South Korean celebrities fulfilling their mandatory military service were recently spotted at a local massage parlor, sparking a backlash from the public over whether so-called “entertainment soldiers” enjoy too many privileges. According to “Hyeonjang 21 (On the spot 21), an investigative TV program by SBS, two celebrity soldiers were spotted last Saturday at a massage parlor in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Massage parlors in Korea are viewed as seedy, as many of them are known to offer sexual

The K-pop idols Big Bang and 2PM took home awards at the annual MTV Video Music Awards Japan, which was held on Saturday at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. 2PM’s “LEGEND OF 2PM” took the crown for Best Album, beating out other international stars including Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Kiss,” Linkin Park’s “Living Things,” One Direction’s “Take Me Home” and Kana Nishino’s “Love Place.” Along with 2PM’s big win, Big Bang was awarded for their 2012 music video “Fantastic Baby,” which won Best Dance Video. T

Kara recently performed for 24,000 fans at a two-day fan meeting in Yokohama, Japan, where they also announced their plans to hold their second arena tour in the country. The group’s upcoming arena tour titled “Kara 2nd Japan Tour 2013 ― Karasia,” will kick off in Yokohama on Oct. 8 and then make its way across the country to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Fukui and Kobe. The tour is expected to attract a total of 140,000 fans.Kara performed its first Japan arena tour in April 2012, drawing arou

Orange Caramel, a subunit of girl group After School, and FT ISLAND frontman Lee Hong-ki have expanded their interests beyond showbiz and released books on travel and nail art, respectively. According to Pledis Entertainment, the agency of Orange Caramel, the members ― Raina, Nana and Lizzy ― have released a book, “Cheongchun Yeohaeng (Travel of the Youth),” about their recent trips around Korea. They took a day trip in central Seoul, checked out famous restaurants in the historic city of Jeonju

Stefan Pi Jackiw to perform a Mendelssohn piece recorded decades ago by Chung Kyung-wha with Dutoit

‘Superstar K4’ winner showcases strong, soulful voice in folk, pop album

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Her character Antonia literally sings herself to death in Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann,” but in real life Natalie Dessay says her own upcoming break from opera is not so irrevocable.“I’m going to take a sabbatical, and then we’ll see,” the French soprano said in an interview. “The truth is my repertoire is shrinking. I’m not a young woman anymore, so I don’t feel adequate for roles where I’m the girl in love for the first time. I don’t want to eternally redo Lucia or O

Which new boy band in the making has what it takes to become the next Big Bang? YG Entertainment founder and CEO Yang Hyun-suk has decided to leave that decision up to the fans.Yang announced over the weekend that he would be launching a new reality TV show, “WIN,” to determine which one of his current boy bands in training will make their debut. “WIN,” which stands for “Who Is Next?” will feature two rival groups waiting to debut in a winner-takes-all talent competition. The boy band that recei

In the history of music, certain artists always will be twined with certain venues: Charlie Parker and Birdland, the Apollo Theater and Ella Fitzgerald, James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera House.The number of performers who’ve played the Hollywood Bowl is so long and venerable that no single name could dominate its legacy, not even that of the Fab Four. But over the last eight years, since he made his Bowl debut as a 24-year-old conducting Silvestre Revueltas’ “La Noche de los Mayas” and Tch

Tyrell pays tribute to Cahn on new albumSteve Tyrell“It‘s Magic: The Songs of Sammy Cahn”(Concord)Late blooming crooner Steve Tyrell burnishes his reputation as one of the finest interpreters of the Great American Songbook with this tribute marking the centennial of the birth of Sammy Cahn, the lyricist who gave voice to Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack in the early 1960s.Tyrell’s rough-hewn baritone - with the slight twang of his native Texas - gives him the swagger to put his own stamp on such C

Members of Hanyang Philharmonic Orchestra gathered at the college Wednesday afternoon for practice ahead of the upcoming University Orchestra Festival. About 100 musicians practiced Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture, Op.84” and Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “The Choral,” for which words were taken from “Ode an die Freude (Ode to Joy),” a poem by Friedrich Schiller.The members comprised of Hanyang University students have been practicing intensively for the past two weeks for the festival that ru

Armed with industry powerhouses as judges, show boasts chart-toppers as former contestants

Kang Seung-yoon, a contestant of “Super Star K” season 2, will make an official debut next month, his agency said.YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk said on the company blog that one of the songs “Wild and Young,” included in Kang’s EP album, will be pre-released on July 15.“We‘ve nearly finished producing his album, comprised of six songs,” he said. “Kang and producers are deciding on the album release date.” He added, “I think ‘Wild and Young,’ which falls into rock genre, goes well with Kang‘

Hip-hop crew hopes to keep their music true to their culture, style