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

"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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

NEW YORK (AP) ― CBS newsman Mike Wallace, the dogged, merciless reporter and interviewer who took on politicians, celebrities and other public figures in a 60-year career highlighted by the on-air confrontations that helped make “60 Minutes’’ the most successful primetime television news program ever, has died. He was 93.Wallace died Saturday night, CBS spokesman Kevin Tedesco said. On CBS’ “Face the Nation,’’ host Bob Schieffer said Wallace died at a care facility in New Canaan, Connecticut, wh

April 9, 2012

Korean entertainer Ryu Si-won (The Korea Herald)Korean entertainer and race car driver Ryu Si-won was reported on Monday to have filed for divorce. Local dailies reported Monday that Ryu’s wife had filed for divorce on March 22, seeking to end the couple’s 18-month marriage. The reasons for the split have not been disclosed. On Monday, Ryu canceled the annual pre-race event for his team, EXR Team

April 9, 2012

  Local community calls for cancellation of redevelopment plan near Joseon royal tomb JeongneungIn Jeongneung-dong, northern Seoul, there is a residential area made of some 80 low-rise houses ― a rare sight in the city where apartment complexes dominate the landscape.The residential community, formed in the late 1960s by university professors, is located near one of Seoul’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites ― Jeongneung. The royal tomb, where Joseon founder Taejo’s second consort Queen Sindeok (?-1396

April 5, 2012