The Korea Herald

Star couple Lee Bo-young, Ji Sung to wed in September

TelevisionAug 2, 2013

Actress Lee Bo-young and actor Ji Sung announced Friday that they will tie the knot on Sept. 27. The wedding will take place at the Western House at W Seoul-Walkerhill hotel, the two celebrities’ agencies, Will Entertainment and Namoo Actors Co., confirmed Friday. The two first met on the set of their 2004 SBS drama “Save the Last Dance for Me” and have been together for six years since 2007. Lee, whose highly successful SBS drama series “I Hear Your Voice” ended Thursday night, posted a photo
‘Snowpiercer’ on record-breaking pace

FilmAug 2, 2013

Bong Joon-ho’s latest film “Snowpiercer” drew 1 million viewers in just two days since its release, the state-run Korean Film Council said Friday.According to the organization, the dystopian sci-fi flick drew 1.03 million viewers as of Thursday, just a day after its Korean release on July 31. This makes the film the fastest movie to smash the 1-million mark in weekday sales. The record beats last year’s box office hit “The Thieves,” which hit the 1-million audience mark in three days after its r
Cameron to release three ‘Avatar’ sequels

FilmAug 2, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Canadian director James Cameron is making three sequels to his film “Avatar,” which will be released between 2016 and 2018, Fox Studios announced Thursday.The 2009 film is the highest-grossing movie on record, having netted $2.8 billion at the box office worldwide.Cameron had originally planned for only two sequels. “In writing the new films, I’ve come to realize that ‘Avatar’s’ world, story and characters have become even richer than I anticipated, and it became apparent tha
Bayreuth’s ‘Ring’ director pokes fun at audience

MusicAug 1, 2013

BAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) ― Frank Castorf, the controversial German theater director who staged Richard Wagner’s “Twilight of the Gods” at this year’s Bayreuth Festival, poked fun at audience for booing the premiere on Wednesday.When Castorf, the 61-year-old enfant terrible of German theater, took his curtain call at the end of the 6 1/2 evening, he was met with an deafening chorus of boos and whistling from the audience of nearly 2,000 people. Initially, he and his production team stood motionles
Milton Greene slides of Marilyn, others snag $1.8m

TheaterAug 1, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) ― Tens of thousands of negatives of Marilyn Monroe and other stars by celebrity photographer Milton Greene have sold at auction for $1.8 million.The archive includes 3,700 negatives and slides of Marilyn Monroe. All the material was sold with copyright.Profiles in History auction house says the highlights included a collection of color transparencies of the Hollywood siren with Laurence Olivier from the movie “The Prince and the Showgirl.’’ It sold for $42,000.A group of transparen
Cate Blanchett the star as Woody Allen returns to form

FilmAug 1, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― She might be one of the finest actresses of her generation but Cate Blanchett believed she might never have the chance to work with Woody Allen.So when the Oscar-winning Australian star was presented with the chance to become the latest in Allen’s long line of iconic leading ladies, Blanchett did not hesitate for a second.“We’re all the same, when you get Woody’s call, you take it and you’ve already said yes before you know what it is. You just hope it’s a good one,” Blanchet
Hollywood to explore Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks

FilmAug 1, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The story of WikiLeaks is the kind of real-life drama Hollywood loves, so expect to see multiple interpretations of it on the big screen.Several projects chronicle the organization’s enigmatic leader, Julian Assange, and recently convicted U.S. leaker Bradley Manning.Alex Gibney’s documentary, “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks,’’ was released earlier this year. Bill Condon’s narrative take on the tale, “The Fifth Estate,’’ will premiere in September at the Toronto Film
Bringing reggae back

MusicAug 1, 2013

Skull & Haha return with new album, summer concerts
Unpredictable seniors entertain ’Flower H4’ viewers

TelevisionAug 1, 2013

In cable channel tvN’s latest variety show “Flower H4,” four Korean veteran actors with the average age of 76 backpack across Europe, visiting famous landmarks. The program has reaped high viewership from all generations since its first episode aired on July 5. The show depicts four grandpas -- Lee Soon-jae, Park Geon-hyeong, Shin Gu, Baek Il-seop, all with extensive acting experience in film and TV -- as they travel with Lee Seo-jin, the youngest man on the show. The junior helps with guiding,
Boos for Kalashnikovs, crocodiles in Bayreuth’s ‘Siegfried’

MusicJul 31, 2013

BAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) ― Frank Castorf’s new production of “Siegfried,” the third part of Richard Wagner’s monumental “Ring” cycle, drew deafening boos at its premiere late Monday for featuring copulating crocodiles and Kalashnikov rifles.One audience member had to be carried out after collapsing when the opera’s eponymous hero shoots down his opponent Fafner with a machine gun in gang warfare.The program had carried a warning about the use of gunfire in the production, but insisted that specta
‘Written on Skin’: Opera’s new masterpiece

MusicJul 31, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― If opera is a dead art form, somebody forgot to tell George Benjamin.The English composer’s new opera, “Written on Skin,’’ has taken the music world by storm, hailed by critics, embraced by audiences and sprouting up in performance seemingly everywhere.Since its premiere last summer in Aix-en-Provence, France, it’s been staged in London; Amsterdam; Toulouse, France; Vienna, and, most recently Munich, where a sell-out crowd cheered wildly after the last of three performances at the
Lee Joon-gi back in summer thriller

TelevisionJul 31, 2013

Hallyu star plays hero out to save daughter in ‘Two Weeks’
China owes Hollywood millions after halting payment for films

FilmJul 31, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― China has stopped paying Hollywood studios for its films in a dispute over a Chinese tax on movie profits, Hollywood trade papers reported Tuesday.Tens of millions of dollars in box office revenues are owed in arrears to the likes of Disney, Warner, Universal, Paramount, Fox and Sony, according to The Hollywood Reporter.The magazine said China’s state-owned movie distributor, China Film Group, owes more than $31 million to Warner for “Man of Steel,” $23 million to Sony for “S
Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Snowpiercer’ hits screens in Korea

FilmJul 31, 2013

Another promising Korean flick, ‘The Terror Live,’ to feature Ha Jung-woo’s talent
Korean modern print works on exhibit in Manila

TheaterJul 30, 2013

Exhibition showcases more than 80 print works from National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea