The Korea Herald

Universal Music gives recordings to Library of Congress

Jan 12, 2011

LOS ANGELES ― There’s good news, more good news and some nebulous news for anyone interested in the nation’s musical heritage in Monday’s announcement that Universal Music Group is donating a cache of some 200,000 vintage master recordings to the Library of Congress for preservation and digitizing.They include Bing Crosby’s original recording of “White Christmas” and thousands more by Louis Armstr
New girl group Dal Shabet is named after a children’s story book

Jan 11, 2011

A growing number of netizens are protesting against a new girl group who appear to be using the title of a children’s book for their name. The book’s author is none too pleased with the new six-member group that has begun appearing in magazines and on national TV this month.Baek Hee-na, author of the book “Dal Sherbet” has been highly praised for her creative storyline and pictures. “Dal Sherbet”
Boy bands performing in pairs to generate heat in 2011

Jan 10, 2011

Expect a fierce rivalry on the Korean music scene this year, as top boy bands are ready to make a comeback.Until now, the Korean music channels were mostly dominated by popular girl groups or singers like the Girls Generation, but this year the boys are expected to take the lead. Even before the release of their albums, the long-waited returns of TVXQ and Big Bang have generated heat among K-Pop f
High note: Music thrills trigger reward chemical

Jan 10, 2011

People who become euphoric over music unleash dopamine, a brain chemical that also induces the sense of reward that comes from food, psychoactive drugs and money, an unusual study says. McGill University researchers in Montreal, Canada, recruited eight volunteers aged 19-24 among 217 people who responded to advertisements requesting people who experienced "chills" -- a marker of extreme pleasure
‘Mahler fever’ sweeps Seoul classical scene

Jan 9, 2011

The Mahler craze started in 2010 when Korean classical concert-goers scrambled to get tickets to Gustav Mahler’s symphonies at the Seoul Arts Center. Last year, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Chung Myung-whun began staging the Austrian composer’s all-symphonic works to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth.Coming into 2011, Mahler fever is sweeping the nation even faster than las
Fans, rescued miner fete Elvis’ 76th birthday

Jan 9, 2011

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) ― Hundreds of Elvis Presley fans, including Chilean miner Edison Pena, gathered at Graceland to sing “Happy Birthday” on the late rock ‘n’ roll icon’s 76th birthday.Pena, the guest of honor at Elvis’ birthday party, cut into a 1.2-meter-high cake fashioned to look like stacked television sets as fans cheered both the singer and the miner outside Elvis’ longtime Memphis home
Bodyguard: Jackson doc said to hide vials

Jan 6, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― As Michael Jackson’s lifeless body lay on a bed in his palatial mansion, a bodyguard obeyed a frantic doctor’s instructions to bag up medicine bottles and intravenous bags and shield the Jackson children from seeing their father ― all before being told to call emergency services, court testimony revealed Wednesday.Alberto Alvarez said he was the first security guard to reach Jac
The King is dead, long live the King’s hair

Jan 6, 2011

CHICAGO ― Collectors and auctioneers are getting flush off the lavatories of the rich and famous, which isn’t just a play on words. It’s also a chance to make a bunch of money by selling somebody else’s toilet.If recent months have taught us anything, it’s that dead celebrities’ stuff can hold great value. Among the memorabilia sold since June: John Lennon’s toilet ($15,000) and Marilyn Monroe’s c
Far East Movement breaks new ground for Asian-American rap

Jan 5, 2011

SEATTLE ― You can’t escape the song.“Like a G6” topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is still riding high at No. 14. The song is by the Far East Movement, reportedly the first Asian-American group to reach the No. 1 spot.“We don’t feel like we deserve (to top) any type of list,” said Kevin Nishimura, aka Kev Nish. “So many people have come before us and broken down the door. We are just honored
Perez Hilton calls TVXQ music video “too hot to handle”

Jan 5, 2011

Gossip blogger Perez Hilton called TVXQ’s newly released music video “too hot to handle” on his blog (Perezhilton.com) on Monday.Hilton has been following new K-Pop songs on his blog, each titled “K-Pop Fierceness,” “K-Pop Deliciousness” and “New 2NE1.” (perezhilton.com)Perezhilton.com has been selected by Billboard as one of the best ways for an artist’s music to get attention. The blog was ranke
Concerts to blast away the cobwebs

Jan 3, 2011

Ruichi Sakamoto, Vienna Strauss Festival Orchestra to stage unusual performancesArdent classical concertgoers may find it easy to keep awake during a classical concert in the evening, even after a long day of hard work and a series of self-reminders not to make any noise louder than breathing.However, those less schooled in concert etiquette might secretly admit that they have at one time unintent