WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- In 1979, Annette Bening was 21 years old. A year earlier she had moved from San Diego to San Francisco to study classical drama. She remembers it as a time of tremendous change and uncertainty and the big moments like the day Harvey Milk and George Mascone were killed, but, for the most part her head was in Chekov and Shakespeare and Shaw and Arthur Miller. 　  So when she read the script for Mike Mills‘ “20th Century Women,” now in limited release, it caught her of

Film Jan. 1, 2017

Double S 301 member Kim Hyung-jun (CI ENT)SS301’s Kim Hyung-jun has passed the conscripted police exam and plans to enlist for his mandatory military service in April, according to his agency CI ENT. 　Kim had initially announced he would enlist in 2014, but his then-budding music and acting career led him to postpone the enlistment.  　Kim joins a number of other celebrities who plan to join the conscripted police force next year, including Big Bang’s T.O.P and JYJ’s Kim Jun-su. 　The artist made

Performance Dec. 29, 2016

AOA (FNC Entertainment)Girl group AOA will team up with mega K-pop producer Brave Brothers once again for its upcoming album, “Angels Knock.”　The album is slated for release on Jan. 2 and will mark AOA’s first full-length album since debuting in 2012. According to news reports, it will feature two lead singles, one of which was produced by Brave Brothers. 　Often referred to as a “hit maker,” Brave Brothers is one of the most sought after producers in the K-pop industry. It has worked alongside s

Performance Dec. 28, 2016

New K-pop boy band Varsity (CSO Entertainment)As the year comes to a close, 2017 is revving up to welcome a new string of groups hoping to become the industry’s next big thing. 　From the minds of the famed choreography company Yama & Hotchicks, founded by Bae Yoon-jung, new girl group Seeart is set to make its official debut next year.　The first group ever to be debuted by Yama & Hotchicks, the new K-pop act is garnering much attention as its makers are behind some of the industry‘s most famed d

Performance Dec. 28, 2016

Canadian pianist, composer and producer Steve Barakatt has agreed to compose and record the official anthem for the city of Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province.  　Saemangeum lies at the mouth of the Dongjin and Mangyeong rivers on the coast of the province. The area comprises reclaimed tidal land and is currently being developed as a free economic zone. 　“It is now official, I will compose the Official Anthem of the revolutionary City Project of Saemangeum, South Korea,” the New Age pianist tweete

Performance Dec. 26, 2016

Denzel Washington in “Fences.” (MMXVI Paramount Pictures Corporation)LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Denzel Washington is feeling pretty good at the moment. It‘s mid-December in Los Angeles, Washington is a few weeks shy of his 62nd birthday, and the Screen Actors Guild has just recognized his adaptation of the August Wilson play “Fences” for its ensemble cast. He’s also finally getting feedback from audiences as the film trickles out to theaters before opening wide on Christmas Day. 　  The ease around it i

Entertainment Dec. 23, 2016

Indie duo Bolbbalgan4 (Shofar Music)Indie duo Bolbbalgan4 has taken over the top of the charts once again with its new single “Say You Like Me,” knocking K-pop powerhouses Big Bang and EXO from the top spots.　A hidden track off the female duo’s first studio album, “Red Planet” was released on Thursday and has claimed the No. 1 spot on seven of the biggest local music charts including MelOn, Genie and Olleh. 　Bolbbalgan4 is considered to be unique in the local music industry, which is largely dom

Performance Dec. 22, 2016

A promotional image for the TV drama “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth.” (KBS2)The new TV drama “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth” is gearing up to hit the musical stage, according to Asia Bridge Contents on Wednesday. 　The period drama’s first of 20 episodes aired Monday, but there are already talks of turning the KBS2 TV series into a live musical. 　A statement by Asia Bridge Contents confirmed that the company, along with Oh Boy Project, already have plans to produce a musical spin-off of “Hwar

Performance Dec. 22, 2016

Based on the eponymous 1992 American blockbuster film “The Bodyguard,” the iconic movie-turned-musical has made its Asian premiere in Seoul.　A cult classic starring Kevin Costner as Frank Farmer and the late Whitney Houston as Rachel Marron, the film’s soundtrack went certified 17 times platinum and snagged a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, propelling the already popular rhythm and blues diva to superstardom. Having sold more than 45 million copies worldwide, “The Bodyguard” officially becom

Performance Dec. 21, 2016

AOA (FNC Entertainment)K-pop girl group AOA is hitting the spotlight next month, dropping the group’s first full-length album since debuting in 2012. 　According to an announcement by FNC Entertainment on Tuesday, the girl group will unveil their upcoming album on Jan. 2. The soon-to-be-released new album will also mark AOA’s first promotional activities following the departure of drummer Youkyung.　In October, FNC Entertainment announced that the K-pop starlet had decided to leave the agency afte

Performance Dec. 21, 2016

For many theater lovers, there is no greater holiday tradition than to spend an evening listening to the sounds of Tchaikovsky and watching battling toy soldiers.　“The Nutcracker” season is upon us and kicking off the Christmas festivities is the Universal Ballet which is staging the all-time holiday classic ballet Dec. 16-31. The company is also celebrating the 30-year anniversary of its first performance of the more than a century-old repertoire in 1986. 　Joining the Universal’s annual perform

Performance Dec. 20, 2016

The Herald Philharmonic Orchestra will take to the stage alongside ballad singer Shin Jae, soprano Shin Della, pansori singer Ahn So-eun and tenor Ryu Jung-pil in the upcoming “Nalrari Concert” series in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.　The orchestra’s upcoming New Year’s concert is being held Friday in the Sejong Gugak Center at 7:30 p.m.Ballad singer Shin Jae (Star & Tree Entertainment)　The “Nalrari Concert” series is aimed at providing rural audiences with an affordable opportunity to enjoy classica

Performance Dec. 20, 2016

Lost for more than a century, Igor Stravinsky’s “Funeral Song” is being revived and getting set for its Asian premiere in Seoul next month. 　The Seoul Philharmonic orchestra will perform Stravinsky‘s long-lost “Funeral Song” during its two-day concert series on Jan. 20 and 21 at the Lotte Concert Hall, marking only the third time the repertoire has ever been performed. 　The recently rediscovered 12-minute piece was composed by Stravinsky in 1908. It was first performed on Jan. 17, 1909, during a

Performance Dec. 18, 2016