‘I am a Singer’ wins best entertainment program

The popular MBC TV program “I am a Singer” won the top prize on Thursday at the 2011 MBC Entertainment Awards. The show has been the talk of the town ever since it kicked off in March, introducing talented singers who had not been well-known or had been previously popular but fallen out of the public eye.“The win is more touching because we were awarded as a team. More than anything, I think it was trust in music that brought this happy day. I am also thankful to Lee So-ra for leading us as a te

Dec. 30, 2011

‘Survivor’ producer to face trial for wife’s murder

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Reality TV producer Bruce Beresford-Redman is willing to face trial in Mexico for the murder of his wife after losing his fight against extradition, his lawyers said.Beresford-Redman, 40, an Emmy-nominated former producer of CBS’s “Survivor” and MTV’s “Pimp My Ride,” is accused in the death of Monica Burgos, 41, his Brazilian-born wife of 11 years, at a Cancun resort in April, 2010.In a statement, his lawyers Richard Hirsch and Vicki Podberesky expressed disappointment with l

Dec. 28, 2011

Retro obsession

Pressures of digital, modern society triggering return to the ‘innocent’ ’70s and ’80sNo one can dismiss the apparent infiltration of a massive stroke of retro-heavy nostalgia for the music and mood of the ’70s and ’80s. From the small screen to the silver screen, from the stage to the radio, what South Koreans refer to as the “7080” culture can be found most everywhere.Ever since the trend started seriously attracting buzz following the unprecedented popularity of C’est Si Bon concerts when the

Dec. 28, 2011

Report: Schwarzenegger and Shriver may get back together

Los Angeles (dpa) - Maria Shriver is considering putting herdivorce from former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger onhold, celebrity website TMZ.com reported Monday. Shriver, who is a scion of the Kennedy political clan, filed fordivorce from the action movie star-turned-Republican polit

Dec. 27, 2011

‘One Night, Two Days’ team wins unexpected grand prize

KBS’ popular weekend reality TV show “One Night, Two Days” team won the grand prize at the KBS Entertainment Awards over the weekend. It was the first time for a whole team, instead of an individual entertainer, to receive the top prize at the annual awards. Five members of the team ― singers Lee Seung-ki, Kim Jong-min and Eun Ji-won, comedian Lee Su-keun, and actor Eom Tae-woong ― went on stage together, saying they were both “surprised and thrilled” with the result. “I really thought that the

Dec. 25, 2011

George Michael thanks hospital for saving life

LONDON (AP) ― Fighting back tears, singer George Michael appeared outside his London home Friday to acknowledge that he had nearly died during his month-long battle with pneumonia.He said it had been “touch and go” while he was in the intensive care unit of a Vienna hospital battling an extremely dangerous form of pneumonia but that his representatives had “played it down” to avoid alarming his fans.“They spent three weeks keeping me alive basically,” said the singer, who appeared to have lost w

Dec. 25, 2011

Taiwan anchorwoman replaced after parodying N.K. announcer

The Taiwanese anchor woman who created controversy by parodying North Korean announcer Ri Chun-hee has been replaced, announced the China Television System on Wednesday. Liang Fang-yu, host of CTS’ evening news program, delivered election information on Monday imitating Ri’s hair style, fashion and voice as was seen on the N.K. broadcaster on Monday when Ri announced the death of Kim Jong-il. Introduced as “Liang Chun-hee,” Liang appeared wearing a hanbok, or Korean traditional costume, and mimi

Dec. 21, 2011

Hyundai Mobis awarded grand prize at ‘2011 Korea Lifestyle Awards’

Hyundai Mobis won the grand prize on Monday at the “2011 Korea Lifestyle Awards” held at the Grand Intercontinental Seoul’s Grand Ballroom in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. The leading auto parts maker was recognized for its development of the car multimedia system which appeals to future consumer trends. The award recognizes the company for having enhanced the status of the nation’s car industry by increasing exports. The annual awards which aim to honor groups and individuals that lead Korea’s

Dec. 6, 2011

New cable channels off to shaky start

Technical glitches, frequent program reruns dampen expectations for the cables operated by print media firmsAll that flashy advertisement and promises of “a new television era” were brought to shame, at least in the first few days after new pay-television channels went on air here. Instead of mega-sized soap operas and high quality variety shows that had been promised, viewers were left with broken and frozen frames, several minutes of sudden muteness, if not a complete empty signal. “For a mome

Dec. 5, 2011

Jung Woo-sung opens up about first Korean drama after scandal

New channel jTCB’s drama “Padam Padam” represents Jung Woo-sung’s return to the domestic small screen after his embroilment in a scandal involving Seo Taiji’s ex-wife and “ATHENA: Goddess of War” co-star E Jiah. Less than a year has passed since paparazzi shot pictures of the couple together in Europe, followed by the explosive news that E Jiah and king of K-pop Seo Taiji were in the midst of a sticky divorce suit. Jung was lashed by rumors, and the couple later broke up. No beginner to the worl

Dec. 1, 2011

Dramas on way with four new channels

jTBC, TV Chosun, MBN, Channel A’s initial line-up unveiledFour new general programming channels ― jTBC, TV Chosun, MBN and Channel A ― were launched Thursday, and their upcoming dramas are not far behind. Since the cable-satellite-IPTV channels ― headed by JoongAng Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, Maeil Business Newspaper and Dong-A Ilbo ― nabbed much-coveted licenses late last year there has been much speculation as to who will put out the most-watched series. Because its company racked up experience in tele

Dec. 1, 2011

New cable channels go on air

Entry of four general programming channels and one news network to stiffen competition in broadcastingFour new general programming cable TV broadcasters will go on air Thursday, with dozens of grand-scale drama series and variety shows to appeal to the nation’s 23 million cable, IPTV (Internet TV) and satellite TV subscribers. Four media consortiums led by top daily newspapers ― the Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo and Maeil Business Newspaper ― are anticipated not only to rake in the mo

Nov. 30, 2011