Troupe’s head Choi Tae-ji to organize ballet-meets-gugak show for its 50th anniversaryThe year 2011 was a monumental one for Korea National Ballet. Its March show “Giselle” marked the ballet company’s first-ever sell-out and fueled ballet fever across the nation. Most shows during the rest of the year sold out as well, ballet-related fashion items were popular, and a TV comedy even featured ballet as its main theme. Then in September, KNB successfully staged “Prince Hodong” at San Carlo Theater

Comedian Lee Kyung-kyu reveals having panic attacksBehind his boisterous, lively persona hides an anxious man with constant fears of death, sickness and depression; Korea’s top comedian Lee Kyung-kyu said during a Sunday variety show that he suffers from panic disorder.Lee, 52, is one of the most po

George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and other red-carpet veterans joined some Hollywood newcomers in the Southern California desert this weekend to kick off the two-month-long movie award season at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Actress Charlize Theron poses at the 2012 Palm Spr

 Music royalty Beyonce and Jay-Z are the proud parents of a baby girl named Blue Ivy, media reports said Sunday, breaking the news of one of the biggest celebrity births in years.Pop diva Beyonce, 30, gave birth by caesarian section on Saturday night in a private wing of the Lenox Hill Hospital

With the success of “Mission: Impossible ― Ghost Protocol” comes the industry realization, or rather the industry press speculation, that Tom Cruise is back, baby, back as a bankable movie star.As someone not in the same profession as Cruise, and who is only a year older than he but who looks about 49 years older, I find this sort of sweet. (And it’s true, probably.) Movie stars today aren’t allowed the luxury of a few forgettable films, not when they cost what “Knight and Day” did. For the reco

Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation will sell artwork confiscated from the suspended savings banks in South Korea this year at foreign auctions. The state-run insurer said Thursday that it had started the search for a lead manager to take charge of the sales. The aim is to raise funds for the depositors of the banks that were ordered to shut down last year by the Financial Services Commission. Items to be auctioned include a total of 91 artworks seized from Samhwa Mutual Savings Bank and Domin M

Classical Music“2012 Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra & Thomanerchor”: The Gewandhaus Orchestra and Thomanerchor will visit Korea for the third time to perform Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is one of the oldest symphony orchestras in the world, named after the concert hall based in Leipzig. The Thomanerchor, or St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig, is a boys’ choir founded in 1212. At present, the choir consists of 92 boys, 9 to 18 years of age. The orchestra will be conducte

Dancing Queen (Korea), Opening Jan. 19Comedy. Directed by Lee Suk-hoon. Housewife Jung-hwa (Uhm Jung-hwa) is married to low-earning lawyer Jung-min (Hwang Jung-min). One day, her daughter abruptly tells her she doesn’t want to live like Jung-hwa, as a housewife. Shocked by the comment, Jung-hwa decides to fulfill her long-lost dream to become a famous singer, trying out for a reality TV talent show. Meanwhile, her husband Jung-min becomes a candidate for Seoul mayor through a rare opportunity, n

Irish singer’s present for Korean fansDamien Rice “Live from the Union Chapel: Korea Tour Edition”(Warner Music Korea) Adding two bonus tracks, to the 2007 “Live from the Union Chapel” album, Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice agreed to release his very first tour edition for Korean fans ahead of his concert in Seoul. The album, most of which was recorded in 2003 during the tour for Rice’s debut album “O,” features his favorites ― “Delicate,” “The Blower’s Daughter,” a ferocious “Volcano,” “Ami

Greg Donoghue grew up around film sets. His father worked as a film publicist in Europe and his uncle is Pierre Spengler, a producer of the “Superman” movies.But the 30-year-old had never seriously considered a career in the movie industry until he got a chance to direct his own short film called “Sunshine Manor,” a love story about the relationship between a nursing home patient and her doctor.“It takes a lot of patience, and time is your worst enemy,” Donoghue said of his directorial debut. “I

US billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett is scheduled to sing and play guitar in a Chinese gala broadcast on the Internet to mark the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Dragon, state press said Thursday. A file photo taken on June 26, 2006 shows US investment guru Warren Buffett in New York. Ch