Broadway Actress Lea Salonga to PerformBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Lea Salonga, Tony-award winning star of ``Miss Saigon,'' will hold her first solo concert in Seoul on June 16. Salonga, a Filipino actress best known for originating the role of Kim in ``Miss Saigon'' on London's West End and Broadway, will sing songs from famous musicals during the concert at the Seoul Arts Center. Accompanying Salonga at the concert is the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra. Fans of Disney animated films ``Aladdin'' and ``Mulan'' will recognize Salonga as the singing voice for Princess Jasmine and Fa Mulan. During her Seoul concert, she will perform ``Reflection'' from ``Mulan'' and ``A Whole New World'' from ``Aladdin.'' As a veteran of musicals in the West End and Broadway, Salonga will also perform ``Nothing'' from ``A Chorus Line,'' ``I've Never Been In Love Before'' from ``Guys and Dolls'' and ``I'd Give My Life For You'' from ``Miss Saigon.'' Salonga began her acting career in the Philippines when she appeared in the musical ``The King and I'' at the age of seven. When she was 10, she released her first albuMay 27, 2008
Investigation Program to Boom on Cable TVBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Investigation dramas are the trend on cable television screens. But instead of the ordinary cat-and-mouse plots, various headways are under way. Korean fans have been loyal to these programs ― from ``CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,'' and ``Cold Case'' to ``Without a Trace.'' MBC Dramanet's ``Byeolsoongeom'' also caught the eye of local and overseas fans with its distinctive investigation plots carried out in the Joseon era (1392-1910) last year. The program was recently nominated in the television drama section of the 48th Monte-Carlo Television Festival. Now, more local productions are joining in. OCN's ``Don't Ask of my Past'' (working title), tvN's ``My Cop'' and Super Action's ``KPSI (Korea Police Scientific Investigation): Season 2,'' are gearing up for a season of sexy, funny and serious investigation programs. ``Don't Ask of my Past'' is a comical and sexy investigation drama, starring Kim Won-hee (``Marrying the Mafia 2,'' 2005). Kim will play Kwak Sun-young, who after a car accident can tell a man's past from his body odors. She May 20, 2008
Local Dramas to Air in Middle EastBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Korea Global Media Group will launch ``Korea TV,'' a ``hallyu satellite broadcast,'' to spread Korean cultural contents throughout the Middle East and North Africa this coming July. The broadcaster will be the first private media group to advance into the area. More than 300 million locals in 27 countries will have access to a number of Korean programs from major broadcasts; including dramas, documentaries and even Korean language programs. All programs will have subtitles or dubbing services in either English or Arabic. ``Middle Easterners and North Africans are actually very similar to Koreans. They cherish family values and also enjoy love stories. As a result, many of the programs are about these themes,'' Lee Kyu-chung, the president of Korea Global Media Group and Korea TV, told The Korea Times. The group recently signed a contract with Nilesat103, Egypt's state-run satellite broadcast company, and will expand their services at one of the nation's biggest media centers, Egyptian Media Production City. Lee explained that he tuMay 18, 2008
Spotlight Shows Lives of ReportersBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter With MBC's new drama ``Spotlight,'' viewers will get a glimpse into the lives of broadcast news reporters covering the city beat. ``Spotlight'' depicts the journey toward success of a passionate city desk reporter Seo Woo-jin, played by top actress Son Ye-jin. Ji Jin-hee from the hit drama ``Jewel in the Palace'' will star as her strict, yet caring mentor, Oh Tae-seok. The drama will follow Seo's drudge through the grind to eventually become an anchorwoman. At the press conference held last week in southern Seoul, reporters and camera crews swarmed the room for a shot of Son. ``Spotlight'' is the first drama in two years for Son, 26, who has starred in movies like ``The Classic'' (2003) and ``The Art of Seduction'' (2005). ``I read the synopsis and had a strong impression. I especially liked the fact that (Seo) continues to strive to achieve her dreams. I was captivated by her passion and energy,'' Son said. A short clip of the drama drew laughter among reporters when Ji said ``You call yourself a reporter?'' hinting that theMay 13, 2008
Reality Programs Hit Cable TelevisionBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The trend on television these days is ``reality'' and these are beginning to dominate productions. Reality shows depict the stories of people of their lives. Unlike a drama or a talk show, the flow is more natural and most importantly, unpredictable. The programs delve deeper into meaning and look at those who are different. Boredom turns to entertainment. Mnet Media launched their ``star reality'' programs a while ago, and they have become widely popular among other cliche programs. ``Off the Record Lee Hyo-lee'' takes a look into the life of Korea's top singer. The cameras literally barge into her house, her studio and even her closet. Being a famous singer may have helped, but the program's popularity soared because it showed the ``real'' Lee. Fans are able to discover her personal side. ``Seo In-young's KAIST'' also takes the camera closer to celebrities. The program was produced to give Seo, a member of the female pop group Jewelry, the chance to experience university life. Because the singer debuted at an early age, she didn'tApr 29, 2008
