The Korea Herald

‘Gangnam Style’ reaches 1.2 billion views

MusicJan 17, 2013

Psy’s viral mega-hit “Gangnam Style” shows no signs of slowing down on YouTube, surpassing 1.2 billion views as of Wednesday.On Nov. 24, Psy made history when “Gangnam Style” became the most-watched YouTube video in the site’s history in less than five months, ending Justin Bieber’s long-held reign at the top. The milestone video later became the first to hit 1 billion views on Dec. 21. The rapper, who recently appeared on the Brazilian variety show “Fantastico” and announced that he was in nego
Super Junior, Psy win big at Golden Disk Awards

MusicJan 17, 2013

Some of K-pop’s brightest stars flocked to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to attend the 27th Golden Disk Awards where Super Junior and “Gangnam Style” sensation Psy took home the top prizes.The awards ceremony, which was held on Jan. 15 and 16, was split into two categories, with the first day featuring the nominees for the best full-length album award categories and the second day the nominees for the year’s best digitally released albums and/or singles. “Sexy, Free & Single,” which featured 10 of Sup
Pregnant Kardashian wants to be more private

TelevisionJan 17, 2013

As the tabloids speculated about whether Jessica Simpson is expecting again (she is) and the media zeroed in on Kate Middleton‘s acute morning sickness, Kim Kardashian says it was nice to be out of the media spotlight during the early stages of her pregnancy.``I’m obviously so happy for them, but if anything I loved the privacy,‘’ the 32-year-old reality TV star said in an interview Wednesday.That bit of privacy went out the window when Kardashian‘s boyfriend, Kanye West, revealed during a Dec.
Guarding Joseon’s capital, an emblem of the city

TheaterJan 16, 2013

Joseon Dynasty’s city wall of Seoul anticipates designation as UNESCO World Heritage Site
Art Basel unveils plans for H.K. show

TheaterJan 16, 2013

HONG KONG (AFP) ― Art Basel on Tuesday unveiled the lineup for its inaugural Hong Kong show in May, in which it promised “the strongest combination of galleries from East and West that the art world has ever seen.”The art fair franchise bought a controlling stake in Art HK two years ago to take over the management of Hong Kong’s biggest annual art event, giving it a presence in the southern Chinese city, a gateway to Asia’s booming art market.The May fair will mark the first time the Hong Kong e
Bong Joon-ho to chair this year’s smartphone film fest

FilmJan 16, 2013

The capabilities of the latest generations of smartphones far surpass simply making calls and texting friends and loved ones. Rather, these phones have opened up the world to a new way to not only see movies, but to produce and direct them as well. Famed Korean film director and screenwriter Bong Joon-ho has been selected as the chairman of the film screening committee for this year’s upcoming 3rd Olleh International Smartphone Film Festival. Director Bong is most famous for his 2006 movie, “The
Studios relying more on outside funds to make award contenders

FilmJan 16, 2013

LOS ANGELES ― For this awards season, Hollywood came through with a bumper crop of movies that were critical and fan favorites. But in many cases, the big studios themselves can’t take much of the credit.Among the films basking in Oscar nominations ― and bragging rights for the studios that released them ― are “Lincoln,” “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”In a growing trend, the distributors of those three movies didn’t pay to make them. Walt Disney Studios, Sony Pictures and F
British music retailer HMV fights for survival

MusicJan 16, 2013

LONDON (AFP) ― Iconic British music retailer HMV was fighting for survival on Tuesday after slumping into administration, but its boss expressed hope the high-street giant would manage to secure its future.HMV had announced Monday that it had appointed administrators Deloitte in an attempt to help it remain operational, placing about 4,350 jobs at risk after the company had struggled throughout the critical Christmas holiday period. The group’s 239 outlets, including nine Fopp-branded branches,
Actress tweets about masturbating over Ryan Gosling

FilmJan 16, 2013

A Hollywood actress revealed her attraction to Ryan Gosling, the star of “Gangster Squad,” by making a sexual joke on Twitter.Anna Kendrick, 22, wrote on her page, “Ugh, never going to a Ryan Gosling movie in a theater again. Apparently masturbating in the back row is still considered inappropriate.” The message has gotten 21,000 retweets in a couple of days. Kelsea Stahler, a staff reporter from Hollywood.com, one of the retweeters, said, “Can we stop pretending it’s shocking that a woman migh
‘Les Miserables’ draws 5 million audiences in S. Korea

FilmJan 16, 2013

“Les Miserables,” a Hollywood musical film based on Victor Hugo‘s timeless story of injustice, heroism and love in 19th-century Paris, is hitting South Korea’s box-office and attracting an audience of nearly 5 million.According to the official box-office tally by the Korean Film Council, the movie that opened at local theaters on Dec. 19 has sold 4.939 million tickets as of Tuesday. The attendance thus is expected to exceed the 5 million mark on Wednesday. The milestone is rare for a musical wit
Heath Ledger‘s parents say they are close to his daughter Matilda

FilmJan 16, 2013

Heath Ledger‘s parents say they have a wonderful relationship with the late Australian actor’s 7-year-old daughter, who lives in New York.Ledger died of an accidental drug overdose five years ago at the age of 28, leaving behind little Matilda, his only child with his ex-girlfriend, actress Michelle Williams.“Matilda has the same walk as Heath and is such a respectful little kid -- she calls us ‘Papa’ and ‘Grandma Sal.’ Our family has the most wonderful relationship with both Matilda and Michel
‘Die Hard’ director John McTiernan to serve a year in prison

FilmJan 16, 2013

“Die Hard” director John McTiernan will serve a one-year federal prison sentence for making false statements to the FBI, The Hollywood Reporter said. “The Hunt for Red October” filmmaker was sentenced in late 2010 to one year in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $100,000 after pleading guilty to making false statements to federal investigators working on an illegal wiretapping case involving private detective Anthony Pellicano.McTiernan has since unsuccessfully filed for an appeal, attempted t
Japanese film director Oshima dies at 80

FilmJan 16, 2013

Nagisa Oshima, a Japanese director internationally acclaimed for his films “Empire of Passion” and “In the Realm of the Senses,” has died of pneumonia. He was 80.His office, Oshima Productions, said Oshima died Tuesday afternoon at a hospital near Tokyo after being in and out of hospital since he was struck by a stroke more than a decade ago.A former student radical from Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto, Oshima debuted in 1959 with “A Town of Love and Hope,” quickly earning a reputation of a “ne
A disconnect between violence and television

TelevisionJan 15, 2013

PASADENA, California (AP) ― If there’s any soul-searching among top television executives about onscreen violence contributing to real-life tragedies like the Connecticut school shooting, it isn’t readily apparent.All say the horrors of Newtown and Aurora, Colorado, rocked them. But during a series of meetings with reporters here over the last 10 days, none offered concrete examples of how it is changing what they put on the air, or if that is necessary.“I’m not a psychologist, so I’m not sure y
Psy may take on ‘Samba Style’ in Brazil

MusicJan 15, 2013

Psy appeared on a Brazilian television show on Jan 13, where he suggested that he may make an appearance during Brazil’s carnival season. Appearing on Brazil’s variety show “Fantastico,” Psy acknowledged that he was in talks with the organizers of the Carnival about the possibility of participating in the Salvador Carnival in Bahia. “There are many beautiful women at the samba carnival and if things go well at the carnival, I might do oppa samba style.”By Bae Soo-min (soomin623@heraldcorp.com)