Pop music“Singing the Beatles”: A special two-concert event will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles. Eleven artists from the Korean indie rock scene including the Moonshiners, Jang Jae-in, the Windy City, the Mentles, Kingston Rudieska, Yozoh and many more will hit the stage with their versions of more than 30 classic Beatles hits. The performance will be held at the Mapo Art Center on Nov. 2-3 at 8 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. Tickets range from 22,000 won to 33,000 won. For more i

Macy Gray tackles Wonder‘s ’Talking Book‘Macy Gray“Talking Book”(SLG)A mere seven months after the release of her “Covered” album, which included songs by Radiohead, My Chemical Romance and others, Macy Gray has taken on what some may consider an unthinkable task: revisiting one of Stevie Wonder’s most iconic records, 1972’s¡¡“Talking Book.” It’s a gutsy decision, and one that may raise a few eyebrows (as it should).But Gray mostly delivers the collection with a twist, making over hits such as “

A Werewolf Boy (Korea)Opened Oct. 31Fantasy. Romance. Directed by Jo Sung-hee. A girl (Park Bo-young) requiring special care for a lung condition moves to an isolated and peaceful town in the country. In the town, she discovers a boy (Song Joong-ki) who keeps himself in darkness and behaves like a wolf. His animal-like behavior keeps the townspeople away from him, but the girl is oddly moved by his nature and attempts to civilize him by teaching him how to wait patiently before a meal, wear clot

Disney Animation takes a page out of Pixar’s well-worn playbook for “Wreck-It Ralph,” a screwball farce with a novel setting and more edge than your average Disney ‘toon.Where “Toy Story” showed us the off-duty shenanigans of a kids’ toy collection and “Monsters, Inc.” took us behind the scenes of the bogeyman business, “Ralph” finds fun in the outside-the-arcade-game life of the characters trapped in those games, forced to play hero, pawn or villain forever. Or until the game falls out of favor

Diplo to perform at dance music extravaganza in Seoul

The music video of “Gangnam Style” by South Korean rapper-singer Psy ranked second on YouTube’s all-time list of most-viewed videos, updated Thursday night (on Korean time) on the service’s Web site.The viral video beat out “On the Floor” by Jennifer Lopez, drawing 615 million hits as of 9 a.m. Friday, while Justin Bieber’s “Baby” remained at No. 1 with 794 million views.Experts expect “Gangnam Style” will top the list sooner or later as the number of views is rising quickly. Boosted by the popu

VATICAN CITY (AFP) ― As the Sistine Chapel celebrates its 500th anniversary, the Vatican said Wednesday it may have to limit the huge numbers of visitors because pollution is damaging Michelangelo’s frescoes, one of the artistic wonders of the world.The scenes, including the moment in which God reaches out and gives life to Adam with the touch of his finger, are being damaged by the breath, sweat and heat of the 10,000 to 30,000 tourists who walk through the chapel every day.The Vatican had an a

Worldwide hit-song “Gangnam Style’s” singer Psy postponed his U.S. single release date. The “international star’s” new song was originally scheduled to be released this month, but the date has been pushed back due to major changes made in his promotional schedule as well as the song. Yang Hyun-suk, the CEO of the YG Entertainment which is responsible for Psy promotion in Korea and Japan, claimed that Psy and his producer Scooter Braun finished making the song though it will not be released until

Korean-American artist seeks success in Korea

Korean filmmaker Kim Ji-woon, best known for his 2003 horror “A Tale of Two Sisters” and 2010 thriller “I Saw the Devil,” won a coveted prize from U.S. Filmmakers Alliance ― a group of cineastes working for and promoting independent movies ― according to local movie house and distributor CJ Entertainment.Kim was given the Vision Award at the annual VisionFest celebration hosted by the organization on Wednesday. The prize is given to an “established filmmaker whose artistic ambition and consisten

Following is part of a series on Seoul’s hottest bars and clubs. ― Ed.Not many people new to Korea are aware of the phrase “after club” used among Koreans. The term refers to after-hours nightclubs open past the designated hours to serve alcohol. Of course, places like Korea do not need after-hours clubs as there is no law restricting the hours when alcohol can be sold. So don’t get confused between the “after-hours club” in Europe and North America and “after clubs” in Korea, which are two enti

Daegu-based painter Kang Min-jeong chooses damaged fruits and vegetables that don’t meet market standards as subjects of her still life paintings, looking to bring out the hidden beauty and quality of the produce neglected by others. The mid-career artist, who studied western painting at Daegu’s Keimyung University, showcases her new paintings at the Daegu Art Festival, which kicked off Wednesday and runs through Nov. 5.Finding inspiration in natural materials, she has devoted over two decades o

The contemporary R&B artist Brian McKnight, famed for his hit song “Back at One,” will be back in Seoul to serenade his local fans once again with his silky vocals in an acoustic performance. After holding concerts in Korea both last year and the year before, McKnight is returning for another night of music and soul at the AX-Korea Hall on Nov. 30. This multi-talented entertainer is not only a singer, songwriter and producer, but a well-rounded musician playing nine instruments: piano, guitar, b