The Korea Herald

Copy of Schindler’s list fails to find eBay buyer

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― An original copy of the list of Jews saved by Oskar Schindler from the Holocaust has gone unsold on eBay, but the auctioneer said Monday he’s not disappointed.The 14-page typewritten list ― bearing the names of 801 men ― originated with the German industrialist’s right-hand man Itzhak Stern and had a steep opening bid of $3 million.But by the end of the online auction Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Los Angeles time not one bid had been placed ― although there was no lack of interest.“Ov

CultureJuly 30, 2013

Wagner fest seeks new audiences with ‘pocket’ operas

BAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) ― Mini versions of Richard Wagner’s best-known works are on offer in Bayreuth this year for those who baulk at the prospect of sitting through operas lasting five hours and more.While Wagnerians from all over the world traipse up to Festspielhaus theater built to the composer’s own designs on the town’s Green Hill, children and opera novices can get a taste for his music in slimmed-down arrangements of two of his greatest masterpieces.The Bayreuth Festival’s highly succes

PerformanceJuly 30, 2013

Culture Ministry introduces standard contract for entertainment industry

TV actors should be given their script at least two days before shooting an episode, cast and crew must not shoot for more than 18 hours a day, and broadcasters should pay the cast and crew if their outsourcing production company be unable. These are some of the clauses included in the suggested standard contract between the nation’s broadcasters and outsourcing producers, drawn up by the Culture Ministry and unveiled on Tuesday. “While Korea’s popular culture is a major driving force for hallyu

TelevisionJuly 30, 2013

Psy’s new release due September

Psy has announced plans to release a new album in September. The release date has yet to be specified. Psy is currently in Los Angeles working on new tracks with songwriter Yoo Kun-hyung, who worked with the singer on megahits “Gangnam Style” and “Gentleman.” “Psy really likes some of the new songs,” his agency YG Entertainment stated, adding, “This time he will not be releasing a single but an album with multiple tracks on it.” Psy and his team are also deliberating on whether the title track

July 30, 2013

CBS defends handling of ‘Big Brother’ controversy

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) ― The “social experiment” that is the CBS television show,’ “Big Brother,” included appalling behavior this season but the network has responded appropriately, CBS Corp. CEO Les Moonves said Monday.Contestants have been caught on the reality show’s 24-hour-a-day Internet feed making boorish and racially insensitive remarks, and some were aired on one of the show’s TV episodes.“What you see there ... unfortunately is reflective of how certain people feel in America.

TelevisionJuly 30, 2013

59th Newport Jazz Fest stars Cole, Hancock

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) ― Roger Lewis has hauled his baritone saxophone to gigs in far-flung places, from England to Japan to New Guinea. He’s played so many places he’s lost count of precisely where he’s been. But he’s never forgotten Newport.Lewis, a member of New Orleans’ Dirty Dozen Brass Band, returns to Rhode Island’s city-by-the-sea again this weekend for the Newport Jazz Festival, an event he calls “one of the greatest festivals in the world.’’“I remember listening to that Ray Char

PerformanceJuly 30, 2013

Super Junior’s ‘Super Show 5’ gathers 110,000 fans

Some 110,000 people attended Super Junior’s “Super Junior World Tour ― Super Show 5” in Japan’s Tokyo Dome on July 27 and 28, S.M. Entertainment said.This was the boy band’s fifth “Super Show” since their first exclusive concert in February 2008. The Tokyo Dome concert marked the 80th show for the group. Including Super Junior’s audience in Singapore for the “Super Show” on July 6, more than 1 million people have attended the concerts. Super Junior performed past megahits such as “Sorry Sorry,”

July 30, 2013

Super Junior’s ‘Super Show 5’ gathers 110,000 fans

f(x) makes vibrant comeback with ‘Pink Tape’

K-pop group f(x) has made a splash with their second album “Pink Tape,” not only for their unique songs but also with choreography showcased in their comeback performances.Last week f(x) made several appearances on television music programs and turned heads with a unique performance for their new track “Rum Pum Pum Pum,” which was created by famous choreographer Jillian Meyers. The choreography includes a dance routine of the same name with patty-cake-inspired moves and other unique moves that

July 30, 2013

f(x) makes vibrant comeback with ‘Pink Tape’

Jang Keun-suk to launch ZIKZIN FESTIVAL in Japan

Hallyu star Jang Keun-suk is launching the ZIKZIN FESTIVAL, a unique expo that revolves entirely around Jang, from Aug. 3 to Aug. 4 in Osaka and Aug. 24 to Aug. 25 in Tokyo. ZIKZIN is a company that Jang launched. In March the singer-actor successfully opened ZIKZIN’s first cafe, ZIKZIN CAFE & DINING, in Tokyo. The festival will include Jang and his project group Team-H’s energetic performance as well as various programs and events.ZIKZIN FESTIVAL is unique because it is organized like a theme p

July 30, 2013

Jang Keun-suk to launch ZIKZIN FESTIVAL in Japan

Busker Busker album release, concert planned for September

Busker Busker, an indie band that came to fame through Mnet’s audition program “Superstar K,” is planning an official comeback in September with their sophomore full-length album.Busker Busker’s agency, Chungchun Music, announced through its official Facebook page that the band was busy making final touches to their album. To commemorate the release of their new album, the band is also planning a nationwide tour for their “2013 Busker Busker Concert.” “The band is working very hard for the relea

