Arts school works to give students a fighting chance

This is the sixth in a series on producers, MCs, DJs and artists working in the Korean underground hip-hop scene. ― Ed.Most entertainers, musicians and actors will agree that an academic degree is not always necessary for a career in entertainment. But nowadays, just like most of the working world, it’s harder to get jobs based on talent alone. Young job seekers need a set of skills and techniques along with talent.That is what Korea Conservatory, an arts school based in Apgujeong-dong, is hopin

PerformanceSept. 15, 2013

Can Rottini become Korea’s Il Divo?

Korea’s music market already has a wealth of “popera” singers, but Ensemble Rottini are aiming to take the genre to the next level.In the past several years, men with charms and sweet voices have been drawing not only classical music lovers but also pop fans seeking something different. Rottini, which released its first mini album “Vita Mia” on Sept. 10 is the latest product from Credia, an influential classical music artists’ agency, who joined the growing throng of hopefuls looking to become t

PerformanceSept. 15, 2013

Staying in the city for big break

Chuseok surely is a huge deal in Korea, filled with family joys and the signature holiday food.Yet for Seoulites who choose not to visit their family in the countryside, or expats who don’t plan to travel, the holiday leaves them with little to do.Seoul, however, offers a number of options for those who choose to stay in the city for the holiday, from an expat-oriented film festival to English-language musicals. This year’s Chuseok break ― Wednesday to Friday ― is unusually and luckily long, as

CultureSept. 13, 2013

Calendar

Dance“SIDance”: The annual Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance) is returning in October, featuring a total of 51 dance companies from 16 countries. The opener this year is a performance by Canadian troupe Cas Public, with its stylish variation of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” Other invited troupes include France’s Cie Heddy Maalem, Finland’s Dance Theatre Auraco, and Italy’s Ambra Senatore. This year’s SIDance runs from Oct. 7 to 27 at Gangdong Arts Center, Seoul Art Center and Goyang A

CultureSept. 13, 2013

Box Office: The Face Reader, The Spy, Elysium

The Face ReaderOpened Sept. 11Drama. Directed by Han Jae-rim. Nae-gyeong (Song Kang-ho) is the son of a disgraced noble family living in the Joseon era with a talent for physiognomy. With one glance of a person’s face, he is able to assess their personality, mental state, and habits. He is approached by officials in the royal court to use his skills to help solve a murder case. Nae-gyeong’s talents become recognized by the royal court and he is asked to not only solve crimes but also assist the

FilmSept. 13, 2013

Eyelike: ‘Coup D’etat’ no revolution

‘Coup D’etat’ no revolutionG-Dragon “Coup D’etat”(KT Music)G-Dragon’s second studio album “Coup D’etat” is chock-full of colorful songs and features big-name artists, but are the songs really “revolutionary?”Title track “Coup D-etat,” is actually one of the weakest songs on the album. Featuring Diplo and Baauer, the same beat and melody plays throughout the whole song, making it repetitious and boring. “Niliria,” featuring Missy Elliot, has a unique sound consisting of an interesting mix of trad

PerformanceSept. 13, 2013

‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ shuns scares for laughs

More silly than its sinister predecessor, “Insidious: Chapter 2” is entertaining for the contortions the script makes to incorporate both a brief prequel and highlights from the first film into a new 105-minute package.This is a Mobius strip of a movie, looping in on itself with ghosts from “The Further” and parallel existences interwoven into the lives of the lost Lamberts of sunny Somewhere, Calif.Those “Saw” / “Insidious” guys James Wan (director) and Leigh Whannell (co-writer, co-star) throw

FilmSept. 13, 2013

Hollywood studio teaches dogs how to fly

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― For $349, your dog can learn to fly.One Hollywood film studio now prepares dogs for a safe and calm flight.The Air Hollywood class includes a real fuselage on a sound stage with a simulator that mimics takeoff, turbulence and landing. Hollywood extras create crowds and the chaos that come with airport terminals.Talaat Captan, president and CEO of Air Hollywood, the world’s largest aviation-themed film studio, had the idea after noticing a dog owner having a rough time getting

TravelSept. 13, 2013

Pyramids quiet on visit to crisis-hit Egypt

CAIRO (AP) ― The lone tourist bus curved through the desert past the limestone-topped Pyramid of Khafre, leaving the camel handlers and postcard sellers trudging through its dust. It rounded one last turn, then settled atop a plateau overlooking the pyramid and its two mammoth siblings.The bus door flapped open, unleashing a dozen Chinese tourists into the empty parking lot. They strolled toward the plateau’s edge, cameras and parasols in hand, just ahead of the vendors scrambling at the prospec

TravelSept. 13, 2013

Songpyeon (half-moon shaped rice cakes)

Chuseok is right around the corner. A must-have Chuseok delicacy is songpyeon ― small half-moon shaped rice cakes (tteok) that are stuffed with sweet fillings and steamed on a bed of pine needles. The name songpyeon stems from the use of pine needles (“song” in “songpyeon” means pine tree).Traditionally, short grain rice was soaked overnight and drained before being ground into a fine powder in a gristmill. These days, you can easily find bags of wet rice powder that is specifically made for mak

FoodSept. 13, 2013

Around the Hotels

Experience the ‘Taste of Walkerhill’Celebrating the hotel’s 50th anniversary, Sheraton Grande Walkerhill and W Seoul Walkerhill have planned special gourmet menus and events to appeal to food lovers. At restaurant CLOCK16, Michelin-star Italian chef Igor Macchia will organize an Italian menu prepared with locally grown ingredients paired with Luce & Frescobaldi wine for 200,000 won. A more affordable option available from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 will allow guests to enjoy fusion dishes of Korean and

FoodSept. 13, 2013

Gourmet sandwiches in Bukchon

Sandwiches are the oft-unsung heroes of lunch-on-the-go. Two slices of bread slapped around a filling to be downed in transit, in front of the computer or on a park bench; convenient, simple and tasty, the hand-held meal can be found most anywhere and so can be just as easily taken for granted.One bakery-cafe, however, knows that a great sandwich can be much more than that.The Barn ― which first opened as a bake studio-cafe in Sinsa-dong before launching its second spot, a cafe-bakery in Seoul’s

FoodSept. 13, 2013

SMTOWN heads to Beijing for Oct. gig

S.M. Entertainment-affiliated K-pop artists are set to perform for the “SMTOWN Live World Tour III in Beijing” on Oct. 19 at Beijing National Stadium.The Korean artists will be the first to use the exclusive location that has not been opened to any foreign artist since the 2008 Olympics. The stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest because of its unique design, is capable of holding up to 90,000 people at a time. “Only top Chinese stars like Jackie Chan, Leehom Wang and Andy Lau have been able to

Sept. 13, 2013

J.K. Rowling to pen new magic movie for Warner Bros

LONDON (AP) ― J.K. Rowling’s world of wizardry is coming back to the big screen ―but without Harry Potter.Film studio Warner Bros. announced Thursday that Rowling will write the screenplay for a movie based on “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” her textbook to the magical universe she created in the boy wizard’s stories.The story will focus on the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander, and is anticipated to be the first in a series.Rowling said in a statement the movie “is neither a p

FilmSept. 13, 2013