Illness forces McCartney to can Korea concert Fans take photos in front of a promotional truck bearing an image of Paul McCartney at Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo, Tuesday. The singer’s spokesman said Wednesday that his upcoming Seoul concert has also been affected by an illness that caused him to cancel the Japan tour. / AP-YonhapBy Do Je-haePaul McCartney is canceling his first-ever Korea concert because of illness, his organizers said Wednesday.The 71-year-old singer was scheduled to give a solo performance on May 28 at Jamsil Sports Complex Main Stadium as part of the Hyundai Card Super Concert series.The former Beatle contracted a virus last week and canceled a string of concerts, including the one in Japan’s Nippon Budokan hall, where the Beatles performed during their first Japanese tour in 1966. “Acting on the advice from his doctors, McCartney has canceled his plans in Seoul to facilitate a complete rest,” read a Hyundai Card statement.“Paul is still not feeling better and this cancellation is unavoidable. All possibilities to reschedule this show are being explored,” a spokeMay 21, 2014By Do Je-hae
Can 'Superstar K' repeat early success? Roy Kim, winner of Superstar K's fouth season, is among the biggest stars that the audition program has produced. / Korea Times fileJudges are a crucial component of Superstar K. Pop star Lee Seung-chul is one of the judges that has raised the profile of the singing talent show.By Baek Byung-yeul"Superstar K” is coming off a lackluster fifth season, with fewer people watching the Korean equivalent of “American Idol.” To turn things around, entertainment conglomerate CJ E&M plans to incorporate some modifications into the singing competition’s format.Ahead of the Superstar K’s new season, to be carried by cable TV’s Mnet starting Aug. 22, its creators talked to the press about some of the new elements that will be added to the show.“To find more gifted musicians, we increased the number of local tryouts from seven to 14 this year,” said Kim Moo-hyun, the show’s new producer, at a press conference in Seoul, Monday. “We also want to find the next Busker Busker. For this reason, we are expanding audition opportunities fMay 20, 2014
Bae Doo-na appears at Cannes fest with Jim Sturgess Bae Doo-na is seen with ‘Cloud Atlas’ actor Jim Sturgess on her arrival at Cannes, Monday. / AP-YonhapBy Lee Kyung-minActress Bae Doo-na arrived at the Cannes Film Festival to promote her latest film “A Girl at My Door,” one of three Korean films that have gotten a nomination at the prestigious event. The film is a debut for director July Jung.In the latest movie, Bae plays police academy graduate Young-nam who gets demoted and sent to work at a police station in a remote coastal city. Her character meets Do-hee, played by Kim Sae-ron, a teenage girl who suffers constant abuse from her stepfather, played by actor Song Sae-byeok. Bae portrays a character who sees herself in Kim Sae-ron’s character and recognizes that they are suffering from similar pain, and the two characters develop a meaningful friendship. Bae said that she was so fascinated by the storyline that she decided to star in the movie without pay. At the film’s official screening at the Theatre Debussy, those in attendance gave it a three-minute standing ovation and it received poMay 20, 2014
Pop singer Seo Tai-ji to make comeback in fall Popular veteran singer Seo Tai-ji will return to his fans with a new album in the fall, an entertainment agency said Monday.Wellmade Starm Inc. said Seo has recently signed a contract with its performance planning subsidiary, Show21, for a nationwide concert tour to mark the planned release of his ninth full-length album.The tour is set to begin in Seoul but the exact timing and venues of the shows were not fixed, the company said.The shows are expected to sell more than 10 billion won (US$9.77 million) worth of tickets as it would be his first single performance in five years, it added. Seo's management agency, Seotaiji Company, will be in charge of the shows' production, Wellmade said.Seo made his debut as lead singer of the boy band "Seo Tai-ji & Boys" in 1992 and went on to produce several mega-hit albums.The 41-year-old star tied the knot with actress Lee Eun-seong in August after ending a 14-year-long secret marriage with actress Lee Ji-ah. He last released an album in 2009 and his ninth album is highly likely to be out after the closure of the Incheon Asian Games in OctobeMay 19, 2014
Leaping toward stardom Actor Ji Chang-wook poses at a cafe in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, Tuesday, May 13. / Courtesy of Glorious Entertainment‘Empress Ki’ actor outshines Ha Ji-won with breakthrough roleBy Baek Byung-yeulWhen MBC announced plans to air the period drama “Empress Ki” last year, it was actress Ha Ji-won, one of the biggest names in K-drama, who received all the media attention. By the time the drama ended a few weeks ago, it was the performance of budding actor Ji Chang-wook that had left the strongest impression on critics and fans of the drama.The 26-year-old now finds himself well on his way to stardom after a compelling portrayal of an ancient Chinese monarch who passionately falls for a Korean peasant ultimately becoming his queen. Their intense love story made the 51-part series a huge hit for six months from last October to April. At a time when major broadcasters are losing drama viewers to cable channels, Ji’s impassioned performance led ‘Empress Ki’ to a rare ratings success.In a recent interview with The Korea Times, the up-and-coming thespian,May 18, 2014
