K-EDM needs to be new future of Korean music, producer says

Leaving his K-pop days behind him, 30-year music producer and composer Kim Chang-hwan is setting his sights on K-EDM, the future of Korean music.Kim, a long-time figure in the Korean music industry who is currently the CEO of Media Line production company, say he hopes local EDM music will become the next hallyu movement and take the world by storm.  Music producer and composer Kim Chang-hwan. (FS E&M)“EDM is no longer a minor genre and it has risen to a level that is beyond music that is only b

PerformanceJuly 9, 2014

‘My Love from the Star’ producer to become movie director in China

Earlier this year, the South Korean television drama “My Love from the Star” enjoyed explosive popularity not only at home, but even more so in China.Everything related to the sci-fi romance production, including the main stars, featured products and Korean food, created a sensation among Chinese viewers.Now, the man behind this megahit SBS drama, Jang Tae-you, is gearing up to return to Chinese audiences once again ― this time, not as a television drama producer but a film director.Jang, who le

July 9, 2014

For brides, it’s all in the details

This season’s nuptial fashions fall on opposite sides of the aisle: ethereally sweet and rustic chic, or softly structured and urbane.Yet despite the different silhouettes ― Vera Wang boho, for instance, is all about empire waists and slip-dress sheaths, while a city ceremony might star a cleaner Reem Acra frock with trumpet skirts and peplums ― modern gowns are united in the details.Sequins, pearls and beading are hand sewn on the simplest of gowns in dazzling geometric patterns. The sparkle, r

Arts & DesignJuly 9, 2014

Sacramento Zoo wants your yard waste

Sacramento homeowners struggling to stuff all their yard waste into the city’s green bins now have a new place to send it: the Sacramento Zoo.Two weeks ago, zookeepers started dropping off door hangers in nearby neighborhoods. The tags ask for donations of yard waste, and list the types of trees and shrubs that various zoo animals find tasty. Such green stuff is known in the zoo trade as “browse.”“We hope that it will take off so that donations can provide what we need instead of cutting on zoo

CultureJuly 9, 2014

K-pop legend Seo Taiji to stage comeback in October

K-pop legend Seo Taiji is to make a grand return to the music scene in October, according to industry watchers on Wednesday. Seo has contacted a local entertainment company, Wellmade Yedang, to discuss arrangements for a nationwide concert tour, a Korean daily reported.  According to the reports, Seo is to hold a large-scale concert in Seoul on Oct. 18 to herald his comeback. He is mulling over the place to stage the concert to make it “perfect,” according to a K-pop insider. Following the conce

July 9, 2014

Psy's 'Hangover' most watched K-pop video in first half: YouTube

South Korean rapper Psy's "Hangover" was the most viewed Korean pop video on Youtube in the first half of this year, the video-sharing website announced Wednesday. According to the website's list of popular videos and channels in the first half of 2014, YouTube users worldwide chose to watch Psy and American rapper Snoop Dogg go out on a night of drunken debauchery more than any other music video in the K-pop genre.   (Youtube)

July 9, 2014

‘Doctor Stranger’ ends in happy reconciliation

Actors Lee Jong-suk and Park Hae-jin showed two happy endings in the last episode of SBS’ medical rom-com “Doctor Stranger.”Park Hoon, played by Lee, gains both love and a lifetime vocation as a humanitarian doctor. Even after he faces death threats from a North Korean agent and a South Korean politician, he ends up serving his duty as a doctor by operating on the injured politician. Han Jae-joon, played by Park, reconciles with Oh Joon-kyu, his former boss and the owner of Myungwoo Hospital. As

July 9, 2014

SHINee’s Jonghyun and Taeyang fall for Haru

Haru, daughter of South Korean rapper Tablo, is capturing the hearts of male idols.K-pop idol group SHINee’s Jonghyun posted a photo that he took with Haru, with the caption “Haru, so cute,” on Tuesday. In the photo, Jonghyun is smiling while the 4-year-old is keeping a straight face. Another idol, Taeyang of K-pop boy group Big Bang, also posted a photo taken with Haru at a recording studio on Tuesday. “My Haru today. Thank you,” Taeyang wrote in the caption. The two are looking at each other l