Foreign Folk Musicians to Perform at DMZBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Folk and pop musicians Melanie Safka-Schekeryk, Judy Collins, Four Brothers and Dr. Hook will perform in a special peace concert near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Saturday, Yonhap News reported. Organizers on Tuesday announced the musicians will hold a special DMZ Peace concert at 3 p.m. on Saturday, with the aim of promoting peace in the Korean Peninsula. The concert will be held at a special stage in the former Labor Party building in Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon Province. Safka-Schekeryk had originally come up with the idea of a festival similar to Woodstock, when she visited the DMZ two years ago. She played her first concert in Imjinkak, along the DMZ in November 2006. The DMZ peace concert will open the Flower Power Peace Festival, May 4-5, at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium. The festival, which gathers musicians and groups from the 1960s and 1970s, is aimed at promoting peace and reuniting the two Koreas. This year marks 55th anniversary of the truce between the two Koreas. Other performers at the Flower Power Peace Festival are Apr 29, 2008
American Playwright Depicts Plight of Comfort WomenBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter American playwright Lavonne Mueller first found out about the ``comfort women'' or World War II sex slaves, when she was on a study grant in Tokyo in the early 1990s. She saw a big demonstration, but when she asked some Japanese people what it was about, no one gave her a straight answer. ``I finally found a man at a coffee shop who told me about the women in military brothels. Then, he dismissed it, saying `that's just war.' I became angry because it was a secret. I feel the only way we can come to terms with our past in order not to repeat it is to know about the past and what happened. Anything kept secret is wrong,'' Mueller told The Korea Times in an interview last week. This incident prompted her to find out more about the estimated 200,000 comfort women in Japanese military brothels, mostly in Korea, during World War II. Mueller was shocked since history books did not even mention atrocities inflicted by Japanese soldiers against women in Korea, China, the Philippines and other Japanese-occupied territories. She channeled hApr 29, 2008
Duran Duran Rocks SeoulBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Duran Duran brought back memories of the 80's with an exciting concert on Thursday, their first in Seoul in nearly 20 years. Screams greeted Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor as they appeared on stage at Olympic Gymnasium #1, Olympic Park, southern Seoul. They started the concert with an energetic performance of ``Valley.'' ``Annyonghaseyo, Korea,'' Le Bon, the group's front man, greeted the crowd. ``You're all amazing. The flashing lights and people clapping, with joy on your faces.'' Duran Duran sang many of their hit songs in the 80's like ``Hungry Like the Wolf,'' ``Planet Earth,'' ``The Reflex,'' ``Come Undone'' and ``A View to a Kill,'' to the delight of their fans. To keep things fresh for the audience, the older songs were given slightly more modern arrangements. The band also introduced some of their newer songs from the ``Red Carpet Massacre'' album, including the title song and ``Falling Down.'' Le Bon boasted ``Falling Down'' was written by his ``new best friend," Justin Timberlake. WhilApr 18, 2008
Local Epic Dramas to Air in Japanese HomesBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Japanese fans have been loyal to Korean dramas ever since the successful ``Winter Sonata'' (2002), starring Bae Yong-joon, visiting the filming sites and attending fan meetings of their favorite Korean stars. The demand is still high as they seek for more and something different. At the MIPTV/Milia 2008, an annual international exhibition of audiovisual and digital contents held in Cannes, France, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) signed a contract with a Japanese broadcast company for the export of four of their period dramas, ``Dragon's Tears'' (1998), ``King and Queen'' (1999), ``Warrior's Age'' (2003) and ``Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin'' (2004). Until recently, the Korean dramas Japanese viewers enjoyed watching were mostly ``soap operas,'' with heartthrob celebrities starring in heartbreaking love stories. But the new dramas being sent to Japan are quite different ― they have historical backgrounds and plots. ``Tears of the Dragon'' (1998) depicts the life of King Taejong of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), while ``King and Queen'' shApr 15, 2008
Korean Dramas Remade in Philippines, JapanBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter When the SBS drama ``My Girl'' was shown on primetime Philippine TV in 2006, the dialogue was dubbed in the Filipino language and the characters played by actress Lee Da-hae and actor Lee Dong-wook were re-named Jasmine and Julian. Filipino audiences fell in love with the romantic comedy series, making it one of the most popular Korean dramas in the Philippines. Since it was such a big hit, ABS-CBN, the broadcasting network that aired the drama, decided to remake ``My Girl'' with an all-Filipino cast. ABS-CBN bought the rights to remake the drama from SBS, and the Philippine version of ``My Girl'' is scheduled to air next month. ``We're retaining the basic core of the story, but we're `Philippinizing' it in so many ways. So it's going to be different. Ours is a combination of drama and comedy. It's a younger version definitely. The number of episodes is slightly more as well. Our version should run for about 16 to 20 hours," ABS-CBN business unit head Deo Edrinal said in a statement. While the story is set in the PhilippinApr 15, 2008