Seoul Fringe to Celebrate 10th AnniversaryBy Seo Dong-shin Staff Reporter The Seoul Fringe Festival (SFF), which began as the Indie Festival, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The festival has served as a great outlet for up and coming artists to tout their talent. Performed in and around Daehangno, the nation's theater mecca, in the late 1990s the event then moved near Hongik University in 2001. It has been a few years since commercialization and pop culture, pandering to the taste of teenage consumers, reared its head in what was once underground culture mecca. But the aim of SFF is to prove that there are still people who have not given up on their experimental mindset of searching for alternatives. Scheduled from Aug. 14 to Sept. 1, the festival offers diverse programs under several categories, such as music festival, visual arts festival, performing arts festival, as well as street festival. Its Aug. 14 opening will bring performances from all different genres together. Mime artists, ska music band, and indie dancers will be joined by Singapore band Observatory as well as DJ Guru from South Korea Jul 31, 2007
Fresh Faces in K-pop This SummerBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter As if the public has not had enough of K-pop groups like TVXQ and Super Junior, a new batch of girl groups and boy bands are coming out this summer. This August, top entertainment companies S.M. Entertainment, CJ M.net Media and JYP Entertainment are introducing new groups that they believe will be K-pop's next big thing. S.M. Entertainment will try to replicate the success of its super-sized boy band Super Junior with new all-girl group. The nine-member So Nyeo Shi Dae, which translates to The Era of Girls, will make its debut next month. To generate more buzz for the new group, S.M. Entertainment introduced the members one at a time. Individual videos showing the pretty, fresh-faced girls talking about themselves are also available on the Internet. S.M. Entertainment said the group members would not just sing and dance, but also take on acting, modeling, DJ and emceeing jobs. This obviously follows the approach taken with Super Junior, whose 13 members are not just singers and dancers, but also actors, models, emcees anJul 24, 2007
Kim Dong-wan: Out of Shinhwa’s ShadowBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter It may be hard to imagine, but even a long-time boy band member like Kim Dong-wan can get nervous when embarking on a solo career. Even having sold hundreds of thousands of albums as a member of Shinhwa, Kim admitted he is a little apprehensive at the reaction to his first album ``Kimdongwan Is.'' ``I'm kind of nervous to have a performance by myself, to stand on stage by myself and to do a whole song," he told The Korea Times at a cafe in Apgujeong, Wednesday. Wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and jeans, Kim looked relaxed and showed no sign of fatigue, even though he was in the middle of rehearsals. Kim said it was Shinhwa's successful Asian tour last year, which brought them to Singapore, China, Thailand and Japan, that prompted him to decide to pursue a solo music career. ``I realized that Shinhwa was loved in Asia. I felt like I had something special I wanted to share with fans… Now I think this is the right time for me to debut as a singer,'' he said. If the pressure of going solo was not enough, Kim also has to Jul 10, 2007
Super Junior Hits Big ScreenBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Super Junior, one of the most popular boy bands in K-pop, is making their big screen debut with the film ``Attack on the Pin-up Boys'' this month. At first glance, the film may seem like another ``idol movie" meant to show off the charms of Super Junior's good-looking members, rather than their acting ability. However, Park Jung-su, the group's leader who is also known as Lee Teuk, said he hopes people would not judge the film as just an ``idol movie." ``Since we debuted (as a group), we announced we will work not just as singers, but also as MCs and actors. I hope people will get rid of their prejudices a little, and watch us as new actors, not as singers," he said, during the film's press conference at Imperial Palace Hotel in Apgujeong, Thursday. Since Super Junior is one of most popular groups today, there are a lot of high expectations for the film. The film, with a budget of 850 million won, is the first to be produced by S.M. Entertainment's subsidiary S.M. Pictures. S.M. Entertainment head Lee Soo-man said the planningJul 8, 2007
Honored Queen of Cannes Honored Queen of Cannes: Actress Jeon Do-yeon, left, is honored with the Okgwan Order Culture Merit by the Minister of Culture Kim Jong-min at the minister’s office in central Seoul, Friday. The 34-year-old star marked a milestone for Korean cinema by winning the award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival in May for her moving role in “Secret Sunshine,” directed by Lee Chang-dong. / YonhapJun 29, 2007