July 9, 2014

Actress Yoo In-young’s femme fatale charisma

Actress Yoo In-young showed her femme fatale charisma in a photo shoot with fashion magazine Arena. Yoo wore heavy smoky makeup with red lips and matching elegant dresses. One photo shows her in a long cut-out dress, revealing her slim and perfect body.  By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: Arena)

July 9, 2014

Gong Hyo-jin, Jo In-sung go ‘nude’ in poster

Actor Jo In-sung and actress Gong Hyo-jin appear in the official poster of SBS rom-com series "It's Okay, That's Love." (SBS)The official poster for SBS rom-com series “It’s Okay, That’s Love” was revealed on Wednesday.The poster shows actor Jo In-sung and actress Gong Hyo-jin lying in a bath tub in their birthday suits, sharing a single sheet of red cloth to cover up the necessary parts. The bright white background and actors’ childlike smiles portray the classic concept of “happy love.” The dr

July 9, 2014

Gwangju troupe looks to ‘Rumors’ to spread the word

The Gwangju Performance Project will begin staging their summer production of Neil Simon’s “Rumors” next weekend.The farcical comedy explores the chaos unleashed after the Deputy Mayor attempts to shoot himself minutes before his 10th wedding anniversary dinner. The play will be the first staged by the Gwangju Performance Project since its original founders left Korea earlier this year, passing the company into the hands of current president Anna Volle. According Volle, who will also direct the

Expat LivingJuly 8, 2014

‘Players Play’ offers Shakespearean diversion

Seoul Shakespeare Company will present “The Player’s Play,” a production of monologues and music, this Saturday in Haebangchon. A departure from the company’s full-length performances of Shakespeare’s most famous productions, such as “Hamlet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Player’s Play” will include snippets of scenes and musical passages from Shakespearean classics. “The Tempest,” “Henry V,” “Julius Caesar,” “Macbeth” and “King Lear” are among the plays from which the short pieces will

Expat LivingJuly 8, 2014

Recapturing past glory

The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is coming to Korea next week for a concert through which the nearly century-old ensemble hopes to revive its past glory. The concert, to be held on July 15 at Seoul Arts Center, will be the Geneva-based orchestra’s first performance in Korea in 23 years. It also comes two months after the ensemble’s counterpart in German-speaking Switzerland, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, delivered a roof-raising performance in its first concert in Seoul on the same stage in April

PerformanceJuly 8, 2014

Movement pro transforms actors into apes on film

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Terry Notary is Hollywood’s human shape-shifter. In a blink, he can become an elf, an ape or almost any other moving creature. An expert in motion-capture performance, he specializes in bringing nonhuman characters to life on screen. He’s played goblins in “The Hobbit,” a Who in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and a winged, dragon-like banshee in “Avatar.” In “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” opening Friday, Notary plays more than 100 primates. He also taught the film’s stars

FilmJuly 8, 2014

Genre film festival branches out

For 17 years, Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival has focused on showcasing genre films, mostly horror, thriller and sci-fi movies. But the 2014 edition seeks to make progress in a new direction, including more films from other genres under the theme of “Love, Fantasy and Adventure.” A total of 210 films ― 123 features and 87 shorts ― from 48 countries will be screened during the 11-day festival, which kicks off July 17 in Bucheon, just west of Seoul.  A total of 131 films will get debu

FilmJuly 8, 2014

Super Junior gears up for ‘Super Show 6’ with Lee Teuk

K-pop powerhouse Super Junior is preparing to embark on yet another world tour, which will include Lee Teuk, starting in September, according to an announcement by SM Entertainment. Lee is expected to return to the limelight in full swing for the first time since he enlisted in the army to fulfill his mandatory military service in 2012. The K-pop star is scheduled to be discharged and return home on July 29. Kicking off the group’s upcoming “Super Show 6” world tour, the members will hold two co

July 8, 2014