The Korea Herald

As music sales rise, Sweden swims against the stream

MusicMar 11, 2013

STOCKHOLM (AFP) ― Despite being home to a vibrant community of file-sharing activists, Sweden is at the forefront of a global recovery in music sales driven by streaming music services such as Spotify, industry observers say.Legal downloading sites like Apple’s iTunes Store were once thought to be a panacea for the global music industry, providing an alternative to illegal download sites like Sweden’s Pirate Bay.But if the high-tech Scandinavian nation is anything to go by, music downloads could
‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’ exceeds 12 million mark

FilmMar 11, 2013

South Korean comedy “Miracle in Cell No. 7” has surpassed the 12 million mark in audience, official box-office data showed Monday.The film had drawn 12.18 million viewers as of Sunday after exceeding the 12 million milestone a day earlier, according to the daily box-office tally by the Korean Film Council.Directed by Lee Hwan-kyung, the film is about a group of inmates in cell No. 7 who embark on a mission to help a new inmate ― a mentally disabled man with the mind of a six-year-old child ― be
Pop diva Gummy to release second album in Japan

Mar 11, 2013

Pop diva Gummy is finally back in the music scene, releasing her new mini album in Japan on April 3.To commemorate her ten years in the music business, Gummy will release her second Japanese mini album “Fate,” said YG Entertainment last week. Her latest album is imbued with her signature groovy vocals, addressing how people manage to fall in love in spite of fate. On her new album, Gummy worked with famous producer Jeff Miyahara, who has worked with numerous acclaimed singers including Amuro Nam
Boy band Super Junior to tour South America

Mar 11, 2013

K-pop group Super Junior have added four South American cities to their world tour next month. The group’s agency, S.M. Entertainment, said Super Junior would perform in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 21, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 23, Santiago, Chile, on April 25 and Lima, Peru, on April 27 as part of the their “Super Show 5” world tour.“The tour is Super Junior’s exclusive concert. It is the biggest K-pop tour ever held in South America as far as we are concerned. We will show how the ‘Hal
DJ Zedd to spin live in Seoul

MusicMar 11, 2013

The 23-year-old Russian-German DJ and music producer Anton Zaslavski, best known by his stage name Zedd, will be spinning live in Seoul at the Walkerhill Hotel’s Walkerhill Theater on April 6.The young DJ, who was named MTV’s 2013 “Artist to Watch,” has made a name for himself as one of the top producers in the EDM scene and has produced remixes of well-known artists such as Lady Gaga, Skrillex, The Black Eyed Peas, Diddy, Fatboy Slim and many others.DJ Zedd is a classically trained musician who
Culture Ministry sets guideline for Romanizing Korean names

Mar 10, 2013

There’s good news for people who struggle to spell Korean names correctly in English: The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Friday decided to standardize the Romanization of Korean names into “family name + given name” instead of the widely used “given name + family name” as written in Western countries.In an attempt to respect the Korean tradition of placing more value on family names, the government said the new guideline would affect all Korean names on government documents, websites
Hwang emerges as Swan Queen

TheaterMar 10, 2013

UBC’s season opener features its star-principals Hwang Hye-min, Ohm Jae-yong
River Phoenix’s last film premieres in Miami

FilmMar 10, 2013

MIAMI (AP) ― When actor Jonathan Pryce first received a copy of River Phoenix’s last film “Dark Blood,” it sat unwatched on his desk for months. He worried about how he would feel reliving Phoenix’s death, growing nostalgic about memorable dinners the two shared after long days of filming in Utah and recalling the shocking 5 a.m. phone call telling him the young actor had died.“It’s very hard to comprehend for a while. It was a terribly sad time,” said Pryce, who starred in the film alongside Ph
Yoo Ji-tae wins Jury Prize at Deauville Asian Film Fest

FilmMar 10, 2013

Actor-turned-director Yoo Ji-tae’s first feature film has won the Jury Prize at this year’s Deauville Asian Film Festival, the film’s local promoters said Sunday.Titled “Mai Ratima,” the film features a love affair between a destitute Korean man (played by Bae Soo-bin) and a young Thai woman who moved to Korea as a mail-order bride (played by Park Ji-soo). Both of the characters face discrimination against their social status and ethnicity. The movie was premiered at last year’s Busan Internati
Seoulsonic kicks off N. American tour

Mar 10, 2013

In its third-year running, the Seoulsonic international music festival announced the events for its 2013 North America Tour 3.0, which will feature local rock bands Goonam, Lowdown 30 and No Brain.Seoulsonic artists will perform at some of North America’s biggest music festivals including: South By Southwest in Austin, Texas; Canadian Music Week, Canada’s largest music festival; as well as additional concert dates in Providence, Rhode Island; New York City; San Diego; and Los Angeles. Seoulsonic
Fey recalls job serving cheese steaks

FilmMar 10, 2013

Tina Fey may be an award-winning actress, writer and producer now, but she recently recalled a teen-years summer job serving cheese steaks at a Pennsylvania pool club so her mother could swim for free. “I made cheese steaks at a swim-club snack bar, so my mom could have free access to the pool. That was one summer job. My brother did it for years and then she transitioned me in to doing it so she could have employee access to the pool,” Fey told reporters in New York while promoting her upcoming
Report: Kelly Osbourne may have epilepsy

MusicMar 10, 2013

“Fashion Police” star Kelly Osbourne remains in a Los Angeles hospital, where doctors have been trying to determine what caused her to have a seizure, TMZ said.The daughter of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and “The Talk” co-host Sharon Osbourne is expected to remain at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for a few more days, while doctors run more tests, including ones to see if she has epilepsy, the celebrity news website reported.Kelly Osbourne was hospitalized Thursday after falling ill on the set of her E! r
Bieber recovering after fainting at London concert

MusicMar 8, 2013

Justin Bieber is recovering after fainting backstage at a concert in London.A spokeswoman for Bieber said late Thursday that the 19-year-old pop star was given oxygen and took a 20-minute reprieve after fainting backstage at London's O2 Arena.Bieber posted a shirtless photo of himself in a hospital bed late Thursday with the caption: “Gettin better listening to Janis Joplin.” Before that on Twitter he thanked “everyone pulling me thru tonight.”“Best fans in the world,” he wrote. “Figuring out wh
Box Office

FilmMar 8, 2013

Django UnchainedOpening March 21Drama. Western. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Set in the South in 1858, Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave with a brutal history with his former owners, finds himself with bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz). Together they search for the Brittle brothers who are wanted dead or alive. Once they find the brothers, the team sets on a mission to rescue Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), Django’s wife from during the slave trade long ago. On their journey they bu
Eyelike:

MusicMar 8, 2013

Etana packs a punch on ’Better Tomorrow’Etana“Better Tomorrow”(VP Records)Etana delivers a mature and confident sound with top-notch lyrical content and unique vocals on her third studio album, “Better Tomorrow.” The Jamaican singer’s soulful roots are strong as she pays homage to earlier eras of reggae on tracks such as the empowering “Queen” and the infectious “Reggae.” She finds a fresh perspective on the happy song “Beautiful Day,” and “All I Need” is full of emotion and desire. Her strong-m