Shinhwa Members Go Solo This SummerBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter It's been over a year since Shinhwa, one of the longest running Korean boy bands, has released an album. While younger boy groups like TVXQ, Super Junior, SS501 and Big Bang have been getting all the attention, Shinhwa members are concentrating on solo activities. This summer, three Shinhwa members, Kim Dong-wan, Lee Min-woo and Shin Hye-sung are set to release their solo albums. The three singers are counting on loyal Shinhwa fans to support their solo efforts, but are also attempting to attract new fans with a more mature image. Lee, who was the first member to go solo in 2003, will hold a showcase concert for his third album ``Explore M'' on July 8. His album will be released on July 10. Adopting the stage name M for his solo activities, Lee has already released two albums with an R&B style. Lee seems to be the most serious when it comes to music, having written and produced songs for other K-pop artists such as Jewelry. He established his own music company M Rising Entertainment, and expressed interest in nurturing new artists.Jun 26, 2007
Singer Rain Cleared for US ConcertBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Korean pop star Rain can now use his stage name for his ``Rain's Coming'' world concert tour in the United States. Yonhap News reported the Nevada state district court on Thursday dropped the lawsuit filed by music company Rain Corp. challenging the Korean singer's right to use his stage name in the U.S. Rain Corp. filed the lawsuit last February, requesting the court to prevent Rain from using his stage name for his concert tour in the U.S. The company claimed it owned the copyright of the name, used by its Beatles tribute band. However, the Nevada court did not agree with Rain Corp.'s assertions, and dismissed the case against Rain, his former management agency JYP Entertainment and concert organizer Star M Corporation. The name Rain is the English translation of the singer's Korean stage name Bi. Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, had postponed most of his concerts in the United States early this month due to the lawsuit. With the dismissal of the case, Rain can now continue the American leg of his ``Rain's Coming'Jun 22, 2007
Rain Fans Sign Petition to Show SupportBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Fans from all over the world are signing a petition in support of K-pop singer Rain, who is facing a legal battle over the use of his name in the United States. On the Web site www.ipetitions.com, a fan created an online petition titled ``Rain/Bi deserves to keep his stage name.'' As of 6:30 p.m. on June 19, there have been over 3,400 people who have signed the petition. The petition is aimed at showing fans' support for Rain, who is being sued by Nevada-based music company Music Corp. who claims to have the copyright for the use of the name ``Rain'' in the U.S. The company, who has a band named ``Rain The Beatles Experience,'' wants the Korean singer to stop using the name there. ``If you feel that this lawsuit is for publicity and money, sign it. If you think this is wrong, sign it. If you are a fan of Rain and want him to continue with his success in America, sign this petition! Most importantly, this petition is to show that Rain/ Bi deserves to keep his stage name,'' the petition stated. Due to the lawsuit, Rain's conceJun 19, 2007
K-Pop: Sexy Stars Versus Sweet GirlsBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Lee Hyo-lee's reign as K-pop's hottest is being challenged by singers like Ivy, Chae Yeon, and Seo In-young. Lee sent temperatures rising in 2003 when she made her debut as a sexy singer. Many female singers have since tried to follow in her footsteps, pushing the limits of sexiness with barely-there outfits and hot dance moves. Lee is still a top fashion icon and sought-after product endorser, but she seems to be looking for a new direction for her career. She appears in several ads as well as sizzling spreads showing off her gleaming skin and curves in fashion magazines like W and Cosmopolitan. Earlier this year, there was a backlash against her sexy image. Her recent mini-drama ``If In Love ... Like Them'' failed to draw in audiences. Lee has also not been paying much attention to her music career, only releasing a digital single album last March. While Lee struggles, several female K-pop singers are making their move. Some are going for the hardcore sexy image, while others are keeping it sweet. Leading the pack of sexyJun 19, 2007
Skull Releases Reggae Single on iTunesBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Korean reggae artist Skull released his debut single ``Boom Di Boom Di'' at the Apple iTunes store, the most popular music downloading Web site in the United States, on Tuesday. Skull is one of the few Korean artists whose songs are available on the iTunes store in the U.S. He also unveiled his 3D animation music video for ``Boom Di Boom Di'' on the social networking Web site MySpace at www.myspace.com/skullriddim. The music video received mostly positive comments from MySpace users, who described it as having ``cool beats'' and ``awesome computer-generated graphics.'' However, there were some who commented they couldn't understand the words of the fast-paced reggae song. Morgan Carey, brother of pop superstar Mariah, is handling Skull's debut in the U.S. market. There have even been rumors that Skull will soon do a collaborative effort with Mariah Carey, but there has been no confirmation from his agency. According to the agency, Skull will collaborate with artists Buju Banton and Kardinal Offishall. Banton is considered oneJun 12, 2007