Jeon Do-yeon arrives in Cannes Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon, left, and American director Sofia Coppola attend the opening ceremony of this year’s Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on Thursday (KST). /AFP-YonhapBy Kim Tong-hyungJeon Do-yeon graced the red carpet with an elegant black dress and heels at the opening ceremony of this year’s Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on Thursday (KST).eon, a star of several critically acclaimed films such as "Secret Sunshine” (2007) and “The Housemaid” (2010), joins jury president Jane Campion and other influential figures in world cinema, including Sofia Coppola, Willem Dafoe and Gael Garcia Bernal. Chinese director Jia Zhangke, French actress Carole Bouquet, Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn and Iranian actress Leila Hatami complete the list.Previous Korean jury members at Cannes included late director Shin Sang-ok (1926-2006), at the 1994 event, and director Lee Chang-dong for the 2009 event. Lee was the director of ``Secret Sunshine,’’ which won Jeon the best actress award at the 60th Cannes festival May 15, 2014
Yoo In-na, Ji Hyun-woo split Yoo In-naJi Hyun-wooBy Kim Tong-hyungActress Yoo In-na and actor Ji Hyun-woo have ended their two-year relationship, according to Yoo’s agency.YG Entertainment, which represents Yoo, confirmed the widespread rumors that Ji and Yoo were no longer a couple.While YG did not comment on why Yoo and Ji broke up, a source close to the two said they frequently found it difficult to keep their relationship going with so much public pressure.The two began dating since filming the tvN period drama “Queen Inhyeon’s Man’’ in 2012. Rumors about a deteriorated relationship were stoked last month when Yoo didn’t attend a fan event for Ji upon his compulsory military service.May 14, 2014
Exo-M tops Chinese music chart By Park Jin-haiEXO-M, a six-member subunit of EXO performing in China, topped the Chinese music chart Friday with its new song “Overdose.” On CCTV’s global music section launched in March, the track sung in Chinese was voted as the most popular song in a week-long poll conducted through its website and ARS services. EXO has been promoting the song since they showcased their 2nd album on April 15 in and out of Korea. The Chinese language album was released on May 7 concurrently with its Korean version released in Seoul. On Sunday, EXO held a large-scale showcase “EXO-The 2nd Mini Album Comeback Show” at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, which drew some 10,000 fans. May 11, 2014By Park Jin-hai
'Han Gong-ju' draws 200,000 viewers By Park Jin-haiThe low-budget film “Han Gong-ju” exceeded 200,000 viewers on May 9 becoming the most viewed indie film in the shortest period of time. On its opening day on April 17, some 10,000 people watched the film. This increased to 100,000 in just nine days at an unprecedented pace, according to its distributor CGV Movie Collage on Friday. The movie, based on the infamous Miryang gang rape in 2004, depicts the tragic story of a victimized girl. As of April 29, it reached the 150,000 audience mark, breaking the record of “Jiseul,” which sold 140, 490 tickets in 12 days. Amid the opening of such large scale commercial films as “The Fatal Encounter,” “The Target” and “Amazing Spiderman 2,” it has succeeded in attracting average audiences of 2,000 on any week day. The film, directed by Lee Su-jin, has received a total of eight awards locally and overseas, including the 18th Pusan International Film Festival, Morocco Marakesh Film Festival and the Rotterdam FilMay 11, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Hallyu stars return to big screen Song Seung-heon, left, and Jang Dong-gun — will venture into new roles in upcoming films “Obessed” and “Crying Man” respectively. / Yonhap and Korea TimesBy Park Jin-haiTwo hallyu heartthrobs ― Song Seung-heon and Jang Dong-gun ― will venture into new roles in upcoming films.Song, 37, the star of “Autumn in My Heart,” will appear in the mellow romance movie “Obsessed” in May, while Jang in the action film “Crying Man” in June.At the press previews, held over two days, the two veteran actors of 20 years looked more tense than before. Both Song and Jang, are being put to the test for their new roles.Returning to the big screen in four years with “Obsessed,” Song is no longer a gentle, sweet lover. He is a married soldier who falls in love with the wife of his subordinate.Song Seung-heon plays a role of a married soldier who falls in love with the wife of his subordinate in “Obsessed.”He said that the movie itself was a great challenge for him.“It is the first time I May 11, 2014By Park Jin-hai