July 30, 2013

Busker Busker album release, concert planned for September

Kim Hyun-joong highlights Korean culture in ‘Unbreakable’

In the advent of the release of his third EP album, hallyu star Kim Hyun-joong not only unveiled a new look, but also introduced a new approach of infusing Korean traditional culture with his latest music video, “Unbreakable.” Kim, who became an international sensation thanks to his role in the smash hit Korean drama “Boy Over Flowers,” as well as being the leader of the popular K-pop idol group SS501, released his comeback album “Round 3” on July 22 after nearly two years. Widely known for his

PerformanceJuly 30, 2013

Kim Hyun-joong highlights Korean culture in ‘Unbreakable’

Woo Kyung-sik elected president of Union International Speleology

Woo Kyung-sik, a member of the National Heritage Committee, was elected president of the International Union of Speleology at its 16th Congress in Brno, the Czech Republic, on Sunday, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Monday. With the election, the 57-year-old will lead the member organization of the International Council for Science for four years. The council is in a close relationship with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which is the advisory body to the World Heri

PeopleJuly 29, 2013

Woo Kyung-sik elected president of Union International Speleology

Pugilist Pacquiao says will consider running for president

MACAU (AFP) ― Philippine boxing great Manny Pacquiao is harboring thoughts of running for president in his beloved homeland when he finally hangs up his gloves, he revealed to AFP in an exclusive interview.Giving his strongest hint yet that he will push to the top of the political tree when he finally retires from the ring, the “Pacman” ― a hero and congressman in his home country ― admitted he had considered the presidency of the 95 million-strong nation.When pressed on whether he had thought a

PeopleJuly 29, 2013

Pugilist Pacquiao says will consider running for president

U.N. chief to visit S. Korea next week on home leave

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit South Korea next month while on home leave, a diplomatic source said Monday.Ban’s visit is scheduled for Aug. 22 and he will stay here for six days, the source said. During his visit, the 69-year-old secretary-general will be with his mother who lives in Chungju, Ban’s hometown located 147 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the source. Ban’s itinerary also includes attending the opening ceremony for an international boat game to be

PeopleJuly 29, 2013

U.N. chief to visit S. Korea next week on home leave

Mandela still ‘critical’ after operation

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) ― South Africa’s presidency said Sunday that Nelson Mandela was still critically ill in hospital but improving slightly, declining to comment on a report the anti-apartheid hero had undergone an operation.The former statesman underwent a “surgical procedure to unblock a dialysis tube” on Friday just before marking his seventh week at a Pretoria health facility, according to U.S. news network CBS.The operation was “minor,” the network reported.But presidential spokesman Mac Mah

PeopleJuly 29, 2013

Jordan Matter, dancers combine the sublime with the mundane

Jordan Matter, a New York-based photographer, has been shooting dancers in everyday settings ― out in a park, on a pedestrian walk, in a subway and restaurant. The dancers’ bodies in motion against the mundane backdrops create images that people have never seen before: a man’s body drawn up in the air; a woman jumping a dozen times higher than the average woman does when her boyfriend proposes with an engagement ring. The photographs capture the thrill and adrenaline rush that people desire as t

PerformanceJuly 29, 2013

Jordan Matter, dancers combine the sublime with the mundane

Troubled Bolshoi seeks to prove stature on London tour

MOSCOW (AFP) ― Russia’s legendary Bolshoi Ballet next week begins a tour to London seeking to show it remains one of the greatest dance companies in the world, despite a season plagued by scandal and the attack on its artistic director.Since the Bolshoi’s first tour to London at the height of the Cold War in 1956, visits to the British capital have been a major calling card and a showcase for its talents.“In Moscow, we are one of the theaterss that people visit. But in London, people have been w

PerformanceJuly 29, 2013

British rain conquers N.Y.

NEW YORK (AFP) ― New Yorkers have been queueing in droves ― sometimes in sweltering temperatures ― for the novel experience of walking through rain without getting wet.The chance comes courtesy of Rain Room, a novel installation by British art collective Random International, at the Museum of Modern Art.Sophisticated motion sensors in the the 460-square-meter space ensure the downpour stops only in the precise position where people are detected.The creators say the set-up affords visitors the se

PerformanceJuly 29, 2013

Puppet Fest Chuncheon celebrates 25th year

The largest puppet festival in Korea, the annual Puppet Festival Chuncheon, kicks off on Aug. 9-15 this year. Marking its 25th anniversary, the festival will present 200 performances by 96 teams of puppeteers and puppet theater troupes from Korea and abroad. Seven acclaimed puppet troupes from six countries including Greece, China, Portugal, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Spain are participating in the festival. Greek team Nevma Theatre will feature the bunraku-style (a form of traditional Japanese p

CultureJuly 29, 2013

Puppet Fest Chuncheon celebrates 25th year

Tilda Swinton: Making ‘Snowpiercer’ was like ‘being in kindergarten’

What was it like to work with Korean director Bong Joon-ho in making a dystopian sci-fi thriller?According to famed British actress Tilda Swinton, it was like “being in a kindergarten.”“What made me decide to be in a Bong Joon-ho film? Bong Joon-ho,” the actress said in a press conference promoting their latest collaboration, “Snowpiercer,” in Seoul, Monday. “Not only his work, but really, the person. We met maybe two years ago and we became friends instantly. And we wanted to play together. I c

FilmJuly 29, 2013

Tilda Swinton: Making ‘Snowpiercer’ was like ‘being in kindergarten’