The Korea Herald

Hugh Grant becomes a dad, but mother undisclosed

FilmNov 2, 2011

LONDON (AP) — Hugh Grant has become a father for the first time after a brief fling, his spokesman said Tuesday — but the identity of the baby's mother is not being disclosed.Publicist Carrie Gordon said Grant "is the delighted father of a baby girl."She said Grant and the mother "had a
Russian tenor Baskov wants to conquer U.S.

MusicNov 1, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― Over the past decade, Nikolai Baskov has emerged as one of the biggest selling recording artists in Russia.He’s a favorite of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and his performances ― with dramatic lighting and dazzling showmanship ― are becoming legendary there and in Europe.Now, the rest of the world may be in Baskov’s grasp. The classically trained vocalist has his eyes ― or more appropriately, voice ― on seizing the rest of the world with his powerful range.“For me, reall
MBC going private inevitable: former BBC chief

TelevisionNov 1, 2011

It maybe inevitable that public broadcaster MBC becomes a commercial channel due to stiff competition for advertising from new channels run by major newspapers which begin operation next month, former BBC chief Greg Dyke said Tuesday.Dyke, who was director-general of the BBC from 2000 to 2004, is most famous for standing up against Tony Blair’s Labor government after a 2003 BBC news report on how the government had “sexed up” the military capabilities of Iraq to justify going to war. The intelli
Posthumous Winehouse album to be released in December

MusicNov 1, 2011

LONDON (AFP) ― A new album containing previously unheard material by British soul singer Amy Winehouse is to be released just months after her death from alcohol poisoning, her record label confirmed Monday.“Lioness: Hidden Treasures,” features unreleased tracks, alternate versions of existing classics as well as a couple of brand new compositions by the songstress, an Island Records statement said.It will hit stores on Dec. 5.The album “proves a fitting tribute to the artist, the talent and the
Ferrera to headline ‘Chicago’ in London

TheaterNov 1, 2011

LONDON (AP) ― America Ferrera is ditching the clunky braces and the thick fake eyebrows of “Ugly Betty” for sexy, slinky outfits in her West End debut as the showgirl Roxie in “Chicago.”The American actress who starred in the U.S. television series about a wise but wacky New York fashion magazine assistant is embarking on an eight-week stint in “Chicago” at the Garrick Theatre beginning Nov. 7.At a press conference Monday, the 27-year-old Ferrera said performing on the London stage is something
‘Living in the Material World’ exhibit opens at the Grammy Museum

MusicNov 1, 2011

LOS ANGELES ― Remember George Harrison’s unforgettable opening line in the Beatles’ 1969 hit “Something?” “Something in the way she moves/attracts me like no other woman.”Of course not, because he sings “lover,” not “woman.” But “woman” is what Harrison wrote before changing one word that could well have spelled the difference between a hit and a miss, an edit that’s on display at the Grammy Museum in “George Harrison: Living in the Material World,” a show focusing on the man pigeonholed early a
Works by unknown ‘Wireman’ in Philly art show

TheaterNov 1, 2011

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) ― Three decades after hundreds of strange wire-bound oddities were saved from the trash heap, an art gallery eight blocks from where they were dumped at a curb is featuring a selection of works made by a mystery artist now known only as the Philadelphia Wireman.“What was unique about this was the discovery, how it was found, and how many there were,” said John Ollman, an expert in self-taught art whose Fleischer/Ollman Gallery has 29 Wireman works on view through
Overseas 'hallyu' fan clubs estimated to have 3.3 million members

Nov 1, 2011

The government Tuesday estimated the number of overseas fans of Korean pop culture at 3.3 million, indicating the "Korean Wave," also known as the "hallyu," is a significant force in many Asian, European and American countries.There were an estimated 182 hallyu fan clubs with a combined 3.3 million
Kim Kardashian files for divorce after 10 weeks

TelevisionNov 1, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Just 10 weeks after their lavish, made-for-TV wedding and less than a month after the wedding special aired, reality starlet Kim Kardashian is canceling her marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries.Kim Kardashian (AP)The “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star filed for divorce Monday
Oldest movie camera rental shop in Hollywood auctions off its film cameras

FilmOct 31, 2011

LOS ANGELES ― Call it film’s last gasp.Birns & Sawyer, the oldest movie camera rental shop in Hollywood, made history last week when it auctioned off its entire remaining inventory of 16- and 35-millimeter film cameras.Owner and cinematographer Bill Meurer said he didn’t want to part with the cameras but had little choice as the entertainment industry has largely gone digital.“People aren’t renting out film cameras in sufficient numbers to justify retaining them,” Meurer said in an interview at
Silver statuette is unknown Rodin: expert

TheaterOct 31, 2011

PARIS (AFP) ― A French art expert Thursday unveiled evidence he says proves that a silver statuette of a “wounded woman” is an unknown work by Auguste Rodin, depicting his lover and disciple Camille Claudel.The unsigned statue, 22.5 centimeters tall, depicts a female figure, standing but stooped as if in pain, with a draped fabric over one arm and clenched between her thighs.“All the clues point to Rodin,” Gilles Perrault, a leading expert on the 19th-century master, told a press conference as h
Picasso takes lead in big New York art sales

TheaterOct 31, 2011

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Christie’s and Sotheby’s hold their big autumn art sales in New York starting next week, with both houses looking to Pablo Picasso to excite a robust market.The prominence of important works by Picasso, Matisse and other modern masters in the impressionist and modern art sales at Christie’s on Tuesday and Sotheby’s on Wednesday reflects the healthy appetite this year for big-ticket works, auctioneers said.A strong market is also expected the following week when the two houses ho
‘Barrier-Free’ films offer universal experience

FilmOct 31, 2011

‘Blind’ becomes first local barrier-free film for people with hearing or visual impairments“Blind,” this year’s highly successful serial-killer with a visually impaired heroine has been converted into Korea’s first “barrier-free” film, which people with hearing or visual impairments can view along with the non-disabled.The new version is accompanied by a descriptive audio feature and subtitles that narrate each and every action of the film. It was first screened during the first Barrier-Free Fil
Algerian film wins top award at Qatar festival

FilmOct 31, 2011

DOHA (AFP) ― Qatar’s annual film festival gave its top award to filmmaker Merzak Allouache’s production of “Normal,“ a movie that follows disillusioned Algerian youth in the wake of the “Arab Spring” revolutions. The award, which carries a bonus of $100,000, was announced at the third annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival awards ceremony Saturday, alongside seven other prizes, including, best Arab documentary film, best Arab short film, and best performance by an Arab actor. The winners were chosen
New ‘Twilight’ film screens at Rome festival

FilmOct 31, 2011

ROME (AP) ― Jackson Rathbone, a star of the “Twilight” movies, likened the wildly popular series about love between a human and a vampire to the story of Romeo and Juliet, as the next-to-last film in the saga was screened Sunday at Rome’s film festival.Speaking to reporters about “The Twilight Saga ― Breaking Dawn Part 1,” Rathbone called the love between Bella and Edward “almost as mythological as the Romeo and Juliet story,” referring to Shakespeare’s play about star-crossed lovers.A co-star,