Entertainment - The Korea Times

Um, Moon to perform in Closer

By Chung Ah-young Staff reporter Actor Um Ki-joon and actress Moon Geun-young will return to the stage in the play "Closer" next month as part of the Play Festival 2010 titled "I Love the Stage" in Daehangno. The play by Patrick Marber revolves around four young men and women through love, truth and relationships. Since it premiered in 1997 in London, it has been staged in more than 100 cities in the world and translated into 30 languages. The drama was also adapted into a film starring Natalie Portman as Alice and Jude Law as Dan in 2004. Um will play Dan in the upcoming show, while Moon will take on the role of Alice. Better known as a musical actor, Um debuted in the play "Richard III" in 1995 and has starred in numerous musicals including "Singing in the Rain," "Grease," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Finding Kim Jong-wook" and "The Three Musketeers." His popularity increased after he appeared in television dramas and sitcoms such as "Kimchi Cheese Smile," "Good Job, Good Job" and "Hero." Um recently starred in the film "Man of Vendetta" with actor Kim Myung-min.

Jul 13, 2010

Next wave of hallyu to show Korean spirit

By Kim Ji-soo Staff reporter It's hard to see such top Korean stars as Song Hye-gyo or Jeon Ji-hyun or Rain on Korean screens these days. Song is in China, busily learning Cantonese and martial arts for her role in Wong Kar-wai's forthcoming film. Jeon is reportedly working in Shanghai, also with her eyes on a role in a Chinese film. Their overseas activities is spurred largely by the popularity of ``hallyu" or the Korean wave, which began in 2002 in Japan and China. It started as demand for Korean dramas, films and pop music and peaked around 2005 and has spread gradually since then. ``People say that hallyu is gone. What they don't realize is that hallyu has now spread to become part of people's lives and economy," said David S. Shin, director of Korean Institute for Hallyu Research. Hallyu has come to embody everything from pop cultural content, to food, to ``makgeolli." In the case of Central Asia and the Middle East, where Korean pop culture spread after the initial craze in Japan and China, the demand for Korean electronic goods is high, Shin said. ``With makge

Jul 13, 2010By Kim Ji-soo

Can Eugene add something new to beauty scene?

By Han Sang-hee Staff reporter Pull out your mascara and lip gloss as former girl band S.E.S. member Eugene prepares to share her beauty secrets with her new show ``Get It Beauty’’ this week. Beauty is one of the most important topics for both young women and men in Korea. There are numerous makeup classes offered in department stores by various cosmetic brands, and famous beauty tip bloggers on the web even share advice. On top of this, celebrities can also be a big help in sharing some of the best tricks in the business. The 29-year-old singer-turned-actress has already proven her expertise on the subject from hosting shows and writing a book ``Eugene’s Beauty Secret’’ last year ― and hopefully, more viewers will get to pick her brain on the subject. ``In `Get It Beauty,’ we will openly and truthfully talk about women’s beauty. We’ll tackle the worries and secrets women have and also try to come up with helpful and easy solutions,’’ she said during a press conference last week at multicultural space Garden Place in central Seoul. ``Our aim is to make a show tha

Jul 12, 2010

The Smashing Pumpkins to perform in August

By Han Sang-hee Staff reporter American alternative rock group The Smashing Pumpkins is returning to Korea for the first time in 10 years. When the group's front man Billy Corgan came to Korea back in 2000, the 43-year-old said that he was a fool not to have visited Korea in the past. That performance was the first and last one he gave here after he announced the band's break up. Ten years have passed, and Korean rock fans will finally get another chance to enjoy the music of the famous band. The group has been through a facelift over the years and the local audience will get to watch the new team comprised of Corgan, guitarist Jeff Schroder, bassist Nicole Fiorentino and drummer Mike Byrne this coming August. In tune with the recent implosion in the music industry and his intentions of direct communication with fans, Corgan decided to try something completely new and innovative: posting songs one by one as soon as they were completed on the band's website (www.smashingpumpkins.com), all free for fans. The approach is part of the 44-track epic ``Teargarden by K

Jul 7, 2010

Legendary `gumiho’ tale gets a facelift

By Han Sang-hee Staff reporter Along with the sizzling heat comes the tragic tale of the ``gumiho,'' or nine-tailed fox. Major network KBS is bringing the legendary gumiho this summer through its new drama series ``Grudge: The Revolt of Gumiho,'' but with an interesting twist that will hopefully captivate horror fans. Legend says that the gumiho transforms itself into a beautiful woman to seduce men, eventually leading to deadly revenge or murder. In the new series, the beautiful gumiho named Gu-san has a daughter. Born of a human father and monster mother, Yeon-i is an innocent young girl, and the two cursed souls wander searching for a safe place to stay. They end up living with Yoon Du-su, a former official and a father looking for a cure for his sick daughter, and the tale of love, betrayal, friendship and jealously starts to unfold. This is certainly not the first time for a network to bring the ancient horror tale to life, and one may wonder what KBS has in store this time. There are two factors networks can play with: the storyline and the computer graphi

