The Korea Herald

National Museum reopens Paleolithic, Neolithic exhibits

TheaterDec 13, 2011

The National Museum of Korea on Tuesday reopened its Neolithic and Paleolithic period exhibitions which were temporarily closed last month for renovation.Some 1,000 relics from the time periods are featured in the newly renovated exhibition halls. Of the items, about 600 are being exhibited for the first time. The new rooms have the latest video features, strengthening the interactive aspect of the exhibitions. The museum’s Paleolithic section features some 500 stoneware relics, which are believ
Kim Ki-duk films get special screening

FilmDec 13, 2011

Two films by director Kim Ki-duk, which have yet to be released in local theaters, are currently being screened at Cinecube in Seoul through Dec. 21.One of the two is “Arirang,” a wrenching, cinematic self-portrait of the director which received a coveted sidebar prize at Cannes in May this year. Written by, directed by and starring Kim, the emotionally raw piece features Kim’s perceived failings as a director after going through a series of “betrayals” by his real-life colleagues in the Korean
Spielberg announces new Tintin movie

FilmDec 13, 2011

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Steven Spielberg announced in New York a sequel to his 3-D movie version of the comic book hero Tintin.He told a press conference Sunday that “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson would direct the new film and that he had already chosen the book by the Belgian author Herge that would serve as the basis for the script.Spielberg was promoting the U.S. premiere on Dec. 21 of his “Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn,” which already premiered in Brussels in October and h
American movies thrive abroad, but foreign films face challenge in U.S.

FilmDec 13, 2011

LOS ANGELES ― Although Hollywood movies are making more money than ever overseas, it’s still a struggle for foreign films to sell tickets in the United States.“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ― Part 2” collected nearly a billion dollars abroad this year, the most of any American studio production. About $120 million of that sum came from one country ― Japan. Other U.S. films that hit big overseas this year were also sequels: “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” made more than $800
Billy Joel gets portrait at NYC’s Steinway Hall

MusicDec 13, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― The Piano Man is now officially a Steinway man.A Billy Joel portrait has been unveiled in New York City at Steinway Hall, home to the famed piano maker Steinway & Sons.Joel is one of only two living artists included in a collection featuring greats such as Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. He’s the only non-classical performer.The 62-year-old pop legend joked Monday about his painting’s proximity to Vladimir Horowitz’s, saying he doesn’t know “how crazy’’ Horowitz is about having h
Tilda Swinton needs to talk about ‘Kevin’

FilmDec 13, 2011

NEW YORK ― If you search online for photos of Tilda Swinton, you’ll find one, from the 2008 Academy Awards, that particularly delights the actress. She won the supporting-actress award that night for playing a squirmy lawyer in “Michael Clayton,” but that’s not why Swinton ebulliently brings up this photo of her and a young mystery man.“I was with the Coens (directors Ethan and Joel) and Fran McDormand. Their son (Pedro) was with them. Pedro and I were standing together. There were some photogra
Christian Bale says his Chinese film not propaganda

FilmDec 12, 2011

BEIJING (AFP) ― Oscar winning actor Christian Bale defended Sunday the upcoming Nanjing Massacre film “The Flowers of War,” by China’s most famous director, Zhang Yimou, as more than an anti-Japanese propaganda film.In the film, Bale plays an American drifter who becomes the unwitting protector of a group of Chinese schoolgirls and prostitutes trying to escape the Japanese army’s brutal sacking of China’s wartime capital.The Nanjing Massacre, in which Japanese troops killed tens of thousands of
Spot latest design trends at Seoul Design Festival

TheaterDec 12, 2011

Check out the latest designs at a notable design fair kicking off Wednesday at COEX Hall B in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. Celebrating its 10th year, Seoul Design Festival 2011 is gearing up for a big five-day run packed with a variety of special exhibitions under the slogan “Designer Promotion.” Nine famed design figures from different design sectors and countries will hold lectures during the festival as well, including Spanish graphic designer Javier Mariscal who is known for the design of
Park Jung-bum recalls making of ‘The Journals of Musan’

FilmDec 12, 2011

After winning 17 awards with his feature debut, director says he is ‘overrated and lucky’This is the sixth in a series on up-and-coming Korean filmmakers. ―Ed.Clad in blue jeans and a grey hoodie, director Park Jung-bum looks nothing like the North Korean defector he played in his award-sweeping feature debut, “The Journals of Musan.” He no longer has the character’s bowl-cut, nor does he have that sluggish gait. “Oh, of course I look different,” says Park during an interview with The Korea Hera
TVXQ holds 'fan meeting' in Taiwan

MusicDec 12, 2011

The Korean pop music group TVXQ has successfully finished its first event for Taiwanese fans in three years, the group's entertainment agency said Monday. TVXQ SM EntertainmentAbout 10,000 fans attended the two "fan meeting" events held at "Taipei Show Hall 2" in the Taiwanese capital on Sunday, SM
L.A. film critics association names Yoon Jung-hee best actress of 2011

FilmDec 12, 2011

South Korean actress Yoon Jung-hee was chosen as the best actress of the year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) for her lead role in the award-winning South Korean film "Poetry."The association announced a list of the 2011 award winners, including Yoon, on Sunday (L.A. standa
Variety spice of life for ‘The Nutcracker’

MusicDec 11, 2011

Top ballet companies and Hyundai Capital stage different versions of season’s favorite performanceRegardless of what genre it is adapted to, “The Nutcracker” has been a Christmas season favorite for a long time. This year is no exception. Seoul’s three top ballet companies and Hyundai Capital are staging the show, each with their own unique interpretation.Universal Ballet Company is getting ready to attract fans with its best-selling adaption of “The Nutcracker” from Dec. 21 to 31 at Universal
Oswalt says love scene with Theron was ‘nightmare’

FilmDec 11, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― Shooting a love scene with Charlize Theron would be a dream come true for many actors, but for Patton Oswalt, who co-stars with the Oscar-winning actress in the new movie “Young Adult,’’ the experience was “a nightmare.’’“Why do I have to be in my underwear next to the most physically perfect person on the planet? Why couldn’t I have been next to John Goodman or Michael Moore in their underwear?’’ said Oswalt at the film’s premiere Thursday night. “It was a dream that turned into
YouTube buys N.Y. music rights company

TelevisionDec 11, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― YouTube said Friday it has acquired RightsFlow, a New York-based company which manages music rights for songwriters, recording artists, record labels and online music services.“As new ways of consuming music have emerged, RightsFlow has been at the forefront of solving the complex issues of licensing and royalty payment management,” YouTube product manager David King said in a blog post.“By combining RightsFlow’s expertise and technology with YouTube’s platform, we hope to
To thwart porn, colleges are buying up .xxx sites

TelevisionDec 11, 2011

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) ― The University of Kansas is buying up website names such as www.KUgirls.xxx and www.KUnurses.xxx. But not because it’s planning a Hot Babes of Kansas site.Instead, the university and countless other schools and businesses are rushing to prevent their good names from falling into the hands of the pornography industry. Over the past two months, they have snapped up tens of thousands of “.xxx’’ website names that could be exploited by the adult entertainment business.“Dow