Ades’ ‘Powder Her Face’ opens Thomas Ades wanted to be provocative in his first opera, “Powder Her Face,” when he composed a scene in which he musically depicts a sex act between the Duchess of Argyll and a waiter.Not enough for director Jay Scheib, who turns the tawdry tale into a numbing night of decadence by adding two dozen naked men standing, stumbling and slumbering around a hotel room in New York City Opera’s new production that opened Friday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilm

Multicultural Asian girl group Blush announced that it has signed on to work with the Grammy Legend Award-winning American musician and producer Quincy Jones on the girls’ debut full-length album. Jones is not only slated to act as the group’s executive producer on the band’s yet-to-be titled album, but on other future productions as well. “When I met Blush, I was blown away,” Jones said in news reports. “These five girls reflect my lifelong mission to bring people together through music.”The di

U.S. singer Mindy McCready was found dead Sunday in what appears to be a suicide, according to U.S. news reports.The body of the 37-year-old country singer was found by local deputies at her home in Arkansas, according to a news release from the Cleburne County Sheriff. “Ms. McCready is deceased from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Sheriff Marty Moss said in an interview with USA Today newspaper.Moss said his officers visited the singer’s residence around 3:38 p.m. and found

NEW YORK (AP) ― It took a little while before Barry Manilow felt comfortable on Broadway.The Man Who Makes the Whole World Sing is used to far bigger venues than the 1,710-seat St. James Theatre, one of the smaller theaters on the Great White Way.“It’s a totally different feeling from the stage. I’m in their laps; they’re in my lap. It’s very, very intimate,” says Manilow. “This is like going to somebody’s house.”Manilow ― and his fans dubbed Fanilows ― are clearly enjoying his first return to B

10cm duo returns with new sound10cm“The 2nd EP”(Mirrorball Music)The indie acoustic duo of 10cm has returned with the follow up EP to their second full album. The five-track EP features the title track “Oh Yeah,” which is an upbeat blues-inspired rock-and-roll song that ventures drastically from the group’s slow, acoustic-style second album. Although the title track doesn’t quite reflect the best musical side of the duo, it however does show off the band’s attempt at diversity in their albums. T

Tickets sold out in just five minutes for pop group Shinhwa’s upcoming concert scheduled for March 16 and 17, according to their agency Shinhwa Company.The upcoming concert has been organized in celebration of the 15th anniversary of their debut. The six-member group, one of the early “idol” bands in the country, debuted in 1998 and enjoyed much popularity along with G.O.D., Fly to the Sky, H.O.T. and S.E.S. Tickets for the concert, about 25,000 of them, were sold out just five minutes after bei

2PM’s second Japanese album, “Legend of 2PM” ranked first place on the Oricon Charts. “Legend of 2PM has sold six times more copies than the album in second place on the Oricon Chart. The sales numbers prove their popularity,” said a representative from JYP, the group’s agency.The second album contains 13 tracks in all with nine new tracks and four from their previously released singles including “Masquerade,” “Beautiful,” “If You are Here,” and “Forever.”Last year was a breakthrough year for 2P

From self-releasing albums to being named one of the “2013 Artists to Watch” by MTV, the two members of the alternative pop rock band Twenty One Pilots are making a name for themselves as a dynamic music force to be reckoned with this year. Tyler Joseph formed the band Twenty One Pilots in 2009 with a couple of his college buddies, putting out two self-released albums. Joseph later met drummer Josh Dun through a mutual friend and the two ended up forming a duo. “The first time we hung out, we st

Indie quintet hits Hongdae Promenade festival Thursday

All-American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz will be returning to Seoul in May to hold his sixth live show. The performer ― who has made a name for himself as a beloved entertainer in Korea ― will be holding his upcoming concert, “Jason Mraz and His Band,” on May 17 at the Jamsil Sports Complex starting at 6:30 p.m. The performance will also feature two guest performers who are yet to be announced.  Mraz, who started his career playing in coffee houses, released his first commercial debut album “Wa

Psy’s “Gangnam Style” has topped more than 1 million sales in the United Kingdom.In an announcement made by the Official Charts Company on Feb. 8, “Gangnam Style” became the 129th track to sell 1 million copies in U.K. history, and the first by an Asian artist to reach the milestone.“This is an amazing achievement by Psy,” commented Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company. “It is further confirmation of ‘Gangnam Style’ as a true phenomenon ― it is the first U.K. million-s

A warning not to show too much skin didn‘t seem to deter the stars out Sunday for the Grammy Awards.Jennifer Lopez was among those showing off thigh-high _ or higher _ openings in their dresses, and she joked about it as she took the stage to present an award. Katy Perry showed down-to-there cleavage in a seafoam gown.CBS put out a memo earlier in the week asking that ``buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered’‘ for the televised award show. The memo sent out Wednesday also warned agai