‘Gangnam Style’ wins top MTV Europe award

The “Gangnam Style” phenomenon continued to forge ahead as Psy yet again added more notches to his global superstardom belt. The ubiquitous smash hit won the Best Video award at the 2012 MTV European Music Awards on Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany, while Psy became the first Korean artist ever to perform at the annual awards ceremony. David Hasselhoff, well known for his role as a lifeguard on the popular U.S. TV series “Baywatch,” presented Psy with his award. “Can I have a minute? Because I am a

Nov. 12, 2012

Double treat: Mariinsky Ballet’s ‘Swan Lake’ and Mariinsky Theater Orchestra

Internationally acclaimed ballet company Mariinsky Ballet kicked off its much-anticipated Seoul run of Tchaikovsky classic “Swan Lake” on Sunday at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The famous ballet tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. She tries to break the curse with her love interest Pince Siegfried, but fails when he is tricked by the cruel magician.The renowned Russian troupe was founded in the 18th century and is now considered one of

Nov. 11, 2012

9th Gwangju Biennale lauded for provocative approach

The 9th Gwangju Biennale came to an end with Asia’s biggest contemporary art event being lauded for adopting thoughtful and provocative approaches to art. Artworks reached out to viewers, shedding light on global social and political issues, providing moments of self-reflection to viewers, and bridging the gap between contemporary art and ordinary citizens. Some works reflected on the founding spirit of the biennale, which is in the memory of the 1980 civil uprising for democratization. Korean a

Nov. 11, 2012

Two German orchestras to go head-to-head in Seoul

Nov. 21 will be an interesting day for classical music fans: Two noted German orchestras will perform in Seoul on the day.Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra) will be performing at Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall in southern Seoul at 8 p.m. while Deutsche Radio Philharmonie will be playing at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts at the same time. Both orchestras are performing in Seoul for the first time.“November has always been the hottest month for

Nov. 11, 2012

‘Gangnam Style’ goes double platinum in U.S.

Pop singer Psy’s single “Gangnam Style,” which has more than 2 million digital single sales, and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America Inc. (RIAA) of the U.S. on Saturday.The music video, a mock tribute to Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district, broke a number of world records since the single’s local release in July.It last month broke the Guinness World Record for “Most Likes on YouTube” with 2,141,758, beating the previous record of LMFAO’s “Party Rock

Nov. 11, 2012

Chris Brown denies he is dating Rihanna

 U.S. singer Chris Brown, in an interview with a Los Angeles radio station, denied rumors he and singer Rihanna have rekindled their relationship.When asked by Power 106 host Big Boy whether he and Rihanna were back together, Brown said, “No.”“And that‘s just quick, a quick answer.”Brown echoed the denial Rihanna made on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” when she told Andy Cohen she was not dating Brown, despite their collaboration on her latest album, “Unapologetic.”Rihanna did, however, call

Nov. 11, 2012

Calendar

Dance“Swan Lake”: Internationally acclaimed ballet company Mariinsky Ballet will be in Korea to stage the Tchaikovsky classic “Swan Lake.” The famous ballet tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. She tries to break the curse with her love interest prince Siegfried, but fails when the prince is tricked by the sorcerer. The Russian troupe was founded in the 18th century and is now considered one of the world’s greatest ballet companies. The show runs

Nov. 9, 2012

Eyelike

Aerosmith‘s new ’Dimension‘ same old storyAerosmith``Music from Another Dimension!’‘(Columbia Records)In the decade since Aerosmith last released an album of new material, the band survived a near-breakup after 40 years as classic rock’s preening and persevering hitmakers, while Steven Tyler became an ``American Idol‘’ judge and did Burger King commercials. Said a collective nation: ``Sure, why not.‘’ 　 Now comes ``Music from Another Dimension!‘’ -- the first Aerosmith output since 2001‘s ``Just

Nov. 9, 2012

All because of you

This is part of a series featuring new hallyu stars. ― Ed.The 22-year-old up-and-coming singer and musician Kim Bo-kyung never planned to audition for the idol singing competition program “Superstar K2.” As a matter of fact, it was all very spur of the moment.“I was just a regular college student and one day while watching TV, I saw a very glamorous Superstar K commercial,” said Kim. The commercial that day announced the news that Kelly Clarkson, the first winner of “American Idol,” was going to

