The Korea Herald

Comedienne offers sex act for Obama funds

TelevisionJul 19, 2012

Comedienne Sarah Silverman released on online video offering a sex act to a Las Vegas billionaire if he donates to President Obama instead of Mitt Romney.The tongue-in-cheek "Indecent Proposal" video, posted to YouTube Monday, featured Silverman offering to engage in a non-intercourse sex act with Sheldon Adelson if he pulls the $100 million he has promised to Romney, the presumptive Republican pr
Sotheby’s sues Chinese man over $3.5m non-payment

TheaterJul 18, 2012

HONG KONG (AFP) ― Sotheby’s said Tuesday it had launched a lawsuit against a mainland Chinese man in a bid to recover $3.5 million after he failed to pay for 20 paintings and scrolls that he won in an auction.The company said it had filed a case in the Hong Kong High Court on Saturday against Zhang Bo from China’s central province of Henan, who bid for the art works in April this year.The items fetched a total of HK$34.1 million, but Sotheby’s said it was seeking HK$27.54 million ($3.55 million)
‘Forget Manhattan! Try Jerusalem,’ Israel tells Woody Allen

FilmJul 18, 2012

JERUSALEM (AFP) ― He’s had “Manhattan,” “Midnight in Paris” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” and now Israeli officials are trying to convince legendary U.S. film-maker Woody Allen to set a movie in the Holy City of Jerusalem.Both President Shimon Peres and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat are part of the effort, their offices said, with Barkat even holding a pow-wow with Allen and his one-time muse Diane Keaton earlier this year.“President Peres always encourages producers and directors to come and mak
Bob Dylan to release 35th studio album

MusicJul 18, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― U.S. folk rock legend Bob Dylan is releasing the 35th studio album in his 50-year recording career on September 11, Columbia Records announced Tuesday.In a statement, the label said “Tempest” ― produced by “Jack Frost,” an alias that Dylan has used in the past ― will feature 10 “new and original Bob Dylan songs.”Its release coincides with the 50th anniversary of Dylan’s eponymous debut album, also on Columbia Records, which featured a number of American folk standards as well
Psy to set up record label next year

MusicJul 18, 2012

K-pop singer and multi-entertainer Psy announced he will set up an independent record label. “I have always dreamed of establishing my own agency and following in the footsteps of S.M., YG and JYP Entertainment,” he told reporters on Monday. He said his record label would be characterized as an affiliate of his agency YG Entertainment. He said he will be in charge of music production and his agency will be doing other responsibilities. “I am not leaving YG Entertainment,” he said. Under the mana
Shooting begins for joint Korea-Japan production

FilmJul 18, 2012

A Korea-Japan joint production film started shooting in Japan last month, according to its local producer and distributor Lotte Entertainment.Titled “Mumyeongin,” literally translated as a “nameless person,” the movie is a film adaptation of Japanese writer Tsukasaki Siro’s novel “Genome Hazard.” The mystery thriller tells the story of a Japanese man who one day realizes all of his memories aren’t his own but someone else’s; they were injected into his brain by some unknown forces. Hidetoshi Ni
Non-verbal performance marks first year in Hongdae

MusicJul 18, 2012

NANTA is celebrating its first anniversary at its newest theater in Hongdae. After a successful 15 years touring almost 300 cities around the world, NANTA is targeting young Korean audiences. “NANTA has an old image so we built a new theater in Hongdae to attract the youth,” marketing director of NANTA Hongdae Baik Hyun-wook, said.“The content of the show is appropriate for all ages, but the comedy and drama of the show is especially appealing to young people.” The non-verbal performance set in
U.S. actress Uma Thurman a mom again, at 42

FilmJul 17, 2012

NEW YORK (AFP) -- “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill” actress Uma Thurman is a mother again at 42, after giving birth to a baby girl, her publicist said Monday.The newborn is the third child for the star, and her first with financier partner Arpad Busson. “A baby girl! Mommy and baby are doing really well,” the star’s spokeswoman Gabrielle Kachman said, giving no further details.Thurman and Busson, 49, have had a stormy relationship. They planned to marry after starting dating in 2007, but broke off
Deep Purple’s Jon Lord dies

MusicJul 17, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― British rocker Jon Lord, the keyboardist whose powerful, driving tones helped turn Deep Purple and Whitesnake into two of the most popular hard rock acts in a generation, died Monday. He was 71. A statement on Lord’s official website says the Leicester, England-born musician suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism in London after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. “Jon passed from Darkness to Light,” the statement said. Lord co-wrote some of Deep Purple’s most famous tunes, includin
Britain’s Tate Modern gets tanked up

TheaterJul 17, 2012

LONDON (AFP) ― Britain’s Tate Modern opens the former power station’s giant underground oil tanks as an art space on Wednesday, vastly increasing the capacity of the world’s most visited modern art gallery.The tanks ― which measure 30 meters in diameter and seven meters high and once held one million gallons of oil ― are designed to accommodate giant installations, as well as host performances and projections.The huge circular areas will help Tate Modern overcome a crippling lack of space for th
Full spectrum of images at Leeum

TheaterJul 17, 2012

Young Korean artists and Swiss video artist offer snapshots of latest visual art trendLeeum, Samsung Museum of Art presents two special exhibitions featuring still pictures, documentaries and video work created by young Korean artists and an internationally renowned visual artist. The museum is holding a group exhibition of eight young Korean visual artists as part of its biennial ArtSpectrum project and a solo exhibition of the world-famous Swiss visual artist Pipilotti Rist for two months. “We
Mariah Carey in mix for ‘American Idol’

MusicJul 17, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― “American Idol” may be getting a worldwide idol as a judge ― Mariah Carey.A person familiar with the show’s negotiations say Carey is being pursued to join the judging panel of the Fox talent competition. The source requested anonymity because of the private nature of negotiations, which were termed as serious. Carey has also been courted by other talent competitions, and her name has been thrown out in the past for “Idol” and other shows.There are two openings: Both Jennifer Lop
BoA returns with ‘Only One’

MusicJul 17, 2012

The K-pop queen is back. BoA, one of the first generation K-pop stars who led hallyu in the early 2000s will release her new album this weekend, her agency, S.M. Entertainment said.Her seventh full-length album “Only One” will be released on Sunday online and on July 25 offline. It is her first album in two years after her sixth album “Hurricane Venus” in 2010. The 26-year-old star will promote her new album with the lead song “Only One,” which is her first experience in song-writing, S.M. Enter
Indie documentary ‘reconstructs’ 2009 Yongsan tragedy

FilmJul 17, 2012

“Two Doors” attracts 40,000 viewers just three weeks after its releaseOn Jan. 20, 2009, residents of a redevelopment area in Yongsan, Seoul, had been occupying the top floor of a four-story building named “Namildang” since the previous day to protest the city project. A police SWAT team was sent in to arrest the protesters. A fire erupted during the violent pre-dawn raid, killing five protesters and one policeman. The Seoul Central District Court held the leaders of the protest responsible for
Son of Sylvester Stallone dies in L.A.

FilmJul 16, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The 36-year-old son of Sylvester Stallone was found dead in his Los Angeles home, leaving the actor grief-stricken as authorities investigated the cause, a publicist and authorities said. Sage Stallone was found unresponsive by an employee and a relative on Friday. There were no signs of foul play or trauma, and no suicide note was found, Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said. “Sylvester Stallone is devastated and grief-stricken over the sudden loss of his son,” publicist Mic