The Korea Herald

Susan Boyle takes to stage in new musical of her life

MusicMar 28, 2012

Scottish singer Susan Boyle made a triumphant return to the British stage Tuesday at the premiere of a musical charting her rise from humble church volunteer to global superstar.Wearing a glittering red dress, the 50-year-old received several standing ovations as she sang her signature tune, “I Dreamed A Dream”, at the opening night of the musical of the same name in Newcastle, northeastern England.“We love you,” shouted out a member of the audience.“I love you too -- see me outside,” replied Bo
Madangpan attracts foreign visitors

MusicMar 27, 2012

A crowd of some 200 Koreans and foreigners gathered outside in Insa-dong on Tuesday afternoon to watch a traditional Korean performance.The event, organized by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, featured a combination of the Bongsan Mask Dance Drama, a social satire performed by players in masks who dance and sing, and a traditional wedding ceremony. During the performance, the players bantered with the spectators, sometimes exchanging jokes, all in the spirit of “madangpan,” which involves
Pianist Kim to explore Beethoven’s music, life

MusicMar 27, 2012

25-year-old musical prodigy says he feels warmth, compassion in Beethoven’s 32 sonatasPianist Kim Sun-wook, a leading young Korean musician, returns to his fans with a two-year-long project on Ludwig van Beethoven’s complete 32 piano sonatas, offering a performance that has become more mature and profound. The 25-year-old pianist will perform all of Beethoven’s 32 sonatas, considered some of the greatest compositions for the piano, over a two-year period in eight concerts starting Thursday at LG
Park Hae-il back on the big screen as poet

FilmMar 27, 2012

Film based on Park Bum-shin’s novel ‘Eungyo’ tells of 70-year-old poet who falls in love with teenIt took nearly eight hours of putting on makeup every day, on top of learning the weary gait and gesture of a man in his 70s.Popular actor Park Hae-il, who swept best actor prizes last year for his role as the heroic archer in period drama “Arrow, the Ultimate Weapon,” is returning to the big screen as a renowned poet in his 70s in director Jung Ji-woo’s upcoming sensual drama “Eungyo.”A film adapta
K-film ‘Late Autumn’ breaks box office record in China

FilmMar 27, 2012

Director Kim Tae-yong’s film “Late Autumn” made 25 million yuan (about $4 million) in ticket sales, a record for a Korean film in its first week of release, just three days after its Chinese release last week, according to the movie’s Korean distributor CJ Entertainment. Co-starring popular Korean actor Hyun Bin and Chinese actress Tang Wei, the film is a remake of Korean director Lee Man-hee’s 1966 drama of the same title. It was released in local theaters last year and Tang won the best actres
Tests show aging of Leonardo masterpiece

TheaterMar 27, 2012

WARSAW, Poland (AP) ― Bark beetles and old age have damaged Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th-century painting “Lady with an Ermine,’’ but the masterpiece is still holding up well, according to a conservationist at the Polish museum where it is displayed.Recent tests show the chestnut board on which Leonardo painted his masterpiece has weakened after being nibbled at by beetles over the centuries, and the painting has also suffered from a dense network of cracks, said Janusz Czop, the chief conservationi
First lady hosts dinner for leaders’ spouses

TheaterMar 26, 2012

Korea’s First Lady Kim Yoon-ok on Monday hosted a dinner for 14 spouses of the global leaders attending the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. The spouses, who are accompanying state leaders and heads of international organizations attending the two-day global conference in Seoul, enjoyed a special banquet at the National Museum of Korea while their partners attended a separate summit business banquet at COEX, southern Seoul. Antonioli Monti, wife of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Patienc
Artist aims for made-in-Korea luxury craft brand

TheaterMar 26, 2012

Kim Kyung-shin knocks on Korea with accessories and dinnerware using hanji and lacquerThe artist’s atelier is located in “hanok,” or traditional house, in Bukchon, central Seoul. Small signs reading Kyung Shin Kong Bang (Kyungshin Crafthouse) in Chinese letters hang at several corners of the area’s narrow alleys to guide the visitors. Kim Kyung-shin, a South Korean craft artist, lives, works and exhibits her works there. But she is less well-known here than in Germany, where she lived and worked
France holds provocative Helmut Newton exhibit

TheaterMar 26, 2012

PARIS (AP) ― Yves Saint Laurent empowered women and the same could be said of his contemporary, iconic fashion photographer Helmut Newton, the subject of a retrospective at Paris’ Grand Palais that is not for the prudish.Several portraits of Saint Laurent, who gave women the male tuxedo, are included in the show, paying tribute to the designer whose empowering, masculine vision of women so influenced Newton.“He was avant garde. The woman in Helmut Newton’s work is powerful and dominant ― the mas
Gugak Center to hold concert for Nuclear Security Summit

MusicMar 26, 2012

The National Gugak Center will hold a two-day special concert as a part of several cultural events planned for foreign officials currently in Seoul to attend the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit. The Court Music Orchestra of the center will perform a complete version of “Yeongsanhoesang,” the most representative piece of pungnyu music or music appreciated by Joseon’s high society, today and tomorrow at the National Gugak Center in Yangjae, southern Seoul. The orchestra will perform three versions of
Palaces welcome foreign guests during nuclear summit

TheaterMar 26, 2012

Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung offer a glimpse into traditional side of KoreaAs the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Summit kicked off on Monday, Seoul’s ancient palaces opened special programs for the foreign guests to get a glimpse of Korea’s royal culture throughout the week.The participating palaces are Gyeongbokgung, the main and the largest palace in Seoul; Changdeokgung, a UNESCO world heritage site; and Deoksugung, the only royal palace that houses western style buildings. “Gyeonghoeru Yeonh
Korean singer wins award at Asian music festival

Mar 26, 2012

Korean singer Ali received the Super Nova award for best performance at the second Hong Kong Asian Pop Music Festival on Friday.She earned the highest scores after two rounds of competition.She sang “365 days” in the first round and Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man” in the second. Six other rising Asian stars, including China’s Song Jingyu, Japan’s HIROZ SEVEN+ and Alex Wu from Hong Kong, participated in the event. The event is a contest where the best singer is picked from seven Asian a
‘Titanic’ director dives to Pacific’s deepest point

FilmMar 26, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― “Titanic” director James Cameron has safely returned to the ocean surface after a solo submarine dive to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, expedition organizers said Monday.“Jim Cameron has surfaced! Congrats to him on his historic solo dive to the ocean’s deepest point,” said a Twitter message from Deep Sea Challenge, which organized the dive.Cameron is the first person to make a solo dive to the Pacific Ocean valley known as the Challenger Deep, southwest of Guam. And t
Aretha Franklin celebrates 70th, talks new music

MusicMar 26, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― Aretha Franklin has a lot more than her 70th birthday to celebrate: She’s reuniting with one of her musical mentors, Clive Davis, for a new album.In an interview at her swanky birthday party on Saturday, Franklin said she and Davis, who helped engineer her comeback in the 1980s, would be working on new music.“I have re-signed with Clive Davis, so I’m recording with Clive again,’’ said Franklin of the music mogul, who is associated with Sony Music Entertainment.Franklin said that
Se7en to promote new album in Japan and China

MusicMar 26, 2012

Korean singer Se7en will release new albums in Japan, China and Singapore starting next month after wrapping up his promotions in Korea last week.The 27-year-old K-pop singer concluded two months of activities in Seoul with a final appearance on SBS’ “Inkigayo” which aired on March 25, and will begin a series of Asian promotions in April and May, YG Entertainment said.“On April 25, Se7en will release a new single album in Japan and will hold showcases in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Nagoya and Osaka in May t