기사>김성주, 아내 분만 트라우마로 1년간 각방!김성주가 SBS “스타부

May 3, 2012

‘I Am a Singer’ kicks off to mixed reaction from viewers

 New format may fail to attract viewers; hard to beat other TV auditions for amateur singers MBC’s “I Am a Singer,” last year’s hit singing competition that pitted top performers against one another, kicked off its second season on Sunday amid high expectations from viewers. The show has a new format -- new competition rules, contestants, a live broadcast -- all orchestrated by producer Kim Young-hee, who has been reinstated for the new season after being replaced following last season’s public

May 2, 2012

More ballroom, less fusion in ‘Dancing with the Stars’

 Second season putting the spotlight on competitive dancingThe first season of MBC’s “Dancing with the Stars” put in a relatively strong showing when it aired last summer, nabbing viewer ratings that kept it at the top of its timeslot. Now into its second season, all eyes are trained on whether or not this ballroom dance reality program is a one-trick pony or here to stay. Viewer ratings for the prologue, which aired last Friday, did not bode well for the program. Clocking in it at around six to

May 1, 2012

Dempsey rescues teen from car crash

"Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey came to the aid of a teenager who flipped his car into the actor's Malibu yard, TMZ reported.Patrick Dempsey (Bloomberg)The teen lost control of his Mustang Tuesday evening and the vehicle overturned multiple times before coming to rest in Dempsey's front yard, TMZ reported. The car was totaled.Dempsey rushed from his home, crowbar in hand, to pry the teen fro

May 1, 2012

Park Ji-min named winner of ‘K-pop Star’

Youngest winner at 15 to choose agency among top three K-pop companiesFifteen-year-old Park Ji-min became the winner of SBS’ “K-pop Star,” beating out her rival Lee Ha-yi by one point in the neck-and-neck competition on Sunday evening. With Sunday’s win, Park also became the youngest and first female winner of a local TV singing audition program. “I’m happy because I feel like I’m being rewarded for all the hard work up until now. I would like to thank my parents and the three judges,” said Park

April 30, 2012

Unauthorized biography spills Cowell secrets

LONDON (AP) ― He gets colonic irrigations, Botox injections and vitamin drips, and insists on black toilet paper in his home.A revealing new biography offers intimate ― some might say too intimate ― details about Simon Cowell, along with a portrait of the entertainment mogul’s savvy business side.“Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell” is written by British journalist and biographer Tom Bower, whose previous subjects include former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, jailed media mog

April 22, 2012

‘American Bandstand’ host Dick Clark dead

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Dick Clark stood as an avatar of rock ‘n’ roll virtually from its birth and, until his death Wednesday at age 82, as a cultural touchstone for several generations of Americans.His identity as “the world’s oldest teenager’’ became strained in recent years, as time and infirmity caught up with his enduring boyishness. But he owned New Year’s Eve after four decades hosting his annual telecast on ABC from Times Square. And as a producer and entertainment entrepreneur, he was a med

April 19, 2012

Show host quits TV gigs over comfort women remarks

Show host and comedian Kim Gu-ra, 41, announced Monday night that he would step down from all television programs to atone for his derogatory remarks about military sex slaves during World War II. In 2002, Kim, on his Internet radio show “Kim Gu-ra and Hwang Bong-al’s Current Affairs Talk,” made jokes about prostitutes who had protested against a police crackdown to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. “We haven’t seen prostitutes sharing a bus ride for a while, like the comfort women

April 17, 2012

Actress Jun Ji-hyun ties the knot

Top actress Jun Ji-hyun, a.k.a. Gianna Jun, married a Korean businessman at Hotel Shilla in central Seoul on Friday, waving goodbye to single life.She tied the knot with Choi Jun-hyeok, the grandson of acclaimed hanbok designer Lee Young-hee and the son of also famous fashion designer Lee Jeong-woo.“I feel nervous but I will make a return for those who supported me by showing them my happy married life,” said Jun during a press conference held at the hotel just hours before her wedding.At the ce

April 13, 2012

Lavish election programs disappoint

TV broadcasters show off what they called fancy graphics, 3-D animations of ballot counting, but disappoint viewers with inaccurate exit polls and entertainment-like programmingTelevision coverage of Wednesday’s parliamentary elections showcased the evolution of the country’s visual and telecommunications technology, but the shows’ ratings slipped from previous years. The country’s three terrestrial broadcasters ― Korean Broadcasting System, Munhwa Broadcasting Station and Seoul Broadcasting Sys

April 12, 2012

‘Simpsons’ creator: Real Springfield is in Oregon

SPRINGFIELD, Oregon (AP) ― One of the best-kept secrets in television history has been revealed, with “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening pointing to Springfield, Oregon, as the inspiration for the animated hometown of Homer and his dysfunctional family.Groening told Smithsonian magazine, published online Tuesday, that he was inspired by the television show “Father Knows Best,” which took place in a place called Springfield. Springfield, Oregon, is 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Groening’s

April 11, 2012