The Korea Herald

Top K-pop star Rain to serve as 'entertainment soldier'

Feb 24, 2012

South Korean pop singer and actor Rain will serve as what the military has dubbed an "entertainment soldier" during the remaining period of his mandatory two years of military service, a government agency in charge of publicizing the military said Friday.Rain will be assigned to a new group within t
Oldest art fair gets younger and bigger

TheaterFeb 23, 2012

Korea Galleries Art Fair offers over 3,000 artworks in celebration of 30th anniversaryCelebrating its 30th anniversary, the nation’s oldest art fair is underway at COEX in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, in its largest fair to date. The Korea Galleries Art Fair features over 3,000 works from about 90 member galleries. Established in 1979, the art fair has showcased a wide range of artwork, from emerging local rookies to internationally acclaimed artists. Almost of all of the established galleries
Witherspoon talks aging, being a woman

FilmFeb 23, 2012

Hollywood actress stars in romantic comedy thriller ‘This Means War’Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon said on Thursday it’s only natural for women to have wrinkles as they age, and she finds it wonderful to be an example of that on screen.During her first visit to Seoul the 35-year-old actress seemed unaffected when asked by a reporter whether she is “all right” with having visible wrinkles in a scene from her rom-com action film “This Means War.”“I’ve been making movies since I was 14,”the ac
Lindsay Lohan to host ‘Saturday Night Live’

TelevisionFeb 23, 2012

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan has been chosen to host an episode of the popular U.S. sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” next month ― a decision that has some up in arms.The show’s producers said on Twitter that the former child star ― commended by a judge Wednesday as “back on track” after repeated run-ins with the law ― would host the program on March 3, with Jack White as the musical guest.Lohan ― who made headlines when she posed nude for Playboy last month, reportedly
Woody Allen declares his love for radio days

FilmFeb 23, 2012

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Just days from learning whether his latest film, “Midnight in Paris,” will win an Oscar, Woody Allen spent the evening in New York talking about his first love ― radio.The famed director and New Yorker met late Tuesday with a large audience at 92Y Jewish cultural center in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and screened his 1987 movie “Radio Days” at an event in honor of early radio pioneer Himan Brown.Allen, who made the film to depict the pre-television golden era of radio broadcasti
Cyndi Lauper‘s ’Kinky Boots‘ heads to Chicago

MusicFeb 23, 2012

A new musical bringing together Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein and rock icon Cyndi Lauper will put its best foot forward in Chicago this fall.``Kinky Boots‘’ will make its world premiere at the Bank of America Theatre in October ahead of a possible Broadway transfer, producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig said Wednesday.The musical is based on the 2005 British movie about a failing shoe factory that‘s struggling following the death of its founder until it finds new life in fetish footwear.Fiers
Rihanna, Brown songs could draw criticism

MusicFeb 23, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― Rihanna is known for making bold statements, from her often sexually charged music to her tattoos to even the hue of her hair.But her latest decision ― a musical pairing with the man who three years ago left her bloodied and bruised ― has left some questioning her judgment.On Monday, after days of teasing, Rihanna and Chris Brown debuted two songs featuring each other. Brown sings and raps on the remix of Rihanna’s song “Birthday Cake,’’ and she appears on a new version of his up
‘Scream’ painting expected to top $80m at auction

TheaterFeb 22, 2012

NEW YORK (AFP) ― A version of “The Scream,” one of the world’s most famous paintings and an iconic image of despair, is expected to fetch at least $80 million when it goes on sale this May, Sotheby’s auctioneers said Tuesday.Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen, whose father was a friend and patron of “Scream” painter Edvard Munch, owns the work, which will go on the block in New York on May 2.There are four versions of the painting, which features a man screaming and clutching his head against a
KOFIC to re-open Seoul Media Center

FilmFeb 22, 2012

The Korean Film Council is re-opening its media education institute, “Seoul Media Center,” in Chungmuro district in Pil-dong, Seoul, on Thursday, the organization said.The institute was first established as “Mediact” in 2002 on the fifth floor of the Ilmin Museum of Art building near Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. Until 2010, the institute had been run by the Association of Korean Independent Film and Video (KIFV) on commission. The Gwanghwamun office closed down in August of last year, as Ilmin Mu
Herald artday auction offers ‘Korean beauty’

TheaterFeb 22, 2012

Over 100 works by Korean up-and-coming to veteran artists on auctionHerald artday, a subsidiary of the Herald Media group, opens its third online auction on Friday. It will roll out 110 paintings, photos, sculptures and prints by acclaimed South Korean artists, ranging from up-and-coming figures such as Mari Kim and Lee Soo-dong to veterans like Lee U-fan, Kim Chong-hak and Lee Manik, steady-selling artists despite the depressed art market. As usual, the auction is approachable for both first-ti
Kim Nam-joo’s new work promises to resonate with modern-day women

TelevisionFeb 22, 2012

Actress plays career woman who dreads mother-in-law and must face her fearsWeekend family dramas are an iconic fixture of South Korean television. At times laugh-out-loud funny or downright melodramatic, these twice-a-week installments voice the underlying concerns we face on a day-to-day basis, acting as companion and cathartic outlet for our anxieties, generally through the lens of an epic, ginormous extended family. At first glance, the set-up might appear incredibly archaic, impervious to ch
Gov't employee punished over fake nude photo of Girls' Generation

MusicFeb 22, 2012

A 53-year-old government employee was dismissed from his post Wednesday after police started investigating his role in spreading a fake nude photo of K-pop group Girls' Generation, his office said.The employee, whose name was withheld, was relieved of his duties from the Yeonsu Ward Office in Incheo
Spain’s Prado museum puts Mona Lisa ‘twin’ on display

TheaterFeb 22, 2012

MADRID (AFP) ― Spain’s Prado Museum put the earliest known copy of the “Mona Lisa” on display Tuesday for the first time since restoration work revealed it was likely painted by one of Leonardo da Vinci’s apprentices as he worked on the original.Throughout the day, a crowd gathered around the painting, which shows the same woman the Italian artist painted, backed by a landscape of hills resembling those of the original masterpiece which hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris.“It is the most importa
Preview of Kim Tae-hee’s Japanese commercial axed

Feb 22, 2012

A cosmetics company canceled a Feb. 21 preview of a Japanese commercial featuring actress Kim Tae-hee, as Japanese netizens criticized her for advocating Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo.Dokdo is a group of rocky islets in the East Sea that Japan has claimed as part of its territory and calls Takeshima.Kim, who has been enjoying popularity as an actress and a model for television commercials in Korea since the early 2000s, served as a Dokdo advocate in 2005 with her younger brother Lee Wan, who is
Adele wins big again at hometown Brit Awards

MusicFeb 22, 2012

LONDON (AFP) ― Just over a week after her spectacular sweep at the Grammys, British soul diva Adele triumphed on home soil Tuesday at the annual Brit Awards in London.The 23-year-old picked up two awards ― including the prestigious British album of the year ― to add to the six Grammys she won in Los Angeles, cementing her status as one of Britain’s most successful pop exports in years.Adele ― whose career was threatened last year by a throat illness ― claimed British female solo artist and best