Acclaimed K-pop duo TVXQ is making history in the Japanese music scene, setting fresh records on Japan’s biggest music chart Oricon with its third Japanese studio album “TREE.”Immediately after its release on March 5, “TREE” climbed to the top of Oricon’s daily and weekly album charts, becoming TVXQ’s fourth album to top Oricon after its compilation album “Best Selection 2010” (2010) and two studio albums, “TONE” (2011) and “TIME” (2013).“TREE” has sold roughly 225,000 copies since its release l

In China, Korean TV drama “My Love from the Star” seems to have stirred up a syndrome that stands strong even amid a series of national tragedies ― a terrorist attack that left 33 people dead and a flight gone missing with another 152 of its nationals aboard.Kim Soo-hyun, the male lead in the drama, has become the heartthrob of Chinese girls. In the series, he played Do Min-jun, an alien in the form of a perfect male specimen who falls in love with an arrogant A-list actress played by Jun Ji-hyu

NEW YORK (AP) ― The shirtless warriors of the “300” sequel “Rise of an Empire” ravaged the post-Oscars box-office weekend with a domestic debut of $45.1 million but an even bigger international haul of $87.8 million.Seven years after the original “300” became an unlikely, ultra-stylish, blood-soaked sensation, Warner Bros.’ 3-D follow-up showed considerable might at the box office. While “300: Rise of an Empire” didn’t come close the North American debut of Zack Snyder’s 2007 original ($70.9 mil

The original production of famous Broadway musical “Cats” is having its first Korean run in six years, according to Seol & Company.“Cats,” which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2011, is the second-longest-running show in Broadway history. Based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T.S. Eliot, the musical was first performed in Korea in 1994, and was a hit in 2003, 2007 and 2008. The four presentations altogether drew some 1.2 million viewers in the country. The plot of the musical revo

A riot of color greeted Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme the first time he walked into Haitian Corner, an art gallery around the corner from his Manhattan apartment. Instantly transfixed, he left with a $250 painting by Haitian master Wilson Bigaud. The seed was planted. Demme’s appreciation for work by self-taught Haitian painters like Bigaud and Hector Hyppolite flowered into an obsession that he fed with multiple trips to the cash poor but artistically rich island nation, where he learne

Nearly two years since the group’s previous world tour, the five members of SHINee are in full swing once again and will be taking their music and performances across borders on their new tour, “SHINee World III.” “We are about to embark on our next world tour and we are very excited to be performing outside of Korea once again,” said Min-ho during a press conference held in Gymnastics Stadium at the Seoul Olympic Park on Sunday. “The performanc for this tour is very upbeat and a lot more engagi

YG Entertainment, one of South Korea’s largest music management companies, is setting up a North American base for its artists.The agency, whose singers include K-pop acts 2NE1, Psy and Big Bang, said Friday that construction was underway in the United States for “YG Land,” an independent space complete with recording infrastructure to support and promote its artists in North America.In partnership with the American real-estate agency MD Properties, “YG Land” will be built inside The Source, a s

(YG Entertainment)YG Entertainment, home to several k-pop musicians including Psy and Big Bang, announced Friday that it would establish a base in the United States for its artists as part of efforts to strengthen its presence in North America. The entertainment powerhouse plans to partner up with the U.S. real estate developer M+D Properties to open “YG Land” in the multi-entertainment space “The Source.” The building complex, currently under construction, is set to open in Orange County, Calif

  With the hit Korean drama “My Love from the Star” sweeping China, its government is keeping a wary eye on the frenzy the drama has created in the nation. 　 The U.S. daily Washington Post reported Friday that the Chinese government officials discussed the popular Korean drama’s success with envy at the ongoing China‘s National People’s Congress, where the country‘s highest governing bodies meet annually to discuss legislative issues. 　 In a committee of China’s political advisory body

Key works of Korean-born media art pioneer Nam June Paik have been included in the permanent art collection of Britain’s Tate galleries with the sponsorship of Hyundai Motor Co. The prestigious Tate Modern museum of art will hold an exhibition of Paik’s works in the latter half of the year. As part of the 11-year partnership deal with Hyundai Motor, Tate purchased nine important works by the renowned media artist, including his video and painting works and installations. The artworks spanning Pa

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron was looking for an anti-“Gravity” follow up to his blockbuster space film, and he found it with a rare excursion into television.Cuaron and sci-fi auteur J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” the “Star Trek” movies) are executive producers of “Believe,” a drama about a child whose supernatural powers put her and the world at risk.The premise came to him while he waited during “the endless process of special effects” on “Gravity,” Cuaron said at a media eve

Rock band returning with first studio album in three years

Nostalgia for ’90s sparks retro culture boom

In a popular cartoon on the Internet, a man in his early 40s holds a floppy disk and asks a young boy, “Have you seen one of these before?” to which the boy exclaims, “Wow, you made a 3-D model of the save icon!”Poking fun at the generational gap between the youth of today and the middle-aged, the cartoon is a reminder of the inevitable differences in culture and shared memories between different generations.However, at a small bar-club in Hongdae ― decorated with shelves full of old LP records,