The Korea Herald

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MusicAug 31, 2012

Owl City forgettable on latestOwl City “The Midsummer Station” (Republic Records)Owl City’s “The Midsummer Station” sounds like the soundtrack for one of those Nickelodeon or Disney TV movies you either enjoyed as a tween or endured as an adult. With generic pop-rock songs, it makes for passable entertainment, but ultimately it’s formulaic and forgettable. It’s a far cry from Owl City’s breakout hit, 2009’s “Fireflies.” As grating as that song may have been to some, its quirky charm made it stan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is just looking for a little big screen luck

FilmAug 31, 2012

Movie fans, those with too much time on their hands, love to ponder the imponderable.Why did America flock to see “Ted”? How did Tyler Perry build an empire by donning a dress? What is new about “The Hunger Games,” other than its haven’t-seen-many-movies audience?And why isn’t Jeffrey Dean Morgan a star?In an era when Hollywood has all but given up that Leo DiCaprio’s voice will ever change and has cast its net far afield looking for macho leading men ― Gerard Butler from Ireland, Jason Statham
Reality show to offer tickets to Mars

TelevisionAug 31, 2012

THE HAGUE (AFP) ― As the world marvels at the latest US Mars landing, a Dutch start-up is aiming to beat NASA at its own game by sending the first humans to the red planet ― and film it all as a reality show.The big hitch: it’s a one-way trip.Fact, fiction or publicity stunt from the land that launched reality TV? The start-up, called “Mars One,” says it is dead serious about landing four astronauts on Mars by 2023, seven years ahead of the US space agency’s target, and plans to start the search
‘The Thieves’ now 2nd top-selling Korean film

FilmAug 31, 2012

“The Thieves” has outperformed “The King and the Clown” to become the second most popular Korean film ever shown at home, according to an industry tally.“The Thieves” has attracted 12.31 million viewers as of 5 p.m. Thursday, breaking a record set by the all-time No. 2 Korean film “The King and the Clown” (12 million) in 2005, Mediaplex Co., the distributor of the latest film said on Friday.Directed by Choe Dong-hoon, who is known for “Tazza: the High Rollers” and “The Big Swindle,” the new heis
Psy's 'Gangnam Style' tops Billboard's 'Social 50' chart

MusicAug 31, 2012

South Korean rapper-singer Psy's hit-single "Gangnam Style" on Friday rose to the top of a major chart of the U.S. music publication Billboard boosted by the viral popularity of the song's music video on the Internet."Gangnam Style" sits on top of Billboard's "Social 50" chart, beating famous North American pop stars such as Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber as well as British idol group One Directio
Nude mural to be painted over

TheaterAug 31, 2012

An Atlanta non-profit said it will paint over a controversial public mural of a woman in various states of undress.Nathan Bolster, executive director of operations for the non-profit Living Walls Conference, said the group commissioned the concrete wall mural from Spanish artist Hyuro and the work was completed about two weeks ago, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported Thursday.However, Bolste
Opera ‘La Boheme’ postponed again due to Typhoon Tembin

MusicAug 30, 2012

The first show of the outdoor opera “La Boheme,” which was scheduled to be performed at the Amphitheater at Yonsei University Thursday, has been moved to Sunday due to Typhoon Tembin, its local production company ADL said.The second show of the run, which is slated to be held at the same venue on Sept. 1, will be held as scheduled.The opera, which stars prima donna Angela Gheorghui, tenor Vittorio Grigolo and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra led by maestro Chung Myung-whun, was initially schedul
Venice opener seeks to show divisive stereotypes

FilmAug 30, 2012

VENICE, Italy (AP) ― Director Mira Nair views her new film, “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,’’ as a chance to fulfill what she sees as her life’s purpose: telling the stories of people whose lives straddle two worlds, like her own. Fittingly, the movie premiered Wednesday as the opener of the Venice Film Festival, a city that historically has been a bridge between East and West.“I believe that I have actually been put on this earth to tell stories of people like me, who live between worlds,’’ the
Nichkhun summarily indicted for DUI

MusicAug 30, 2012

Prosecutors said Thursday that they have summarily indicted Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul, a Thai-American member of South Korean pop group 2PM, and are seeking 4 million won(US$3,525) in fines for driving under the influence of alcohol in Seoul.The 23-year-old, often known as Nichkhun, got into a fender-bender with a motorcycle at around 2:45 a.m. on July 24 in southern Seoul‘s upscale Gangnam area, prosecutors said. He was tested at the scene and found to have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.056
Ratings board says it was lied to about Eminem show

MusicAug 30, 2012

The Korea Media Rating Board has filed a complaint with the police against the promoter of Eminem’s Seoul concert for violating a public performance law, officials said on Thursday. The hip-hop star performed 26 songs at his Aug. 19 concert, including 20 songs rated “inappropriate” for teenagers by the Gender Ministry, the rating board said. Access E&T, Seoul promoter of the show, initially submitted a list of 11 songs that had received the green light from the Gender Ministry, but none of the 1
Girl group T-ara officially apologizes

MusicAug 30, 2012

T-ara has issued an official apology through their website on Thursday, according to news reports. The girl group has recently been embroiled in a bullying scandal, as speculations ran rampant that one member, Ryu Hwa-young, was bullied by her groupmates. It’s the first time the members have officially spoken since their agency, Core Contents Media, announced Hwa-young’s termination on July 30. Through an uploaded handwritten note, they said they had deeply reflected on their actions and express
Restoration completed on historic Motown piano

TheaterAug 30, 2012

An 1877 Steinway grand piano used by many Motown greats has been restored, thanks to a little help from its friend, Paul McCartney.The former Beatle told Motown Museum officials following a concert last summer in Detroit that he wanted to assist with the restoration of the piano after learning the historic instrument could no longer be played.Robin Terry, chair of the museum‘s Board of Trustees, announced late Wednesday that the restoration had been completed.Terry says the 9 foot (2.74 meter) p
Argentines sweep world tango competition

TheaterAug 29, 2012

BUENOS AIRES (AP) -- Argentine couples recovered their dominance of the world‘s top tango dancing competition, sweeping both the Salon Tango and Stage Tango categories as the annual festival drew to a close.Cristian Sosa and Maria Sciuto won Tuesday night’s stage final with a score of 8.42, followed by four other Argentine couples at the top of an international field. Five Argentine couples also came out on top in the Salon competition the night before, besting a total of 487 couples from 32 cou
Syria to dominate Perpignan festival of photojournalism

TheaterAug 29, 2012

PERPIGNAN, France (AFP) ― The conflict in Syria and its daily stream of violence will be the dominant theme of the 24th Festival of Photojournalism that opens here on Saturday.Organisers have honoured the memory of Remi Ochlik, the French photo-journalist who was killed on assignment in Syria in February, by naming an annual prize awarded to a young journalist in his memory.This year, the City of Perpignan Remi Ochlik award will be given to Brazil-based Spanish photographer Sebastian Liste for h
Robert Redford brings the art house to Los Angeles

FilmAug 29, 2012

LOS ANGELES ― Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1940s and 1950s, Robert Redford fell in love with the movies at small community theaters that screened cartoons, shorts and newsreels, documentaries and feature films.“What you had then was film in all its forms,” Redford said last week. “It was lot more like a community experience where you would recognize your neighbors.”Now the actor, director, producer and founder of the annual Sundance Film Festival is hoping to revive that community spirit by