Jul 6, 2010

Rocker opines his best subject: music

By Han Sang-hee Staff reporter Singer Shin Hae-chul may be famous for his music, but he's also famous for having some forceful opinions. A lot of them. The 42-year-old was chosen as the most honest celebrity in the Korean entertainment industry early this year through a survey by cable channel QTV. He has appeared on numerous debate programs alongside politicians and is not afraid to write provocative comments on his Website and on Twitter. While his fans cheered when he made headlines for his opinions, others berated him for having too many. Being in the spotlight for more than 20 years, Shin made a name for himself as a lead singer of the rock group N.EX.T., a music producer, composer and radio host and this time he's trying out being a lecturer. He started the music institute Siren Academy in 2009 and as head of the a professional academy, he decided to roll up his sleeves to share his experiences and insight to music lovers and aspiring artists for the time being. He was himself at the first lecture last Friday held at the White Wave Hall in Seocho-dong, southern

Jul 5, 2010

Get lighter with `Diet War’ season 4

By Han Sang-hee Staff reporter Summer is here, and this means more exercise, less food and the resultant fatigue. For those who need some advice and companionship, tune in to cable channel Story On’s fourth season of its popular program ``Diet War.’’ Led by model and host Hyun Young, the show will bring a total of 12 contestants and follow them on the toughest journey of their lives. Losing weight can be a grueling task, especially for some contestants who weigh over 100 kilograms. The best way to understand them was to go through the ordeal together and that was what producer Lee Jin Min did. ``I needed to understand the mechanism of losing weight, so I started working out and lost three kilograms in the past three months,’’ she said laughing during a press conference at the Seoul Press Center, central Seoul, Tuesday. ``By working on the last three seasons, we have learned so much about losing weight. Dieting is a nationwide interest and we are planning to share our know-how with viewers this season as well,’’ Lee added. The slogan for this season is ``Smar

Jun 30, 2010

Fashion on TV: are just facts enough?

By Han Sang-hee Staff reporter For fashion-savvy men and women, television is the easiest way to tune into the latest trends. Nowadays, cable channels offer various programs from both home and abroad, and it's up to viewers to pick the most suitable show to fit their taste. Browsing the shows aired here, one may find that local offerings tend to feature only one side of fashion and also discover the need for more entertaining, creative ideas to attract the eyes and ears of viewers. What is fashion without a bit of innovation and creativity, anyway? The more information, the better Fashion programs in Korea follow a common pattern: the more information, the better. Many shows here offer advice on the act of purchasing: where to buy what, how to get the best deal, and which season or time is the best to open your wallets. ``It hasn't been long since viewers have shown such a vast interest in fashion. We have a limited amount of time to produce and make such shows and one of the most important factors is the budget. Limited time and budget doesn't allow for a lo

Jun 29, 2010

Stay healthy by studying your genes

By Han Sang-hee Staff reporter Checking your genes might be another way to stay healthy. Cable channel tvN is bringing its new entertainment program ``Table for the Gods’’ and its search for the perfect meal depending on the human genome, to viewers. Eating the right food depending on genetic factors and the condition of the body is an important way to stay healthy, according to ancient Korean medical records. Instead of listing famous restaurants and recipes, the show will invite celebrities, study their DNA and find out which food is best for them. ``We were thinking of making a health-related program and then came up with the idea of introducing the concept of `gene reading,’’’ a member of the channel’s promotion team told The Korea Times. ``I heard that rich people went to Japan and other countries and spend a lot of money to check their genes. This was to look out for future illnesses and make proper preparations. Now the cost has downsized, enabling us to make such a program for viewers,’’ the host Shin Dong-yeop said during a press conference last week

Jun 28, 2010

Will new culinary program spice up TV?

By Han Sang-hee Staff reporter Cable channel KBS N Joy is airing a culinary competition based on Korea's favorite sauce: gochujang, or hot red pepper paste. Titled ``Cooking Olympic Gochujang,'' the show will offer a stage for contestants to show off their cooking skills and compete for the grand prize of 10 million won. There's only one catch: they must use the spicy paste in their recipes. Local channels have been struggling to bring something new to the table with culinary shows over the years, for television can be a great way to advertise Korean food, or ``hansik," if effective. There have been documentaries, contests, reality shows and dramas, but nothing has really captivated foreign taste buds. One of the problems would be trying out too many things at once. Korean food is hard for those not acquainted with it to follow many different recipes at the same time, or in this case, the same show. KBS' documentary ``Noodle Road'' (2008) proved that food programs are not about the number and variety of recipes, but the quality and also the art of concentration. It dr

Jun 23, 2010

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