Nov. 8, 2012

KNB dancers to perform at Bolshoi theatre

Korea National Ballet’s top dancers, Kim Ji-young and Lee Dong-hoon, have been invited by the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia as guest principals, the troupe announced on Tuesday.The two will play the lead roles in legendary choreographer Yury Grigorovich’s 1968 piece “Spartacus,” along with members of Bolshoi Ballet. The Russian troupe is one of the most renowned classical ballet companies in the world. According to Korea National Ballet, it is the first time for two Korean dancers to

Nov. 8, 2012

'Godfather of rock' unplugged

 　Before K-pop groups with their electro beats and synched dance moves, there was the generation of artists that helped pave the wave for the birth of modern music in Korea. One member of this generation overcame poverty, government suppression, harassment and torture to become one of the world’s most respected guitarists. At 74, legendary rock guitarist Shin Joong-hyun, who was instrumental in the psychedelic rock movement in Korea in the 60s and 70s, can still shred the guitar. After five deca

Nov. 8, 2012

Rihanna a rock star on Victoria’s Secret catwalk

Rihanna has rocked the lingerie look at Victoria’s Secret fashion show in New York, holding her own on the catwalk with some of the world’s top models.Wearing a sheer pink mini Wednesday night that gave glimpses of her bra, Rihanna sang “Fresh Out the Runway” at the end of a corset-and-garter parade, grabbing the audience’s biggest applause.The fashion show has become a pre-holiday tradition for Victoria’s Secret and CBS will turn it into a one-hour special to be aired on Dec. 4. It will also fe

Nov. 8, 2012

K-pop Give Concert to help disabled

This year’s second K-pop Give Concert will once again gather together K-pop stars to host a charity concert event to help raise money for people with disabilities. The first Give Concert in July showcased some of the rising stars in the entertainment industry, Infinite and Brave Girls. To continue the success of the charitable donations received this summer, K-pop stars CNBLUE, Hello Venus and former V.O.S leader Park Ji-Hun will be performing in the second wave charity concert.The proceeds for

Nov. 7, 2012

Van Gogh exhibition focuses on his time in Paris

Van Gogh’s paintings from his Paris years will be on exhibit in Seoul from Thursday. The exhibition, titled “Van Gogh in Paris: A Dialogue with Modernism,” features about 60 paintings on loan from the Van Gogh Museum of Amsterdam, including the late artist’s famous self-portraits and landscape paintings. It also displays historical research and data about the artist and his works, including x-radiographs of his paintings. “Van Gogh’s time in Paris from 1886-1888 was when his style developed dras

Nov. 7, 2012

Violinist Lee’s concert celebrates 35 years of musical career

Violinist Lee Sung-ju, professor at the Korea National University of Arts school of music, will play Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos on Nov. 13 at the Seoul Arts Center IBK Chamber Hall. Celebrating the 35th anniversary of her debut at the New York Kaufman Center on April 26, 1977, the violinist will accompany Joy of Strings, a string ensemble she founded 15 years ago, to present the complicated, grand yet solemn world of Bach. The concertos, whose original title is “Six Concerts plusieurs instrume

Nov. 6, 2012

20,000 excited fans welcome Psy to Paris

Psy continues to take the world by storm, beginning his European tour by arriving in Paris on a private jet and performing at a “Gangnam Style” flash mob that gathered 20,000 screaming fans on Monday. The flash mob, organized by a French Radio Music channel NJR, was held across from the Eiffel Tower. After his promotions in France, Psy will be heading off to the United Kingdom and Germany where he will give a speech at Oxford University and attend the MTV European Music Awards in Frankfurt, wher

Nov. 6, 2012

Psy to receive cultural merit honor from government

Psy, the popular singer-rapper behind “Gangnam Style,” has been named to receive a state order of cultural merit this year, along with nine other winners, the cultural ministry said Tuesday.The 34-year-old singer whose original name is Park Jae-sang, rose to global fame after the music video of “Gangnam Style” featuring his horse-riding dance moves went viral on YouTube, attracting more than 600 million views.He topped the coveted British Official Singles Chart and ranked second on the U.S. Bill

Nov. 6, 2012