Mnet, a cable music channel owned by CJ E&M, will be bringing its popular weekly music program “M Countdown” to Los Angeles later this month. Titled “M Countdown What’s Up LA,” the program will be part of the Korean culture festival “KCON 2013” that will run for two days starting on Aug. 24. The lineup for the event includes K-pop artists G-dragon, 2AM, Dynamic Duo, f(x), EXO, You Seung-woo and more. Marking Mnet’s first entry into the U.S., the event aims to show just how influential K-pop is b

‘The Garden of Words’ a touching tale of growing up and moving on

PITTSBURGH (AP) ― The Andy Warhol Museum is launching a live video feed from the pop artist’s gravesite to honor his 85th birthday.The project, a partnership with the EarthCam webcam network, was to go live Monday at midnight, the museum said.Warhol museum director Eric Shiner said the project is titled “Figment” because of a Warhol quote in which the artist said, “I always thought I’d like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph and no name. Well, actually, I’d like it to say, ‘Figment.’”The s

The King Sejong Center in Washington, D.C., has kicked off its annual Hallyu Camp once again this week, giving young American children the opportunity to immerse themselves in workshops and activities all revolving around traditional and pop culture. The camp is designed to give fans of Korean pop culture a more in-depth understanding of the country and its people. During the five-day program, participants get to experience what it means to be Korean through a variety of interactive workshops, l

With the summer music festival calendar crowded with large-scale rock events, a new music fest being inaugurated later this month promises a welcome break from the usual ear-splitting sounds of the season. The O2 Nami Island Music Festival 2013 was designed as a two-day summer music festival for those looking for non-rock music performances.Filling the small island with the sounds of folk music and easy-listening classical pieces, the O2 music festival offers music lovers an opportunity to camp

NEW YORK (AP) ― Actors make physical transformations for roles all the time; it’s what they do. Still, many have found it truly stunning to see Sharon Stone ― who at 55 still looks unnervingly like the sleek, blonde, leg-crossing femme fatale she played two decades ago in “Basic Instinct” ― appear dark, severe, ungainly and nearly unrecognizable in “Lovelace.”“NOBODY recognized her,” says Amanda Seyfried, who plays Stone’s daughter, the “Deep Throat” star Linda Lovelace, in the film that opens F

Despite debuting nearly two years ago, the members of rock trio PaperTree are still trying to make their mark on the Korean indie scene. After a recent member change, the band is now back to its original founding members ― Song Young-keun on vocals and bass, Kim Tae-hyun on guitar and Lee Ye-chan on drums. “Our name means a tree made with paper. And paper is made from trees, it is like an infinite cycle. We wish the same for our music careers. We get motivation and a purpose to keep pursuing mus

KOCCA program fosters alternatives to K-pop offerings

Popular actor Cha Seung-won’s son is to be investigated by police for sexual assault, Seoul Prosecutors’ Office announced on Monday.According to Seoul Prosecutors’ Office, an 18-year-old high-school girl recently filed a complaint against Noah Cha, claiming she was sexually assaulted by the 24-year-old multiple times while held captive in a property owned by his grandfather.The elder Cha offered his apology online on Saturday, saying he felt “responsible” as a father for the situation “regardles

Sunmi, a former member of the K-pop group Wonder Girls, has announced she will be making a comeback as a solo artist. More than three years have passed since Sunmi left the girl group in 2010 to pursue academic studies. She is still affiliated with her original agency, JYP Entertainment, which stated on Monday, “Sunmi is preparing a comeback as a solo artist. Final dates are still being worked out.” According to the agency, Park Jin-young, the agency chief, is going to play a major role in her c

The five-member K-pop group MBLAQ is to hold an exclusive concert in Mexico City on Aug. 8.The concert titled MBLAQ Mexico 2013 will start at 8 p.m. at Mexico City’s Pepsi Center, allowing the country’s fans to see the singers in person for the first time. Arirang TV and Mexico’s biggest broadcasting company Televisa are both covering the concert. During their five-day stay in Mexico, MBLAQ will perform at various venues and make media appearances.MBLAQ’s hit track “Mona Lisa” topped various cha

Organized by Special Olympics Korea and Love We Can, a group that specializes in setting up cultural events for those with intellectual disabilities, Pyeongchang Special Music Festival began Tuesday morning for a five-day run through Aug. 10 at Alpensia Resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. Artists with intellectual disabilities from 12 different countries, as well as mentors and volunteer workers, will join in the festival, bringing 300 participants. The festival will include a wide variety

 Actress Lee Mi-sook has signed a contract with a new entertainment agency, Sidus HQ entertainment.“We will give unconditional support for Lee to continue her work,” said the agency on Tuesday. “We are looking forward to Lee’s active work with us in more various fields.” Lee, along with actresses Lee Bo-hee and Won Mi-kyung, gained popularity in the 1980s. She played numerous roles in TV dramas as well as movies including “Cinderella‘s Sister,” “Untold Scandal” and “Actresses.”“Lee is an actress